The clouds were much prettier thirty-thousand feet in the air and Hikari couldn't help but stare pleadingly at them. It was as if she were begging them to let her find Takishima and pour her heart out to him. Although she knew that clouds couldn't grant wishes, she needed something to hold on to. Ever since she boarded the jet, she had become unnaturally quiet and depressed. A few hours ago, she was overflowing with energy and slight rage, but now all she felt was tired and nervous. Despite longing to finally let him know how she felt, she couldn't help but feel like she was too late. Maybe he had given up on her returning his feelings and that's why he left. He left to straighten himself out and pull himself together so he could move on.

No matter what his reason was, it was too late to turn back. She was about to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and a car would be waiting to take her to The Roosevelt Hotel, where Takishima was staying. Tadashi called her to let her know that he would be in meetings for a few hours after she got there and that she should try and find something to do until about five o'clock. Then she could check back at the hotel and talk with him.

So Hikari let her driver drop her off and she went inside to confirm that he was indeed staying at this hotel. Now that she knew he was definitely going to be here, she took it upon herself to find her way around the boisterous city. She walked up and down countless streets until she finally found what appeared to be a park. There was a tall gate around the area and a sign that said Madison Square Park, though she couldn't read it. She followed the gate until she saw the entrance and walked inside, staring in awe the size of the jungle gym and all of the kids climbing on it. They were running and laughing, crossing bridges and monkey bars, and playing all sorts of games.

She passed by all the excitement, smiling at the carefree atmosphere, and made her way over to the swing set. She found an empty swing and saw the little girl next to her look at her curiously. She tried to smile at her, but the kid just gave her a funny look and then turned away. Hikari hung her head slightly, feeling awkward and out of place, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She checked her wristwatch and she had three hours until she needed to be back at the hotel. So she did the only thing she could think to do: push off the ground and start swinging.

An hour passed rather quickly, what with all of the new sights, sounds, and smells to take in. Hikari watched all the people pass by and the children playing. She could smell food from a nearby hotdog stand and a kids packed lunch, along with various other city scents. The thing that captivated her the most, though, was the sound of other people's voices. The English language and the multitude of accents were extremely fascinating. She saw a lot of tourists from all over the country and the globe, and marveled at how different they all sound. Although she couldn't recognize it herself, she heard a southern accent, an English accent, a Brooklyn accent, and hundreds of other ones that she didn't recognize. It was only when she heard two teenage Japanese boys talking about school that she understood anything.

But after that hour, time seemed to move at an incredibly slow pace and Hikari found herself being bored with the swing. So she hopped off and within a matter of seconds, three little kids came racing towards it, all of them pushing and shoving each other to claim it. She decided to go for a walk through the rest of the park, not realizing how big it really was and how easy it was to get lost. She just let her feet carry her to wherever as she pulled her iPod out of her backpack. She put in her earbuds and pressed play and then put it on shuffle. She let Do As Infinity play as she took in more sights. She couldn't help but muse over the fact that there was so little grass and that there were so many different types of people gathered in one place.

Although, she remembered learning about America in her World History class and she was now remembering that they called this particular city a "concrete jungle" and "the city that never sleeps." It was so fitting, she thought, as she watched the cars crowd in the street, outside the gate. She put her hands in her coat pocket and kept walking, reminding herself not to wander too far away from the entrance to the playground. She was trying hard to remember the way back to the hotel from there and thought she had a pretty good idea.

All of a sudden, she felt something vibrate and pulled out her cell phone. She looked down and saw that she had a new text message from Akira. She opened it and it read:

Hikari, I take it you landed safely and made it to the hotel? I know Tadashi told you to keep yourself busy, but BE CAREFUL! You're in a foreign country all by yourself and you need to watch yourself. I hope everything works out for you and I want to hear all about it when you get back.

~Akira~

She smiled at the concerned message from her friend, but failed to watch where she was going and ended up bumping into a young man talking on his phone. As she was about to apologize, he gave her a dirty look and muttered something in English that Hikari assumed wasn't good. He didn't have a nice tone of voice. She stepped off to the side, hoping to get out of everyone's way, and replied to Akira. Then she put her phone back in her pocket and continued her walk.

She managed to listen to eight songs before she saw another sign and what looked to be an exit. Hikari looked around for the playground, wondering if she had gone in a complete circle. However, there was no playground in sight and that made her panic slightly. She looked at her wristwatch again and saw that she only had an hour and fifteen minutes to find her way back. So she quickly turned on her heel and sprinted back in the direction she came from, hoping that she had just gone straight and that she would wind up back where she started.

Kei tugged on his tie, attempting to loosen it without looking unprofessional. He had been at meetings all day with a bunch of CEO's from several different companies. After hours of nothing but business talk, he couldn't wait until he was out of the lobby and in his car on his way back to the hotel. And just when he closed the car door behind him, his phone went off. Groaning and praying to God that it wasn't business related, he pulled his phone out and flipped it open. He had a new text message from Akira. Rubbing his temples, he could only image what she would have to say to him. He hadn't even been gone for a full day and she already had something to yell at him about. He opened the message and read it to himself.

Kei, you wretched, evil snake! I just got a text from Hikari saying she got lost! She's running around aimlessly in some park in New York City. She came after you, so now it's your job to protect her and keep her safe. If anything happens to my little angel, I swear I'll kill you! GO FIND HER!

~Akira~

He went wide-eyed when he found out she had followed him here. The only way she would have known where he was is if she talked to Tadashi. He smacked his forehead and growled, cursing himself for telling him where he was going. Cursing under his breath, he pounded on the window in front of him, trying to get the drivers attention. When the window was rolled down, he poked his head through and began barking orders.

"Listen, I need to get to the closest park near the hotel. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, but sir, what ever for?"

"Just do it, I need to get there quickly."

The driver nodded his head and rolled the window back up. Kei sat back in seat, head in his hands and sighed. He looked up and out the window, watching all the cars go by and the lights dance. It would be much more magnificent when it got darker out, but it was still a sight to behold. As he watched the world around him, his mind was reeling with questions. What was Hikari doing in New York? Why did she follow him? What on Earth was she doing at the park? How did she get there? What was she thinking?

He just couldn't figure this girl out. She avoided him when he was back home, but she flew all the way to a different country after him. She was lost and needed help, but instead of calling on him, she told her best friend who was thousands of miles away that she was lost. It just didn't make any sense... she didn't make any sense. Though, that was one of the things he liked about her. All of the little confusing things that she did were cute, but sometimes they worried him. Things like this usually got her in trouble or put her in danger and he feared that one day he wouldn't be there to help her. It sent chills down his spine to even think things like that.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when his driver rolled down the window and announced that they had arrived. Kei got out and stared in awe at the sheer size of the park. He recognized it instantly and was immediately frustrated. Only Hikari could go off and get lost in one of, if not the largest, park in New York City. He told his driver that he would take things from here and not to wait for him. He didn't know how long he'd be running around this place in search of her, but there was no point in him waiting around. He waved him off and scampered into the nearest entrance and began to frantically scan the area for Hikari.

Hikari, you had better be safe.

"A/N: We're going to skip my usual this-is-why-I-haven't-updated speech and go straight to the I-hope-you-enjoyed-this-chapter segment. I know that I neglect updating this story, but I think it's almost done. Another chapter or two and it should be complete... maybe. I don't plan out my stories, I just kind of write them as I go along. So, yeah, we'll see what happens. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, as always, reviews are loved and appreciated."