Sunday afternoon, June 26 – The bridge near the Ichinose residence
"Stress?" Jun Kobayashi asked. There was more surprise than challenge in his voice, but he was somewhat doubtful.
"Stress." Kyou repeated the conclusion of the fertility specialist that she had been seeing. Even though her head was angled down at the water trickling through the creek that ran under the bridge, her eyes looked like they were focused on something beyond the horizon. Distracted as she was with her own thoughts, she still noticed the dubious tone in the old man's voice. Without turning to him, she asked, "You don't think that is possible?"
"Hmph," Jun gazed down at the creek too as he replied, "Don't base anything on what I believe, when it comes to medical issues. I am a doctor, but not of medicine. I've just never heard of stress being the cause of infertility… except in old wives tales."
"According to the doctors, stress can interfere with the process of the ovaries releasing the eggs into the womb." Kyou paraphrased what she had recently learned about her unwanted condition.
"That… sounds plausible." Jun felt sorry for the lavender haired girl. He knew that she wasn't coming to him for a solution. Rather, it was a sense of duty that he detected from her. Jun had been the one to reveal the contents of Kotomi's living will to her, and she…
"I'm not living up to my end of the bargain, am I?" Kyou said evenly, keeping the crushing guilt out of her voice.
"I wouldn't say that." Jun replied as his gaze shifted up to the sky of puffy white clouds moving across the infinite blue.
Kyou said nothing, but turned sharply to face the old man. His reply had been unexpected and she hoped that he wasn't making a convenient lie for her.
"Kotomi-chan's most passionate desire was the happiness of her family." Jun explained while he watched the clouds, "That family included her children, Tomoya… and you."
"..." Kyou had been about to refute his explanation, but the last part had stunned her and kept her off-balance.
"Kotomi thought of you as part of her family. You realize that, don't you?"
"I..." Kyou's head was spinning. I was the back-up mom. The reserve-mom. Spare… Redundant… Auxiliary… Extra…
"In a world that embraces monogamy as the only working family model, it is hard to get your mind around what Kotomi was thinking. It took her several sessions before I came to grips with it." Jun admitted. Then, turning to the troubled young woman, he looked deep into her purple eyes and told her, "Kotomi never thought of you as a replacement, you know."
"What?" Kyou was stunned yet again. She didn't know how many more surprises she could take from this old man. Having expected his rebuke for failing to fulfill the expectations set forth in Kotomi's will, she was completely unprepared for this.
"Kotomi is an unparalleled genius… in her chosen field. But customs and social norms are very confusing to her. So, her response was to simply ignore the parts that were nonsensical or illogical. You know this to be true, don't you?" Jun asked as he took the hand that was dangling limply at Kyou's side.
"Yes." Kyou replied as she looked back into the old and wise eyes of Kobayashi Jun.
"In her mind, you were every bit Tomoya's wife, just as she was. She loved Tomoya and she wanted him to be surrounded and enveloped by love. She knew you loved him and… she knew he loved you too."
"Ah!" Kyou's cry left her lips, and her body leaned heavily onto the railing of the old creek bridge. She had come to grips with her love for Tomoya long ago, and she had even accepted that Tomoya loved her too. But, hearing that he had loved her all this time, from someone else, was still a shock.
"You're a smart girl, Kyou. I'm sure you already knew all of that." Jun said as he stepped closer to grasp Kyou's arm in case she lost any more of her balance or strength.
"Yes." Kyou answered faintly.
"She loved you too, Kyou." Jun said firmly.
"Not..." Kyou started to deny it, but she didn't know what to say.
"No, not like a lover." Jun explained what he knew, "She lost all of the people she had ever loved when her parents died… but she didn't lose the capacity to love. Unable to express herself well, and afraid that she would lose everything again, she still desperately wanted to have someone to love. Kotomi spent years in that awful state."
"..." Kyou knew all of this from what both Kotomi and Tomoya had told her, but hearing it again brought the tears to her eyes just like it had the first time.
"And then you and Tomoya came into her life." Jun grasped Kyou's hands more firmly to show his gratefulness, "The two of you shone so brightly – you didn't pull her out of the darkness… rather, you were like suns that blasted the shadows from around her and drenched her in a brilliance that forbade the return of darkness in her life."
"I didn't..." Kyou wanted to explain that all of that had been Tomoya.
"You did." Jun said forcefully, "I know this for a fact."
"How?" Kyou's skepticism had taken a major blow from that last statement and she wanted to know what kind of proof he had to back up something with so much strength.
"She told me," Jun replied, "in no uncertain terms."
"Oh… Kotomi." Kyou stumbled forward but was caught by Jun's arms. She pressed her face into his chest and cried. From the very beginning, Kotomi had plunged her life into a chaos that she had never been prepared for. Trying to understand her genius friend was like trying to follow the path of a single leaf in a typhoon. There had been highs and lows, pleasurable times and pain, confusion and love. If someone were to be at fault for all of this, it would have to be Kotomi. All of it… except for the pain. Kyou understood now that the pain had been her own fault… well, most of it anyway.
.
Sunday evening, June 26 – Ichinose residence
Tomoya watched Kyou enter the big tub… or small pool. Either way, it was large enough that Kyou often had Yuki and the kids in there with her. But this time, it was only the two of them. He knew that she had met with Kobayashi Jun earlier, and it looked like that meeting had made a substantial impact on her mental health. The signs that he had observed hadn't been definitive, but it appeared that the meeting might have gone… better than expected.
Tomoya opened his arms for Kyou to join him, but she didn't seem to notice and took a seat across from him. He thought about leaving her there, but his intuition was telling him that this was not the time for passivity. Getting up from his seat, he strode across the pool to her. He wanted to pick her up in his arms but his recovery hadn't progressed to that point yet. With that in mind, he moved in behind her and pulled her into his chest.
"Hmpf," Kyou grouched but didn't resist. Instead, she pouted, "Maybe I wanted to be alone."
"Maybe I didn't want to leave you alone." Tomoya replied.
"Is it always about what you want?" Kyou challenged.
"Yes," Tomoya answered immediately, "and right now, I want to see you happy. So prepare yourself, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you smile again."
"You don't play fair." Kyou moaned, "I can't be mad at you if you say things like that."
"Do you really need to be mad at me?" Tomoya asked while gently caressing Kyou's back.
"… No, I guess not." Kyou sighed.
"Come on," Tomoya pulled her back until she was laying her head on his shoulder. Her body floated up in the hot water so that she was no longer seated in Tomoya's lap and her breasts were bobbing above the water like two conical islands in a tropical sea. Tomoya's eyes opened wide at the new spectacle but was able to keep his passions under control enough to tell her, "Just relax. Take your time. Tell me all about it… whenever you're ready."
"Tell you all about what?" Kyou wondered what he was fishing for.
"You met with Kobayashi-hakase today, right?" Tomoya prodded.
"Oh… that." Kyou sighed. She had hoped that they might keep the conversation lite and she would have time to think about everything for a while, but Tomoya was going straight to the top topic.
"Is there something else that is worrying you more at the moment?" Tomoya asked while he ran his fingers up and down her back to her pleasantly rounded hips.
"No. I just..." Kyou was about to try to get out of the conversation but decided against it. There is no good reason to keep anything from him. I'm just being silly. If anything, he is being wonderfully supportive right now. All right then, "Yes, I saw Kobayashi-hakase today. I told him everything."
"So now he blames you for everything. Your failure to comply with Kotomi's wishes, Japan's current economic woes, the declining birth rate, and global warning." Tomoya said in mock sincerity.
"Baka!" Kyou said in an irritated laugh.
"Baka? Why?" Tomoya asked.
"Most of what you said was ridiculous." Kyou droned the obvious.
"All of what I said was ridiculous." Tomoya insisted while continuing the gentle caresses, "There is no way that I blame you for any of that, and there is no way that Kobayashi-hakase would either."
"That was entrapment." Kyou responded to being maneuvered by Tomoya.
"Entrapment applies to criminal issues. Let's keep this civil." Tomoya said calmly.
"Yeah… okay." Kyou noticed Tomoya's double entendre and smiled, "You know, sometimes I wish you were more like the meat-head jock. It's weird when you hit me with something intelligent like that."
"Do you still think of me as the apathetic delinquent?" Tomoya asked.
"Sometimes." Kyou admitted.
"You wound me." Tomoya didn't like the barb, but he let it slide since he could feel Kyou finally starting to relax.
"That's it? You're not going to retaliate?" Kyou smirked a little provocation as she tensed up a little in preparation for his surprise attack.
"I was thinking about tickling you until you begged for mercy… but the struggle would probably hurt my shoulder if I tried that." Tomoya said with a forlorn sigh.
"Oh… I forgot about that." Kyou was glad that he had mentioned it since she was plotting to spin around in the water and launch her own attack. The reminder of his medical recovery brought her back to the seriousness of the conversation.
"You know," Kyou said thoughtfully, "you're pretty good at getting me to relax."
"Hmm?" Tomoya could tell that she was thinking of something and wanted her to continue.
"The doctors told me something the other day." Kyou told him.
"The doctors at the fertility clinic?" Tomoya asked.
"Yes." Kyou replied.
"Is this what you talked to Kobayashi-hakase about?" Tomoya asked another question.
"Yes, now be quiet and stop interrupting me." Kyou said while she pinched his cheek.
Tomoya didn't reply but his caresses started to range a little farther than just down her back.
"Anyway," Kyou took Tomoya's silence as compliance and continued, "They said there was nothing wrong with my reproductive organs, but that they might not be getting the right signals if I was under a lot of stress." Kyou waited for a response from Tomoya for a moment, but continued when she didn't hear anything, "I told Kobayashi about it and he… uh… he came up with a plan."
Tomoya didn't say anything, but his hands were now cupping her large breasts and pulling her back down into the water and into his lap with them. Not content to only use them as handles, his fingers were caressing little circles on Kyou's sensitive pink nipples.
"Hanh… so, Kobayashi said… um, he reminded me that the summer break is coming up. And… he said… he asked… he told me that we could use that summer house that you and Kotomi went to once." Kyou tried to keep her mind on what she wanted to ask Tomoya, but his ministrations were making her squirm. His hands on her breasts, the gentle twisting and tugging on her nipples, and the feel of his body against her back… it was all extremely distracting. "If… if you want to."
Tomoya nuzzled his face past Kyou's hair, ran his tongue up the soft flesh of her neck and kissed her just under the ear.
"ANH!" Kyou cried out from the intense stimulation. Her vision was filled with a spectacular fireworks show, despite her eyes being closed.
"I think it sounds like a wonderful idea." Tomoya said softly before nibbling on Kyou's ear and kissing his way down her neck.
.
Monday morning, June 27 – The Ichinose residence
"Sugisaka, could we have a moment?" Tomoya called out to the young woman with red-brown hair in the maid uniform.
"Yes sir." Sugisaka's unconscious mind and body were able to reply automatically, which was a good thing since her conscious mind was panicking hard. She had heard that phrase before and it was rarely a good thing. More often than not, it was the prelude to unemployment.
She had just seen the children, Miss Yuki, and Mistress Kyou off to their school. Everything had been in order when they left. She had prepared their breakfast and packed their lunches. It had seemed like any other ordinary morning… so why is there such an unpleasant foreboding in my heart? She desperately wished that her cousin was downstairs with her now, instead of cleaning the upstairs bedrooms.
A hand stopped her at the entrance to the study, which had gradually become Koumura's office over time. She looked up to see the old man regarding her with a gentle smile.
"Do you trust me?" he asked her softly.
"Yes sir, of course I do." she replied as quietly as the question that had been asked of her.
"Do you trust Master Tomoya?" Koumura's soft voice was accented with a raised eyebrow this time.
"Yes." Sugisaka swallowed hard. She wanted to beg Koumura to tell her what she had done wrong so that she could throw herself on Tomoya's mercy.
"These fearful reactions… the sullen look you have when we need to discuss something with you… why? Are you afraid of us? Have we done something to warrant your distrust?" Koumura asked.
"What? No no no no." Sugisaka blushed at how badly her actions had been misinterpreted.
"You must be mindful of these things," Koumura's mannerisms slid back to his days as an instructor, "I have said it before, and I have heard you say it as well: children will learn from the adults around them and you are one of the adults that the children spend much of their time with. What do you think they will learn from such fearful displays?"
"Yes sensei!" Sugisaka also felt the pressure of the teacher bearing down on her and reacted like the young girl she had been just a few years before. "Is… is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No. Master Tomoya has something for you." Koumura told her as he gestured for her to enter his office.
The office wasn't large. There was enough room for a small desk, a bookshelf, and a few chairs. Tomoya had offered to put a sofa in the room so that Koumura could take naps in there, but the practical butler pointed out that his bedroom was just down the hall. Sugisaka was walking over to stand in front of the desk, but Tomoya waived her over to a chair. Despite the lecture / pep-talk that Koumura had just given her, Sugisaka was about to blurt out an apology for whatever misdeed he had noticed. Fortunately, Tomoya spoke first.
"Kotomi used to say that I was amazing at reading people, understanding the mood of a room, and with my social skills in general." the words that Tomoya said might have sounded like bragging if it hadn't been for the humorous tone of his voice. "If she ever found out how inept I sometimes feel… under some circumstances, she would have given up on trying to improve her own skills, so…"
Koumura made a polite chuckle but Sugisaka was too nervous to do anything but stare attentively at Tomoya.
"It's situations like this one, where I feel the most uncomfortable. I really don't know what to do." Tomoya said honestly.
"Sir?" Sugisaka's confusion was only increased at Tomoya's verbal fumbling.
"There are a lot of… girl-things that I've never understood. Will you promise to forgive me if I make a blunder here? I swear I am not trying to make you angry."
Huh? Completely at a loss for words, Sugisaka turned to Koumura for some much needed guidance, but he just nodded back to her in a show of support.
"Is… there something you need from me?" Sugisaka ventured.
"No, well yes… I need your advice. On something… that relates to a friend of mine. A female friend." Tomoya stumbled out the words, but they seemed to make sense.
"I'll do what I can." Sugisaka promised.
"I have a friend that is turning twenty-five soon. She isn't married and doesn't have a boyfriend… that I know of." Tomoya looked like he was choosing his words very carefully, "The thing is, she's been a great deal of help to me and I would like to give her a nice gift for her birthday… but that whole twenty-five thing."
"I see." Sugisaka knew what he was talking about. The old Christmas cake problem. There had been a stigma in Japanese culture that no-one would want a single woman after she turned twenty-six, just like a Christmas cake was useless on the 26th. But that was actually an old axiom and a bit out of date. "Tomoya-sama, unless you have heard your friend dreading her age or romantic status, I don't think it would be a problem. A lot of women are getting married after twenty-five these days. And besides… what girl doesn't like to get a present?"
"You're sure?" Tomoya asked hopefully.
"As sure as I can be without knowing her, I suppose." Sugisaka replied with a light disclaimer just in case her master's efforts blew up in his face.
"In that case, here." Tomoya handed her a thick, magazine sized envelope.
"Sir?" Sugisaka asked through her confusion.
"If I am not mistaken, tomorrow is your birthday." Tomoya told his surprised maid.
"Oh! Yes it is. Thank you, Tomoya-sama." Sugisaka blushed when she realized that the whole conversation had been about her. It felt a little wrong to her too. After all, she had threatened one of his friends when they were in high school together, and now she was his employee. Have we ever been friends?
"Inside the envelope, you will find tickets for two to a resort in Okinawa." Tomoya told her.
"But..."
"I refuse to accept the present back, and I will be greatly disappointed if I find out that you sold this vacation and used the money to pay down your family debts. I understand that financial burden weighs heavily on you, but that is your family's debt and this is your reward for all the hard work you have given me." Tomoya insisted.
"The work… isn't that hard." Sugisaka squirmed. Her brain was assailed with happiness that she was being recognized and praised, but at the same time – being the center of attention like this was terribly embarrassing for her.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, because your job will be changing when you get back." Tomoya teased.
"Huh?" Sugisaka gasped. Wait! He said changing and not ending, right? RIGHT?
"Koumura is getting old and the stairs are getting to be too much for him." Tomoya said seriously, "On top of that, Kyou will soon need additional help."
"Mistress Kyou is… um… expecting now?" Sugisaka asked hopefully. Of course, she was aware of Kyou's desperation that she had not yet conceived.
"Not yet, but I have high hopes for the trip we will be taking next month." Tomoya smiled.
"Oh… I see." Sugisaka blushed at the topic they were discussing.
"When you get back, you will find your room has been moved upstairs and adjoining the nursery. Unless, you don't want this." Tomoya asked.
"No, I mean, yes! That will be fine. I look forward to taking care of Mistress Kyou's baby." Sugisaka exclaimed.
"Even if Master Tomoya-sama's efforts are successful, it will still be some time before your services will be needed for those duties." Koumura chuckled, then said more seriously, "So let me tell you what it is that I will expect of you. Since I will rarely be making the trek up and down the stairs in the future, the responsibility will be entirely yours. You will still report to me any needs or issues, but I will no longer be coming behind you and your cousin to check on your work."
"Yes sir." Sugisaka suddenly felt a little fearful of this change. Until now, the old man had been a reliable lifeline that she had been able to count on. But now…
"Sugisaka, as far as the upstairs goes, you will be in charge." Tomoya emphasized, "You will be checking your cousin's work to make sure the cleanliness is up to the standards that Koumura has established. Will that be a problem?"
"No, Tomoya-sama." Sugisaka clenched her fist in confidence, "I can do this!"
"That's the spirit." Tomoya smiled, "I hope to see that same spirit when you get back from Okinawa in a few weeks."
"Yes Tomoy… a few weeks?" Sugisaka gasped. She didn't say anything else though. She felt the old hand of her mentor on her shoulder.
"I'm sure Master Tomoya-sama has other things he needs to attend to now. I will conclude this affair with Sugisaka." Koumura offered.
"Of course." Tomoya rose from his chair and went to the door. Before leaving the room, he turned to face the old butler and young maid, "I would like to thank you, once again, for all that you have done for my family."
.
Sugisaka was still staring at the door where her master had been. Her hands were clutching the thick yellow envelope that had been given her. She made a gasp for air when she realized that she hadn't been breathing.
"Sugisaka?" Koumura called out to his subordinate with a wry smile.
"Yes? Yes!" Sugisaka jolted out of her fugue.
"I won't go into any details about your new responsibilities now. After all, you won't have any time to practice them before you are gone for two weeks." Koumura smiled, "So I expect you to come back well rested and ready to learn your new role in the household.
"Yes sir!" Sugisaka replied.
.
Later that night, Sugisaka had a chance to go through the envelope more thoroughly. The resort in Okinawa was the same place that she was supposed to have gone on her school trip. That time, like so many other school activities, she hadn't been able to participate because of her family's poor financial state.
The Sugisaka curse that destroyed any chance at happiness, had struck her life again and again. But not recently. Maybe… maybe the curse is finally over. Is there a chance… that I can finally be happy?
Her hopeful dreams were interrupted by her phone softly buzzing to make her aware of an incoming call. The screen told her that it was Nishina Rie.
"Hello, Rie?" a few tears started to run down Sugisaka's cheeks at the unexpected call from her old friend. "Say, I know this is short notice, but… can you get the next few weeks off?"
.
Sunday afternoon, July 17 – Tanegashima Airport
Almost a month had passed since Kobayashi-hakase had made the offer to let the two of them use his vacation home. Plans were made, but the travel arrangements wouldn't be a repeat of the last time Tomoya went there. Since Kyou had no fear of flying, they skipped the long route of trains and ferries this time.
"This place still feels the same." Tomoya commented as he and Kyou walked out of the island's small airport. Of course it still feels the same dummy, it was only a year ago that you were here! But… it seems like that trip was ages ago.
"I wouldn't know. I've never been here before." Kyou said curtly. She didn't like to admit to any jealousy, but this was a place where Tomoya and Kotomi had been… without her.
"That's right. When Kotomi and I came here, you took the kids up to Hokkaido to visit with my grandmother." Tomoya recalled.
"Yeah…" Kyou's emotions were even more conflicted with the memories that were evoked with that reminder. She had enjoyed the visit with Tomoya's otousan and obāsan. Tomoya's father had given her a great deal of respect, and his kind old grandmother had accepted her as a treasured member of the family. Even now, she wished she could be there to see them again. The warm environment of love and acceptance had been like a fantasy world made real.
"Are you worried about the kids?" Tomoya asked when he saw her pained expression.
"No. I'm sure they will be fine. They will be traveling with Yuki, Nagisa, and Ryou. They'll have so much fun visiting their grandfather and great-grandmother that they won't even remember to miss us."
"I don't know about that." Tomoya chuckled, remembering the way his daughter teared up and clung to Kyou when they left for the airport. Then, in a non-accusing way he asked her, "Would you rather be with them?"
"Part of me does." Kyou admitted, "But ever since you and Kotomi stayed her… alone... I also want to find out what is so exciting about this island."
"Excitement?" Tomoya raised an eyebrow, "I don't know if there is all that much excitement here."
"What?" Kyou stared at him. She wondered for a moment if he was toying with her.
"There is the Space Center Museum down at the southern end of the island, but that's about it." Tomoya said. He had led her out of the airport terminal and past the taxi stand to the parking lot where numerous vehicles were parked and waiting to be rented.
"So this… this is a boring place?" Kyou asked in disbelief.
"I dunno if you would call it boring. It can be very relaxing. There are a couple of resort onsens, and the beach house overlooks wide sandy beaches and the Pacific Ocean." Tomoya told her as he walked to the place where he would pick up the vehicle rentals he had arranged. He glanced back at Kyou and could see that she wasn't as thrilled as she had been before they got off the plane.
"Sign here, Okazaki-sama." the attendant handed Tomoya a clipboard. After Tomoya gave it back, the man handed over the rental documents and the keys.
Tomoya picked up his bags again and walked toward the row of waiting vehicles. "Of course, there are also several hundred kilometers of roads that twist through hills, valleys, beaches, parks, and small towns."
"Huh?" Kyou snapped out of her defeated daze and noticed that Tomoya was standing between a pair of ruby red Kawasaki Vulcans. Her eyes opened wide while she took in the beauty of the big motorcycles. "Those… those are for us?"
"Yep," Tomoya replied with a smile as he tossed her one of the sets of keys. Placing his hand on the trunk of one of the motorcycles he told her, "I asked for the full touring package so they could carry all of our stuff. I know they're not what you usually ride, but..."
"They're fine!" Kyou squealed excitedly as she ran over to the matching motorcycle. Her hands ran over the leather seat and her eyes took in the beauty of the elegant beast, but a thought occurred to her that could derail all of this fun. She hadn't packed appropriately for this surprise and didn't have any of her safety gear with her.
Tomoya saw her shoulders slump and could guess what she was worried about. Both of them had been well trained to use the proper safety gear when riding a motorcycle. But he had been ready for that too. With a grin he told her, "Open the saddlebags."
"Huh?" Kyou didn't want to fall in love with these beautiful machines more than she already was… especially if they wouldn't be able to ride them after all. But Tomoya's smile and the glint in his eyes told her that there was still hope. She knelt next to the saddlebag, used the key, and discovered boots and gloves inside.
"The helmet is hanging from the back." Tomoya told her. He watched her shoulders shake for a moment and worried that there was something wrong with the accessories he had ordered for her. But that worry was dispelled a moment later when Kyou suddenly launched herself at him.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Kyou felt like a child at a surprise birthday party. She hugged Tomoya enthusiastically, yet was still in control enough to be careful about his arm.
His arm?
Pulling back from the hug, she worriedly asked, "Will this be okay… I mean, for your arm?"
"Not a problem. I talked to the doctor and your sister." Tomoya replied.
"And they were okay with it?" Kyou asked suspiciously. She knew how Ryou felt about motorcycles even when the rider was in perfect health.
"Well," Tomoya said apologetically, "as much as most medical people can be okay with riding a motorcycle. They didn't like it at first, but after I explained that these are cruisers and not crotch rockets… they weren't opposed."
"Really?" Kyou asked in frank disbelief.
"Well… I mean they weren't opposed based on my arm." Tomoya grouched his frustration at the medical industry's almost universal displeasure with motorcycles, "I can't believe that they hate them so much that they call them donor-cycles, and yet so many of them smoke those vile cancer-sticks."
"Ryou started smoking?" Kyou asked with alarm.
"Not her, but the other guy did." Tomoya assured his wife, "He didn't do it in front of me but he reeked of the stuff."
Kyou didn't respond verbally, but Tomoya could see all her concern fading away when she put on the riding gloves that seemed to be molded to her hands.
"All right!" Kyou pumped her fists and smiled fiercely, "We have a pair of beautiful bikes, riding gear, and an okay from the doctors. I'm psyched! How far do we get to ride?"
"The airport is in the middle of the island. The villa is near the southern end. It's about thirteen kilometers straight there, but it will be a twenty-five kilometer ride." Tomoya said with a knowing smile. Kyou loved the hills and valleys, and the winding roads. He watched the smile spread across her face and the sparkle return to her purple eyes.
"How long do we have the bikes?" Kyou asked.
"For as long as we're here." Tomoya replied.
"And we can ride every day?" Kyou asked while practically bouncing with excitement.
"As much as you want." Tomoya promised.
Her face was luminous with excitement and her smile beatific. But it was the sparkle in her eyes that captivated Tomoya's heart.
.
Monday near midnight, July 19 - The Park across from the Furukawa Bakery
It had been a month since everyone came back from the trip to correct Tomoya's injured arm and Melissa had returned with the other Kotomi's notes and observations on all of their data. The research crews had spent the last four weeks going over the latest work that Melissa had brought back from the parallel world, and were very excited. Old hypotheses were abandoned or modified and several whole new concepts had to be considered and tested.
Their analysis revealed a series of destinations that would dramatically reduce the number of worlds left to search. It sounded like more work, but the result would be a seventy percent reduction in the possible destinations where Kotomi could have gone. The result was that no-one wanted to pass up such a splendid opportunity. And yet, from the sensor readings that Kobayashi Jun was now examining, this splendid opportunity just might have to be passed up after all.
"Change of plans. I need to speak with Sakagami-san and Fujibayashi-san." Kobayashi Jun said as he scanned the information coming back from the probe. This first destination was one of the cardinal locations that Melissa had worked out with the other Kotomi, and it was important that they get good information on this locations' current time, time drift, and environmental characteristics. And of course, the details of the Ichinose family.
However, according to the data that the probe was sending back, the world on the other side of the gate was a frozen version of hell. Temperatures from the probe indicated the destination world was in the middle of a blizzard. At temperatures of twenty-five degrees below zero, snow shouldn't have been possible, and yet…
"It's probably accumulated snow being blown around by the winds." one of the team meteorologists commented.
"Those are some pretty high winds too." another technician noted the indicated wind speed. "If it was warmer, I'd say they were in a tropical storm."
"How bad is it, hakase?" Tomoyo was already in the tent with Kobayashi Jun, as were most of the exploration team. Isamu and Kenta flanked her and looked up to the white haired professor with the same question.
"I'm here." Ryou called out before the old man could answer. Two of her medical colleagues were with her as well.
Kenta was amused to see that Dr. Sasashi was one of the people accompanying Ryou. He was tempted to call out to her and tease the proud doctor, but this wasn't the time. Kobayashi looked grim and that didn't bode well for the exploration he and his buddies had all been looking forward to.
"The conditions on the other world are arctic. Even the worst weather around here hasn't been this bad in recorded history. I'd like to call off this exploration, but there are three things we desperately need from this world." Kobayashi paused and looked at the faces around the table. Ryou and her medical colleagues looked doubtful. Tomoyo seemed greatly concerned, but her insane boys looked like kids that had just been told school was canceled so they could go play in the snow.
"How bad is it?" Tomoyo asked before the old man could continue.
"The temperature is twenty-five degrees below zero with winds gusting to eighty kilometers per hour." the meteorologist replied.
"Dang? So, is it winter there?" Mikio asked with a voice of wonder and excitement rather than fear.
"We don't know. The probe isn't picking up a time signal." Kobayashi told them, "Knowing the date and time drift there are two of the important things we need to know."
"Isn't knowing that the weather on that world is drastically different from our own enough?" Tomoyo asked.
"I'm afraid not. After seeing the probe's weather readings, I truly wish it was. Unfortunately, it is paramount that we know details about the Ichinose family there." Kobayashi-hakase replied sympathetically.
"We have arctic gear that will work in that environment." Ryota said hopefully. Then his face twisted and he admitted, "But the powered thermal underwear only has an endurance of ten hours in those conditions."
"Can we send additional batteries?" Ryou asked. She knew that they would be there for at least twenty hours and was worried about what would happen if they were trapped there without adequate shelter.
"We never purchased any spares. Under normal winter conditions, those would last almost thirty hours, but..." Ryota replied sadly.
"We could scavenge the batteries from the spare suits." Mikio suggested.
"How many arctic weather outfits do we have?" Kobayashi-hakase asked.
"Eight." Tomoyo replied, "One for each member of the two, four-man teams."
"Then there won't be any spares." Kobayashi-hakase said grimly, "Under the circumstances, I want to send as many people as we can."
"Safety in numbers." Tomoyo agreed, even though she didn't want to. In conditions like those, the threats would be hypothermia, frostbite, exhaustion, and injury. With more people in the team to carry their gear, they would reduce the onset of exhaustion, the chance of injury, and there would be more people to help if something happened to one of them. But the power-packs…
"What if we took a portable generator?" Isamu asked.
"That… would work." Ryota said thoughtfully. "If we only ran the generator when we needed to recharge our stuff, say… every eight hours, it should last for several days."
"Several days..." Tomoyo repeated quietly.
"All right, looks like we need to get suited up." Isamu said. He and Mikio started to turn back to their prep area but Tomoyo stopped them.
"Wait." Tomoyo ordered as she looked across the table at the professor. "Kobayashi-hakase, I'm willing to approve this plan, but not until you can at least tell me what the time drift is there. There is simply too much risk in letting our entire cadre of experienced explorers possibly freeze to death on a single mission. I will not allow that."
"I wish we could, Sakagami-san, but there is no time code source on that world that we can use as a standard." Kobayashi replied.
"Yes there is." Ryou pointed at the screen of the laptop that everyone had been looking at.
"Of course, the sensor ball!" Kobayashi shouted. Turning to Ryota and the techs near him he asked, "How long will the sensor ball's battery last in this cold?"
Ryota turned to the other techs and conferred with them for a minute before they returned to the table. The techs were busy entering commands into their laptops while Ryota replied, "We're pretty sure they'll last about three hours if we turn everything on to full power."
"Shouldn't you turn things off… to conserve power?" Ryou asked.
"Not in these conditions." Ryota explained, "It is more important to keep the battery warm. That kind of cold will kill the battery if we don't. But, between the drain we will be putting on the battery and the cold, I wouldn't count on it lasting much longer than two-and-a-half to three hours."
"Good enough. I only need two hours for this." Turning back to Tomoyo, Kobayashi explained his plan, "We'll shut down the accelerators and fire them up again in two hours. The before and after readings should give us a very good idea of the time drift."
"Should and very are a bit vague, hakase." Tomoyo said darkly.
"Our time drift estimate should… will be accurate to within an hour. Will that be satisfactory?" Kobayashi asked.
"Yes." Tomoyo replied thoughtfully. Her mind was racing to think of contingencies and options. "I want to keep Isamu, Ryota, and Takeo back as reserves. Mikio, take the rest of the guys and Tohaku. Pick out two more of the girls you guys have been training – choose ones that aren't afraid of the cold."
Isamu was about to remind his wife that, even if she kept some people back in reserve, they didn't have any more arctic gear. But it seemed that she was ahead of her on that.
"Ryota, start looking on-line now, but more importantly, hit all the local sporting goods stores as soon as they open, and see if we can scrape up four… no, eight more arctic suits. If anyone can think of anything that might help us, talk to Ryota." Tomoyo finished giving her orders.
"Yes Boss!" Mikio and Ryota hollered before they hurried off to their assigned duties.
Kobayashi Jun had an idea for something that might help the exploration team as well, but he would have to call in a favor from a certain Diet Secretary if there was any chance of getting it to the park in time.
.
Tuesday just after midnight, July 20 – The Kobayashi villa on Tanegashima Island
Kyou awoke on the big soft bed and realized she was alone. The villa had air conditioning even though it was designed to utilize the gentle Pacific winds for cooling, when the weather was right. The weather was perfect on this night, so the windows and even the door to the veranda that overlooked the cliff down to the beach was open.
Through the netting that surrounded the bed, Kyou could see Tomoya sitting in one of the deck chairs and staring out at the dark ocean and starry sky. Quietly, she got out of bed and put on her yukata style nightdress. It was adorned with a tie-dye pattern of light pastel colors, but in the darkness of the night it looked a mottled white. She was almost to the door when a thought occurred to her.
"Hey there." Kyou called out to her distracted husband.
"Hey… wow!" Tomoya turned to see Kyou handing him a drink. He took the cold beverage from her hands but his eyes studied how good Kyou looked in her yukata. He noticed that she had a drink too. "Want to join me?"
"Absolutely." Kyou used her free hand to uncross Tomoya's legs, then sat down in his lap.
"Um…" Tomoya was about to mention that there was another chair next to his, but having her soft body in his lap wasn't the least bit uncomfortable. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No… well, sort of. I woke up when you weren't there." Kyou pouted.
"Sorry, I…" Tomoya started.
"You were thinking about Kotomi, right?" Kyou asked. It wasn't so much of a pout this time since she often thought of Kotomi too.
"Indirectly." Tomoya sighed, "Back home, they are going to another world again."
"It's tonight?" Kyou sounded alarmed.
"Yes." Tomoya brought the drink up to his lips. He was expecting sake until he noticed the tinkle of ice. He could smell it even before his lips touched the rim of the glass – the tartness of cranberry and the crispness of vodka. He welcomed the delicious cold liquid.
"I'm glad you like this. I think it's a new favorite of mine." Kyou smiled. She had never had it before finding the refrigerator in the villa stocked with cranberry juice, orange juice, and vodka. She liked a screwdriver too, but once she had orange juice she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep for a while.
"Yeah, I do." Tomoya pulled Kyou a little closer and kissed her on her neck with his cold wet lips.
"Hey!" Kyou giggled. The sudden attack on her neck had surprised her and she almost spilled her drink.
"Oh? I thought you liked that?" Tomoya asked.
"I do, but your mouth was still cold from the drink so it was a little… shocking." Kyou squirmed.
"Hmmm?" Tomoya took a big swig from his drink, then put the glass down on the table so he could use both hands. Swishing the icy beverage around in his mouth for a moment, he then attacked the other side of Kyou's neck.
"EEEEEK!" Kyou cried out and desperately tried not to spill her drink while Tomoya continued the kiss on her neck. Ah, Tomoyaaaaaa! Stop. Stop! That's too much!"
"I'm not done yet." Tomoya whispered before going right back to the kiss on the same spot on her neck.
"Hey!" Kyou was able to put her drink down so she could struggle to get away from Tomoya now, "That's not a kiss! You're sucking on my neck… stop that!"
"No." Tomoya said petulantly. Still not letting her go, he gently kissed and licked the spot while he told her, "I'm not done yet. I'm gonna give you a kiss-mark."
"No Tomoya, you can't!" Kyou knew she should fight this, but the sensations that his lips, teeth, and tongue were giving her neck – were setting up a cascade of reactions all throughout her body.
"Why not?" He asked but didn't stop.
"It's so… I'll look like a marked woman! It will be so embarrassing." Kyou whimpered.
"It's my mark isn't it? Tell me, is it so embarrassing for you to be my woman?" Tomoya teased Kyou while continuing his kisses and letting his hands roam over the soft fabric of Kyou's yukata.
"Unnnn." Kyou groaned. It wasn't just the kissing, licking, and nibbling on her neck. Tomoya's comment had shaken her to her core. "I… I really am, aren't I?"
"You're what?" Tomoya knew what she was thinking but wanted to bully her just a little and make her say it.
"I'm… your woman." Kyou said what she knew Tomoya wanted to hear her say. But it was something she wanted to say from the very depths of her soul.
"Say it again." Tomoya whispered to Kyou while taking the kissing up to her earlobe.
"I'm your woman. Ohhhh." Kyou felt a wave of heat wash through her body in the cool night air. She could feel Tomoya's hands on her breasts now and the heat of his body behind her, but it was her own admission that was igniting the passionate flames inside her… and she wanted more. "I am your woman!"
"Yes, Kyou." Tomoya wanted to pick her up and turn her around but his arm wasn't ready for that yet. As it happened, he wouldn't need to risk injuring his arm after all.
"I am Your Woman!" Kyou said with passionate heat as she turned over and faced Tomoya. In the darkness she couldn't make out every detail of his face, but she could see him well enough to know that he was feeling the same yearning passion that she was.
"Forever and always." Tomoya said as he pulled her head down to kiss her on the lips this time.
Forever and always? Even after Kotomi comes back? Does he really mean that? The demon of doubt whispered to try and rebuild Kyou's crumbling fears, but he had been weakened over the last few months. It had been a long time since that demon had stood unassailable, at the commanding hilltop of Kyou's subconsciousness.
Forever and always! The angel of confidence pronounced the statement as a verdict. Then, striding up the hill to the now defenseless demon, he pulled out his mace of passion to let the demon know that, one way or the other, his petty doubts and fears would no longer be in a position to command Kyou. So he has said it, so let it be done. The angel's voice thundered as he raised the mace high into the air and did mightily smite the sniveling demon with extreme prejudice.
Kyou wrapped her arms around Tomoya's shoulders and kissed him back with a level of passion that she never allowed herself to feel before. She had been too worried before. Too frightened that it might feel too good and she wouldn't be able to handle it. But none of those concerns came to her now. She was able to accept the blazes of her own love and passions without limit. And it felt wonderful.
"I want you to give me a son." Tomoya whispered to her between kisses.
"Heh… let me guess. You want to name him Saburo?" Kyou teased.
"No," Tomoya pushed Kyou up so that he could look into her eyes, "I want you to name him after one of the most incredible people I know."
"Huh?" Kyou knew that Kotomi was a feminine name. Does he want to name our son after Kobayashi Jun?"
"I want you to name him Kyou." Tomoya told her. Despite the darkness making her brilliant purple eyes look black, he could see the immediate confusion, followed by the disbelief from the understanding of what he had just asked.
"You want me to what?" Kyou asked incredulously.
.
Tuesday early morning, July 20 – The Park across from the Furukawa Bakery
"You want me to what?" Takeshi asked incredulously. He was staring at his girlfriend who had just made the most bizarre request.
"Please Takeshi," Kohaku implored. She was surrounded by four of the other girls that had been training to start going on missions with The Boys. None of us have ever put this kind of gear on, so… we need to know how to get dressed up in it."
"Yeah," Takeshi scratched his head as he considered her reasoning, "I guess that kinda makes sense." He considered his options as he looked around at the other girls. Takeshi didn't mind taking off his clothes and putting them back on in front of Kohaku, but he didn't know any of these other girls. Despite his tough-guy image, that kind of thing bothered him.
"Um… if you'd rather," Kohaku offered, "you could dress me." Kohaku could tell that he was very uncomfortable with what he was being asked to do. At first, she thought of teasing him a little – but it occurred to her that she didn't really want other girls to see him stripped down either.
"Yeah, that would work!" Takeshi beamed at the save he had been handed. He wanted to kiss his girlfriend so badly…
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Akuma, one of Kohaku's fellow biker's, groaned. "I can't handle this much sugar."
Kohaku was about to snap at her old friend, but there was an interruption. The flap to the pergola they were in opened as Ryou, Yukine, and the rest of The Boys entered with their winter gear. Takeshi noticed that the only ones missing were Isamu and Takeo.
"All right, I want everyone to pair up with someone that will be on their team." Ryou ordered.
"You need to make boy-girl pairs." Yukine added when she saw Mikio high five Iwao, and the girls picking other girls.
"Why?" Akuma asked suspiciously.
"Well, it just happens to be that way." Ryou explained, "What I really need is for the ones that have had all the training and experience with this gear to be paired with the novices. The point of all this is so that you will not only be more familiar with what you have to wear, but you will also be familiar with what your partner is wearing."
"Partner?" Akuma and Kishiyami both asked at the same time.
"You've heard of the 'buddy-system' for safety, right?" Yukine faced the girls with a persuasive smile, "This is the same thing. With temperatures as cold as they are on that world, if there is an emergency of any kind, you will need to be able help your partner as quickly as possible. That makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Yeah… I guess." Akuma said as she looked around at the guys in the room and wondered which one she should pair up with.
"Please pair up with a person who will be on your team." Ryou told them. "Of course, since we don't have enough suits for everyone yet, the two of you on the reserve team will only be able to observe for now."
"Akuma-chan, you will be on the Reserve team with Ryota-kun." Yukine's happiness at getting to match up the boys and girls was leaking out like a flashlight through a tissue.
"Kimera-chan, you will be on the second team with Kenta-kun." Yukine knew that Takeshi would also be on that team, but the bonds she had helped build between him and Kohaku were strong and there was no way either of them would be happy if they had someone else as a partner.
"Mikio-kun, you will be with Mayonaka-chan, and Iwao-kun will be with Kishiyami-chan." There was no relationships between anyone in the first team, but Yukine knew something about their tastes. Mikio liked taller girls and Iwao liked them… bouncy.
"Any questions?" Ryou asked after everyone gathered their things and moved to face off with their assigned partner.
Eight people stood in two rows amid piles of thermal underwear, jumpsuits, heavy boots, fleece, gloves, sweaters, balaclavas, trapper hats, and finally the heavy and brightly colored parkas.
"Yeah… why are the guys wearing the yellow jackets and the girls are wearing the red jackets?" Kishiyami asked. She noticed that the adjustable parkas were all roughly the same size, so it just seemed odd to her.
"When you are completely dressed up in this gear, it will be almost impossible to tell who you are." Ryou explained, "So, if you need help, you should look for a team member in a yellow jacket. Got it?"
"Yes, sensei." several voices replied.
"So… we're the red-shirts." Kishiyami half chuckled.
"Do you not like red, Kishiyami-chan?" Yukine asked the busty girl.
"I'm okay with it. There's just this joke..." Kishiyami was willing to let it drop but the others were looking at her expectantly. It seemed that none of the others got the reference. "A bunch of people beam down to the planet. Most of them are regulars in gold or blue. A few are newbies wearing red. Guess who's not coming back?"
"That's a terrible joke!" Mayonaka sounded appalled.
"It's from an old TV show." Kishiyami said apologetically, "It's supposed to be funny. Sorry."
"I know that show." Yukine said with a smile, "So lets all practice hard to make sure you all come back safe."
"Take a few minutes to look at all the gear around you, then we will begin." Ryou announced.
There was an awkward silence as each person finished examining all the gear around them and looked up at their designated partner. Takeshi and Kohaku smiled at each other, but their friends weren't as confident as they were.
"What do we do now?" Akuma asked while trying to keep the blush off her cheeks as she faced the tall and intellectual Ryota.
"The easiest part of this lesson… strip down to your underwear." Ryou said with her best medical indifference.
"WHAT!" loud voices chorused together.
There were objections, to be sure. But Ryou was relentless. The Boys followed her instructions first, since they were used to doing whatever Ryou asked of them. Yukine cajoled the girls into action and soon they were learning about the powered thermal underwear, the necessity of staying dry, and the importance of layering.
They also learned a few things that were not so helpful. Getting dressed in this stuff was not easy by yourself and also wasn't something that could be done quickly… without help. Additionally, they discovered that wearing arctic survival gear in August, even in the middle of the night, was terribly uncomfortable.
Ryou watched their struggles and came up with a plan. She knew some of them might not like it, but it was better than getting heat stroke right before being dropped into a blast freezer.
.
Three hours later, the first group stood at the familiar place in the middle of center field. Kobayashi's test had shown that the time drift was insignificant, even if they didn't know when the current time or date on the other side might be. Regardless, the exploration teams would need to gather certain information to properly advance their search for Kotomi.
Mikio and Iwao waited for the countdown with two of the former gangster girls, as well as Ryou and seven of her recovery team people. Ryou wasn't going along on the trip, but that wasn't why she and her team were there. The problem she was there to address was environmental. They had been practicing their moves for the last several hours, and now it was time to perform the dance they had been rehearsing.
"I can't believe I'm standing in the middle of a baseball field in nothing but underwear." Mayonaka complained. The complaint was a bit of an exaggeration. They were dressed in the long thermal underwear and socks that left only their hands and heads exposed.
Mikio was tired of her gritching and about to tell her that she was off the team when the other gangster girl addressed the issue.
"Shut it Flat-onaka." the much more endowed Kishiyami said to the taller, but nearly flat-chested girl, "This thermal underwear covers more of your skin than the clothes you normally wear. Besides, nobody is looking at you and thinking lewd thoughts. All of the leering is coming my way."
"I'm not flat!" Mayonaka fumed, "I've got a little..." Mayonaka's hands reflexively moved towards her petite chest.
"Keep your arms out." Ryou reminded the former gangster with a no-nonsense warning. Fans had been set up to keep them as cool as possible while they waited, but they worked best when the arms were spread wide.
Mayonaka wanted to tell the lavender haired girl to stuff it, but she remembered the warning that had been given to all the girls that wanted to become members of the exploration team. She knew that Ryou was instrumental in keeping the explorers alive, but more importantly than that, she vividly remembered the video showing the rest of the team killing people that were trying to do their medic harm. Instead of a curt comeback, she replied, "Yes sensei."
"Sixty seconds." the voice intoned in all their earpieces.
"All right team," Ryou hollered out to her people, "At forty seconds we zip them up. At fifteen seconds we run!"
"Yes sensei!" all of the recovery team members yelled back.
Everyone was a little nervous, but they all swore to do their best. It had been a pain, but they were all glad that Ryou had used the few hours they had, to practice this procedure and get the exploration teams some last minute training on extreme cold weather survival. So, with Ryou's training still fresh on their minds, they all felt they were as ready as they could be… under the circumstances.
"Forty seconds." the voice called into their ears and they became a blur of motion. The winter weight jumpsuits were pulled up and zipped closed. Then the thick arctic tops were being pulled down over outstretched arms and heads while the over-trousers were pulled up.
"Thirty seconds." An additional layer of fleece and then the big parkas went on. Finally, gloves, neck fleece, and balaclava.
"Fifteen seconds." the voice announced just as the last boot straps were cinched.
"Time's up! Run, run, run!" Ryou yelled out while she ran out of the particle accelerator's targeting area. She wasn't running as fast as she could since she was also looking over her shoulder to make sure none of her people lagged behind. Fortunately, no mistakes were made and all of her team were at the safety perimeter before the first light baubles appeared.
While the support team was running away, the four explorer team members backed carefully toward the pile of gear that marked the center of the target area. There wouldn't be enough time to put on the backpacks and trapper hats before the transit, but soon after…
.
Unknown date and time in the darkness – The Frozen Hell Universe
"Zero." the voice called out even as all four team members felt a blast of icy cold air to their heads. As thick as the balaclava's were, the hellishly cold air felt like it blew right through the fabric.
"Get the hats on first! Get the hats on first!" Mikio yelled against the howling wind. He remembered Ryou's warning that the heating elements in the thermal underwear would automatically start up when the cold was detected, but the balaclava's had no heat source – so the heavily insulated trapper hats and balaclava's were the only protection for their heads.
He watched the others and chuckled to himself at how clumsy the girls were. Of course, they had received far less training with the arctic gear than Iwao or himself, so some awkwardness was to be expected.
A few minutes later, his group had their packs on and started off for the Ichinose house. Originally, the plan was for all of them to meet and make sure that everyone was okay, but the issue of the heater battery life took precedence.
"I'm… ah… starting to get used to this." Mayonaka panted to herself. Forgetting that their balaclava's were wired for sound, she was startled when she heard a reply.
"Glad to… hear you… say that." Kishiyami replied. "I'm actually a little warm now. Not my legs, but my torso is starting to cook. Is there a way to turn this thing down?"
"Ah can takes a look at it when we get to a safe place. Can ya makes it to da Ichinose house?" Iwao offered.
"Yeah… I can do that." Kishiyami replied.
"My suit is okay." Mayonaka smirked.
"Of course it is." Kishiyami returned the barb, "You don't come equipped with built-in insulation like I do."
"I am not flat-chested!" Mayonaka yelled.
"Mayonaka!" her team members growled back at her while trying to ignore the pain she had just caused their ears.
.
The second group appeared in the park not long after the first group was just out of sight. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenta saw a heavy trapper hat blow out of Kohaku's hand, but Takeshi caught it before it was lost to the gusting winds. Damn, they really do look like a couple. Even when they're not tryin. "All right, everyone got their hats on? Give me a thumbs-up if you can hear me."
Takeshi and Kohaku immediately gave a thumbs-up, but the new girl on their team just looked confused.
"Kimera, can you hear me?" Kenta said into the embedded microphone, but there was no response from the girl. "You guys can hear me, right?"
"Yup." Takeshi replied.
"Just fine." Kohaku reported. Then she turned to the other girl and pointed at her ears while asking, "Can you hear me?"
Kimera just shook her head and looked back at the other three. Despite her body being obscured by several layers of thick clothes and her face blocked from view by the trapper hat, a balaclava, and the goggles, the others could tell that she was getting scared.
Kenta, being Kimera's partner, took a few steps until he was right in front of the frightened girl. He grabbed the furry edges of her trapper hat and got so close it looked like he was kissing her cheek. Then he yelled so that she could hear him over the wind and through the thick clothing, "You hang onto my parka! Do not let go! We fix radio later! Got that?"
Kimera's face was underneath a mask and goggles, but she vigorously nodded her head to let him know that she understood. She was holding onto the back of his parka before she realized she had even reached for it. The reaction had shocked her. Since her childhood, every boy she had ever known had been abusive, mean, a jerk, or at the very most – apathetic. She had never liked boys and had no use for them whatsoever. And, until now, she never thought she would trust one. But, overwhelming fear can cause interesting reactions. There was no disdain, distaste, or distrust for the man she was holding onto now. Indeed, her only thought as she followed wherever he went was pure survival instinct annealed with Kishiyami's joke.
Please save me, Kenta-kun! I don't want to be the red shirt that doesn't come back!
.
Glossary
Red Shirt: a reference from a scifi TV show from the 1960s. Google it.
Saburo: a Japanese name meaning third son. Kyou's comment is based on Kotomi's sons whose names mean studious first son and studious second son respectively. There is no name that means studious third son.
Tanegashima: a smaller island about 34km (21 miles) to the south of the main island of Kyushu. It is notable as the site of the Japanese space program. When Kotomi visited the island, the last leg of the journey was a 115km (72 mile) ride on a fast ferry from Kagoshima. The trip with Kyou was a 1000km (650 mile) flight from Tokyo.
Yukata: think of it as a very light weight kimono. Traditional wear at summer festivals in Japan. The Yukata in this scene is designed to be night-wear. These usually have a higher hem than those worn to festivals or at onsens.