Free Talk- Still chugging along I am. The chapters may take awhile, but I have sworn not to start anything else until this story is complete. I'd say it's about 2/3 finished now, and this chapter sets things up for the final third. I hope you'll stick with me to the end. Thanks for the feedback for last chapter. People seemed surprised to see Hiruma. Were you surprised about Koutarou and Akaba's... er... link? I am happy that at least one person picked up my lame Reborn! joke. There was a lame one-off reference to Lost in there, too. Anyways, please tell me what you think of the new chapter and how I am doing. Your support means so much to me. Oh, and Jill, it is not just in your head...

Koutarou Star
By Angelsaurus

Chapter 10: Bad Company

The trademark cackle gave him away before his pointy face was revealed, but that wasn't nearly enough time to dispel the shock. Julie wasn't prepared to find herself suddenly under the sadistic glare of Hiruma Yoichi. When she looked to her left, she felt relieved to see that Koutarou's expression was just as stunned as hers. To her right, however, Akaba was so perfectly composed it was almost irritating.

"Hello, Hiruma," he said. "So I take it this is the one you were referring to in Kumabukuro Riko's interview?"

"That's right. I'm surprised you remember, Fucking Red Eyes," Hiruma replied. "Though not nearly as surprised as I am to be greeting you and your entourage here." Actually, he didn't seem surprised at all. He seemed like he was expecting them.

"Who's whose entourage?" Koutarou asked rudely. "If anything, Akaba is me and Julie's entourage. After all, he's the one who followed us off the end of the ship. And what is this interview you're referring to? Why is a guy like you the president of a pineapple company?"

Hiruma tilted back his leather desk chair. Even when he was in a relaxed position there was a wicked, calculating air about him. "Still don't know how to keep your trap closed I see, Fucking Sideburns. The whole island belongs to me; the pineapple plantation merely came with it, making me the president, owner, and sole shareholder. I only visit two or three times a year to check in on my assets. How fortunate for me that your trespassing coincided with one of my stays."

"Fortunate for you?" Koutarou asked raising an eyebrow.

Julie felt dread pooling in her stomach.

"Fortunate for both of us," Hiruma said, as slyly as a used car salesman. "Now please, indulge me with the story of how Fucking Sideburns, Fucking Red Eyes, and Fucking…" He paused for only a moment to think of the best nickname for Julie. "Blue Hair came to be skinny dipping in my stream on my island."

So he knew about the naked swimming. Julie's cheeks blushed hotly. Since it was Hiruma they were dealing with, she had to wonder if he had been watching them through some sort of surveillance camera. The thought made her whole face blaze. Koutarou and Akaba seeing her nude body was one thing, but Hiruma Yoichi getting a free show was too much.

"Isn't it headline news yet?" Koutarou asked their host. "The front man and guitarist from a super famous Japanese rock band fell overboard from a cruise ship. That's a pretty big deal you know."

"Super famous?" Hiruma asked sardonically. "What did you say your band was called again?"

It was hard to tell whether Koutarou was baffled or offended by the comment, since both reactions manifested so similarly in him. One finger pointed challengingly at the long-eared devil while his other hand shook the metal lunchbox he was still carrying, causing its contents to rattle. "You haven't heard of Daddy Long Legs? We're the best singing band Japan has ever produced. Or something like that."

Akaba pressed his forehead into his fingertips and sighed. "Fuu~ You just replaced kicking with singing and team with band." He turned his attention diplomatically to Hiruma, who was spinning a jeweled globe of Earth on his desk with one finger. "We fell off of the ship only yesterday evening, so I wouldn't expect it to be a headline yet, though I am sure it is on the internet somewhere already. You see, Daddy Long Legs was to be the featured entertainment on the maiden voyage of a new cruise ship, but unfortunately Koutarou and Julie went over board while attempting to retrieve an item stolen by his girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend," Koutarou interjected. "But Akaba here jumped ship by choice."

"I went in the water after them," Akaba confirmed in a brittle voice. "We would have remained drifting in our life raft until rescue came, but Koutarou got terribly seasick. So we sought refuge on this island, which turned out to be yours."

Hiruma tented his fingers and flashed his razor-sharp grin. "Yes, what an interesting turn of events. Now I assume you want to be reunited with your bandmates to resume your concert tour as soon as possible. I can arrange that." He paused, a vicious glint in his eyes, and Julie anticipated with trepidation the conditions of his aide. "It will cost you, you know."

"We know," Julie sighed. "You have to understand, though, that we really don't have much to offer. Will that stop you from helping us?"

"Of course not," he said with glaringly fake compassion. "It isn't my nature to ask for payment up front. I collect what's owed me on my own schedule. Oh, but in order for me to feel secure that you won't try to back out of paying your debt, I will be requiring just the teensiest bit of collateral."

"All we've got are the clothes we were wearing when we fell into the ocean," Julie said.

Their host gave a quiet little snort, a smug expression on his devilish features. "As eager as you seem to be to strip once again, I won't be taking any of your clothes."

There was a metallic clatter to Julie's left and she turned her head to find Koutarou hugging his lunchbox against his chest possessively. Eyes narrowed, lower jaw jutting, he was challenging Hiruma to ask for it.

But Hiruma just rolled his eyes. "I don't want your stupid lunchbox, Fucking Sideburns, so just relax."

Now when Hiruma Youichi said 'relax,' it by no means indicated that there wouldn't be trouble. It roughly translated to: 'resistance is futile so kindly sit down and shut up.' Whatever he had in mind as collateral, he would get it from them. Julie's stomach clenched as he pulled open a desk drawer and his face lit up with cruel glee.

"What's this? It appears I already have collateral." He pulled out a small device, a miniature hard drive that plugs into a USB port. "It's stored on this hard drive."

"What's stored on it?" Koutarou demanded.

"The footage from the security cameras, of course. I knew installing them around that jungle pool was a good idea. And investing in high-definition zoom lenses was pure genius."

"Zoom lenses?" Julie choked. "You mean…"

Before she could even say anything, Hiruma chimed in, cheerfully businesslike. "That's right. I know you three will pay back your debts at my bidding because if you don't, your hi-def naked naughty bits will be all over the World Wide Web for all to see."

Akaba shrugged coolly. "I don't care who sees my body."

"Maybe so," Hiruma said slyly. "But how do you feel about the whole world feasting their eyes on your pretty little manager? There's a lot more footage of her than there is of you or Fucking Sideburns. They'll be able to count the freckles on her ass."

There was silence as Akaba's fists tightened at his sides and his eyes closed. "There's no need to point that out. We will pay you back for any services rendered because it is the right thing to do."

Suddenly Koutarou set down his lunchbox and slammed both hands on Hiruma's desk, drawing everyone's stare. "Did you watch it?" he barked. "Did you watch Julie bathing?"

Ignoring him completely, Hiruma continued to communicate with Akaba. "There's a shipment going out to the continental US tomorrow that you three can ride with. For tonight, arrangements will be made for you to stay here. Do any of you have any special requirements?"

"I require that you tell me how much you saw of Julie on that video, you perv!" Koutarou was still stuck on that, still pounding his fists on the desk and flicking droplets of spit in Hiruma's face with each word. But once again his interrogation went ignored by everyone but Julie, who touched his forearm to calm him.

"We'd like the use of a computer and access to the internet," Akaba said. "If that can be arranged."

"I aim to please," Hiruma hissed merrily. "I'll factor it into your bill along with room and board, food, water usage, electricity, fresh air, sunlight…" He was lost in his own little world, adding up their myriad fees in his head, when suddenly he stopped and glared at the trio as if they were interrupting his favorite leisure activity. "What are you still doing in my office? I'm very busy. Go! Fucking Chief Guard will show you to your room."

Then he waved them away impatiently with his hand and the trio left without question.

Outside in the hallway, the same man who had brought them in (the chief guard according to Hiruma's epithet) was waiting, as still as a statue. His instructions must have already been received, since he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Without saying a single word, he led Julie, Koutarou, and Akaba through the hallways of the mansion, turning several corners, and came to a stop in front of a door. A nod indicated that it was their lodgings, and then he took his leave.

"I swear that guy is one of Tetsuma's long lost relatives," Koutarou said once their guide was out of listening range (even though the guy didn't understand Japanese and had no idea who Tetsuma was). "Well, I guess we can't be mad that we have to share a room."

"We're just lucky to have a place to stay," Akaba said predictably. Then he pushed open the door and Koutarou shoved past him to get through first.

"Holy pineapples," he uttered, and the other two hurried inside to see what was so shocking.

The room was spacious and neat, but what made it different from any other spacious and neat room was the décor, which definitely followed a theme. On every wall were hung framed paintings of pineapples. The curtains that bracketed a large window with an ocean view were pineapple print. The lamp next to the bed was shaped like a pineapple. Oh yes, there was only one bed, a king-sized four-poster made of mahogany, and crowning each post was an elegantly carved pineapple. Even the bedspread was pineapples, a different fabric from the curtains.

Koutarou was making a face. "What exactly is Hiruma trying to pull?"

Akaba answered slowly as he continued to explore the room with his eyes. "Maybe he just really, really likes pineapples."

At this point, Julie heard the things the boys were saying but wasn't really listening, too busy flopping herself backward onto the fruity bed. After spending last night exposed to the elements on the hard ground, this thing could have dung beetle print sheets and Julie would still think it was heaven. From her new vantage point she noticed a door in the corner of the room that had slipped her attention before.

"Hey, we get our own bathroom," she said, getting up and walking over to check it out. "There's a toilet, shower, bath, even soaps and shampoo. It's like a hotel."

"Do you guys see what's going on here?" Koutarou grumbled. "All this fancy stuff is just more fees that Hiruma is adding to our bill. He's just going to use it as an excuse to keep us in his debt as long as possible and keep our nudie video hostage. He'll be watching your naked body every single day, Julie. I can't stand it!"

She rolled her eyes at him as usual. "The video is just a bargaining chip. But Hiruma is our only way off this island so we don't have a choice but to accept it. Now, do either of you mind if I take a quick shower?"

"Not at all," said Akaba.

"Check for cameras first," Koutarou warned.

Rational as she acted, Julie really did loathe the idea of Hiruma Youichi having that footage, and she did check for hidden cameras (and found none) before undressing to get in the shower. The jungle pool had been cold and refreshing, but for getting clean, steaming hot water and soap did a better job.

There was a big white towel, embroidered with a pineapple embellishment of course, hanging on a rack next to the shower and she used it to dry off. She was about to change back into her clothes when she saw that there were three fluffy bathrobes hanging from hooks. She put one of them on before wrapping the towel around her head and exiting the bathroom.

Akaba had settled into a chair and was practicing silent chords on an invisible guitar. Koutarou was sprawled on the bed, tinkering with the contents of his metal lunchbox. Both of them were dead silent.

"Anything exciting happen?" she asked.

"Not a thing," Koutarou sighed. "Still waiting for that computer so we can check what people are saying about us." He sat up and stretched. "I guess it would be smart of me to take a shower too. I've still got some of that mud in my hair."

When Koutarou closed the bathroom door behind him, Julie took his vacated spot on the bed, alone with Akaba for the first time since he had told her about his parentage and his connection to Koutarou. And for the first time ever, she felt a little awkward around him. He had shared with her his biggest secret and now they were both keeping it from the young man in the shower, the most important person in both their lives.

"Some day, huh?" she commented to ease the atmosphere.

Akaba was still bent over his imaginary guitar, but he looked up when she spoke and her eyes automatically searched his features for glimmers of Koutarou. Is this how it would be from now on? Would she always look at one of them and see traces of the other, reminding her of the secret she had to keep?

"Definitely a strange twenty-four hours," Akaba said. "I have to apologize for what happened earlier. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by getting into the pool with you and Koutarou. I just figured that since he and I had seen each other in the shower after practice, and he and you had just seen each other naked, we might as well all just see each other naked to make things even all around."

She had actually managed to put the whole naked swimming incident at the back of her mind until he brought it up again. Now her face was warm with embarrassment. "Don't worry. I didn't see anything too juicy," she chuckled nervously. "Or if I did, it wasn't a good enough look that I remember."

"Fuu~ I wouldn't mind," he said casually. "I wouldn't have taken my clothes off if I was ashamed for you to see my naked body."

How could he say it so calmly? There wasn't even a trace of self-consciousness in his voice and for some reason that made her feel more self-conscious. Leave it to Akaba to open his heart in the morning and revert to being serenely inscrutable by afternoon. If she were having the same conversation with Koutarou, his face would be as red as a tomato and he'd stammer or garble all his words rather cutely.

Right when she was thinking about him, the hiss of the shower stopped and a minute later the door opened to let out a very clean Koutarou amidst coils of steam. He was wearing a bathrobe just like Julie's. It was even the same size, she theorized, as it revealed more of his long legs than it did of hers. Not helping the matter was her knowledge that he was not wearing underpants underneath it, but at least everything was covered.

"I guess it's your turn, Akaba," he said. "If you like the robe, there's one for you in there, too."

"Excellent," Akaba answered, possibly sarcastic; it was hard to tell. He stood up from the chair and nodded at Julie. "I'll be out in a few."

Now it was Koutarou who Julie was alone with, but she didn't feel awkward with him like she had when it was just her and Akaba. With Koutarou she felt an entirely different kind of awkward that was multiplied tenfold by that stupid, dangerously short bathrobe.

"We look smart in matching robes, don't you think?" he asked.

"Definitely smart," she said, trying not to let her gaze linger too long on his bare legs or on that exposed triangle of chest below his neck. Akaba may be perfectly laid-back about nudity, but she definitely wasn't, at least when it came to Koutarou. The sight of his skin sent her mind zooming back to when she was pressed up against it because of that damn snake. Yes! It was the snake's fault she was turning into a pervert.

She tried not to think about it by focusing on his face. Recent events may have made her more keenly aware of what an attractive body he had, but when she looked in his grey eyes he was still her Koutarou. She saw the silly boy who talked her into being the Spiders' manager just so he could hang out with her after school and her heart overflowed with affection.

"Come here," she chirped.

His ears pricked at the sound of it and he happily took a seat next to her on the bed's edge. "So what do you want to talk…? Hey!"

She'd caught him off guard by yanking the towel off her head and throwing it over his, but he ceased his protest the moment she started messaging it into his hair to dry it off. When she finished, his mane was still a shaggy mess. So she got up and retrieved the flip comb from the back pocket of his discarded jeans, sat down behind him on the bed, and began gently raking it through his tresses.

"Julie, you… you're combing my hair." He uttered the words as if it was the most shockingly intimate act imaginable and that made Julie feel like it actually was.

"Well, you spend so much time doing it, I wanted to see what the appeal was," she said as she delicately worked out a snarl, trying her best to cause him no pain. "Your hair is really soft." It smelled good too, but she decided it might sound weird if she said that.

"Jessica always snorted and made a face whenever I whipped out a comb," Koutarou said. "Sometimes she would snatch it out of my hand and throw it in the trash."

He said it like it was just any old offhand remark, but Julie heard the pain beneath it, like a low guitar chord nearly drowned out by other instruments. With all they had been through because of Jessica Coburn, no- Kobane Shika, it would be easy to overlook the emotional and psychological trouncing she had dealt Koutarou personally.

Even if his relationship with her seemed shallow and almost entirely physical (the fact that she despised one of his most obvious quirks being yet another piece of evidence), there was no way for anyone else to know exactly what was in Koutarou's heart.

Julie had been his friend since they were kids and she knew that deep down he was a romantic, a fool who still believed that love is magical. She also knew that he'd never had a girlfriend before Shika. He'd probably cared about her a lot, and believed that she cared about him too. To find out that she had just been using him for the two months they dated must have been devastating.

Then a sharp sickness seized her as she suddenly remembered something Shika had told her during their confrontation. "After all, you did break his heart before he came to America. Funny isn't it, Julie? How you set Koutarou up for me. You made him such an easy target."

The movement of the comb slowed as tears of guilt pricked at her eyes. No matter how unintended, her "rejection" had hurt him deeply, maybe enough to make him jump into a relationship with a beautiful but duplicitous woman. She dropped the comb completely and used both arms to hug him tightly against her.

"I'm sorry," she cried into his hair, messing up the work she'd just done. "If I had known… If only I'd known…"

Koutarou seemed stunned for a moment but then he laughed. "How could you have known what kind of person she really was, Julie? If anybody should have been suspicious it's me. You've got nothing to apologize for."

He thought she meant: "If only I'd known what Jessica's true nature was," but she really meant: "If only I'd known that you were confessing to me at the airport." But how could she explain that to him now? It wouldn't make him feel any better to know that all this trouble might have been averted if he'd been less vague or she'd been less dense. Julie couldn't imagine what she would have said if she had known it was a confession anyway. Maybe she would have hurt him even worse.

If he were to confess to her right now, however, she had a pretty good idea of how she'd respond.

Her embrace tightened, she breathed in the sweet scent of shampoo on his hair, and she didn't loosen her hold on him until someone knocked on the door and she had to let go to get up and answer it. When she opened the door, the knocker had vanished, leaving a room service trolley laden with goodies for them.

"Our computer is here!" she announced, pulling the cart inside. In addition to the much-coveted laptop, there were three sets of clean clothing (looked like something casual they could sleep in), and three platters topped with domed silver covers. "Looks like dinner is here, too."

"Great, I'm starving," Koutarou said. If he was puzzled by her behavior a few minutes ago he wasn't showing it. He grabbed two platters and she grabbed the computer and together they settled back on the bed.

"Should we wait for Akaba?" Julie asked.

"No need," Akaba answered, emerging from the bathroom.

Eating commenced as they waited for the computer to boot. Dinner was grilled fish served with rice and an assortment of vegetables. And, as they soon discovered, it was all flavored with a certain secret ingredient.

"Thish fish tashtes yike pimapple," Koutarou whined upon shoving a forkful in his mouth. He swallowed and took another bite. "The rice tastes like pineapple, too."

Luckily, the computer screen lit up before he could complain further, but all three of them recoiled slightly when the desktop wallpaper loaded; it was a photo of Hiruma aiming a shotgun straight out at the audience with the words, "Don't forget, your ass belongs to me now," superimposed over it.

"Er, I don't suppose it's just an empty threat," Koutarou muttered.

Julie quickly maximized the web browser to cover it up. "Let's just not think about it. Now, where do we look first?" she asked.

"How about starting with Daddy Long Legs' website," Akaba said. "Our bandmates might have said something about us even if nobody else has."

She typed in the URL and sure enough, the main page of their website now displayed an open letter to fans in stark black type, in both Japanese and English.

To the family, friends, and fans of Daddy Long Legs:

It is with deepest regret that we must announce the cancellation of our American tour due to unfortunate circumstances. This includes our scheduled appearance on the television show "Saturday Night Live." All tickets will, of course, be refunded promptly and in full. We are deeply sorry for this turn of events.

"They cancelled it already?" Koutarou squawked, so riled he felt the need to claw at his hair. "What the hell? It's been one freaking day! One! And they cancelled everything! Even Saturday Night Live! Not smart guys! And what's with the 'unfortunate circumstances' crap. Isn't our disappearance a bit more tragic than that?"

He paused to growl and Julie cut in using her most optimistic voice. "They probably aren't saying more because they don't want anyone to panic. But at least this means they know that you two are missing. I'm sure they are searching. And I'm sure they are worried about you. They wouldn't have cancelled so soon if they weren't worried."

"I guess you're right," he said with a pout. "Let's see if anyone else is talking about us."

With Julie at the helm, they checked several prominent entertainment news sites, but the only mentions of Daddy Long Legs referred to the cancellation as being for 'as yet unknown reasons.' Search engines yielded some music blogs, but all they could offer was vague speculation about poor ticket sales. It was still very early, of course. Almost everyone who knew something was wrong was still aboard that cruise ship.

"So what are we going to do?" Koutarou asked.

Akaba thought for a moment. 'I suppose we should make it known that we are alive and well. We should email our families and the guys first."

A glum sigh came from Koutarou, his chin drooped. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It won't reinstate our concerts though."

"No," said Akaba. "But it's not as bad as the world thinking we're dead."

"I don't know about that," said Koutarou. "If they think we're dead, they can't be mad at us for canceling our shows. They're going to hate us, aren't they?"

"Of course not," Julie chimed. "Sure the fans will be disappointed, but when you explain what happened, they'll be so happy that you're alive it won't matter."

He only seemed half comforted at best. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Hey, before sending out those emails I just want to check one more thing. Could you do a search for 'Jessica Coburn?'"

So Julie typed it in and the very first sire to pop up wasn't what any of them were expecting. It was the official announcement page for the Saturday Night Live's End of Summer Special.

"What does it say, Akaba?" Koutarou asked impatiently. "I can't read it!"

Akaba hesitated. His tongue flicked anxiously over his lips and his eyebrows twitched. Whatever he read was upsetting enough to cause hairline cracks to form in his perfect cool.

"What is it?" Julie asked fearfully. "Just spit it out."

The voice he answered with had a strange, airy quality. "She took our spot."

"What?" Julie and Koutarou gasped at once.

"There has been a slight change to the list of performers that was announced yesterday," he read."Japanese rock band, Daddy Long Legs, is unable to appear, citing personal issues. In their place, another rising star will be the special musical guest, singer Jessica Coburn."

Silence swallowed the room for a full minute as bitter emotions robbed the three Spiders of their voices. Jessica, Shika, whatever her name was, had not only gotten away with letting them fall overboard, but actually benefited from the tragedy. As far as she knew, the three castaways had drowned, and yet she still felt no qualms about sniping their big television debut.

"We… have to expose her," Julie said, choking slightly on her anger. "We have to let everyone know what happened and that you guys are still alive and well, no thanks to her. The producers of that show need to know what kind of person she really is before they let her perform."

"Yes," Akaba said.

But Koutarou interjected with an adamant, "No." Akaba and Julie immediately turned their eyes to him. He had a steely, determined look on his face, his game face. "I don't want to go to the show's producers about this," he continued, in a tone befitting his expression. "I want Jessica to go on that show."

"Why?" Julie asked, flabbergasted.

Koutarou's hard look turned into a smirk. "Because I want as many people as possible to see it when I expose her lies."

"You're going to confront her on live national television?" Julie asked apprehensively.

"That's rash even for you," Akaba pointed out. "And how are you planning to actually pull it off? There are some pretty prominent celebrities slated to be on this special so security will be tight. They're not going to just let you rush the stage."

"I've still got a week and a half to figure it out," Koutarou said. "With the three of us working together I'm sure we can think of something." His enthusiasm increased as he spoke, but Akaba brought it to a swift halt.

"I never said I was going to go along with this," he said sternly. "And neither did Julie. I agree that Kobane needs to be dealt with, but not with this reckless and impulsive idea of yours. It's completely irrational. Wouldn't you agree, Jewels?"

"It is crazy," she answered thoughtfully. Koutarou's smile wilted, but only until she added, "But I think we should do it. Koutarou, you can count me in."

Now he was beaming at her. "Really? You'll help?"

"In any way I can," she said confidently. "So that everyone will know immediately that she's a wolf in sheep's clothing." Her voice got soft and sensitive as she looked at Koutarou's warm grey eyes. "Nobody deserves to be used the way you were."

Her heart was set on helping him from the moment he explained his objective. Reckless and impulsive as it sounded, she knew that he was serious. This was something he felt, as a man, he needed to do. She was doing it for him.

But there was still one holdout.

"So, are you in, Akaba?" Koutarou asked, eyes full of hope.

Akaba wasn't even looking at him, though; he was looking at Julie. But he responded to the question nonetheless, eyes never leaving her face. "Why do you need me to help?"

"Aw, come on, you know the answer to that," Koutarou whined. "And you know how much I hate to say it." He sighed and grudgingly said. "You're smarted than me."

"Yes," Akaba said dispassionately. "So?"

"So, you're like the brainy big brother of the group," Koutarou answered. "We need you."

Julie had been starting to grow antsy under Akaba's concentrated gaze, but when Koutarou said the word brother, his features immediately smoothed and she couldn't help smiling at him. She knew that word had sealed the deal. He turned to Koutarou and said, "Alright, I'm in."

Koutarou was grinning excitedly. "Smart! Let Operation: Bring Down the Wicked Witch commence!"

To be continued…