Chapter 3:

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The group shuffled out of the restaurant, Shinji and Asuka leading. The place had included an all you can eat seafood buffet, and the gathered friends had made good use of it. The boys, Gendo and Kaji included, had, without saying a word, immediately set about competing to see who could put the biggest dent in the restaurant's profits. Asuka and Hikari were still reeling after watching Shinji and Toji put away six plates apiece, each stacked so high with crab and shrimp and various other delicacies that it had taken a gymnast's skill to balance the food on the tray. The two boys were now leaning against the guardrail on the walkway outside, their heads back, taking in the sun, and rubbing contentedly at their bellies.

"Ahhhh… That hit the spot," Toji groaned happily, a toothpick between his teeth. Hikari narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you sure it was just the one?" she asked incredulously, "Because after what I just witnessed, you should be dead. At minimum, in a coma. Toji, where did you put all that?"

He raised his head and winked at her. Shinji chuckled beside him.

"Don't think you're getting off easy either, Shinji," Asuka added, staring so hard at the boy he was briefly worried he would catch fire, "I saw you thinking about that seventh plate. I swear you two are just a couple of sentient garbage disposals."

The two boys put their hands on their chest in mock scandal and regarded the girls with hurt looks.

"That is an insult to garbage disposals, and you know it," Shinji admonished the girl with a grin.

The redhead's frown faltered slightly.

"Um, I think you meant that the other way around."

"I know what I said."

Asuka groaned and rolled her eyes. Behind her, Kaji snorted and she heard the unmistakable sound of Misato's hand slapping against his skull. She turned and looked at Shinji's parents. Gendo was grinning, his eyes hidden by the glare on his glasses, while Yui just shook her head. Sakura giggled at her side and grabbed her hand.

"Alright, what are everyone's plans for the rest of the night?" Misato asked, glancing at each of them in turn, "Me and Kaji are going to go check out the arcade at the other end of this district. I have some old scores to settle. What about you guys?"

She looked at the four teenagers. They all shrugged before huddling together and discussing their plans. Hikari kept throwing glances at Misato over Toji's shoulder and the older woman winked.

I know a little of what you've got planned…

"Me and Yui are going to take Sakura and head to the aquarium. They don't close until 9, so we've still got a couple of hours to walk around," Gendo threw out, Misato turning and nodding, "But first, time to get comfortable."

Shinji poked his head up out of the huddle.

"Umm, wha…"

Before he could finish, Gendo reached up and in a flurry of motion undid the buttons on his shirt before slipping out of it, a black t-shirt underneath. He then reached down and grabbed his slacks and pulled, the hidden buttons running up the legs giving way easily as he ripped off the pants, a pair of gray shorts hiding under them. Several bystanders gawked as they walked by, but kept moving, whispered conversations erupting as Gendo packed the shirt and pants into the pack he wore on his waist.

Shinji's eyes shot open and all color faded from his face. His father stood before them in the exact same clothes he had been wearing at the hotel. He hadn't changed out of them at all, he had just put nicer clothes on over them. The bright orange letters that spelled out "Coaster Commander" caught the remaining sunlight at exactly the right angle and seemed to glow.

"We gotta go. We can figure out what we're doing on the move. Come on!"

Shinji grabbed Asuka's wrist and started walking, pulling her along. She in turn grabbed Hikari by the arm, and she grabbed Toji, reaching for his wrist but finding his hand instead. She went red, luckily hidden as she faced away from him, as Shinji dragged the group as far from his father as he could.

Gendo stood for a moment, confused. He opened his mouth to ask something, but he found Yui's hand in the way, gently pressing against his lips.

"You already know the answer to that question, dear. Let's just go. We'll catch up with them later," she looked at Sakura, "Are you ready to go see the dolphins?"

"Yep!" she yelled, jumping as she did.

She turned and looked up at Gendo.

"Uncle Gendo, can I ride on your shoulders? I can't see anything down here."

Without a word, the man dropped down and patted his upper back. Sakura jumped, Gendo grabbing her arms and pulling as her legs slid around the back of his neck. He stood, grabbing her feet to secure her, and started walking, Yui taking his hand as they headed for the aquarium.

Misato and Kaji were left alone, glancing after each of the small groups moving away from them. He looked at her and smirked.

"So, you want to ride on my shoulders too?"

He easily dodged her swing, her open palm coming within a few inches of his face as he pulled back.

"I'll take that as a no."

Misato didn't say anything, opting instead to roll her eyes and huff, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared daggers at Kaji for a few moments before turning and heading away from him. She looked behind her as she walked.

"Come on, Ryoji. We've got scores to settle."

He shook his head and followed her.

() () () ()

"Umm, Shinji, you're hurting my wrist…"

Shinji came to a halt, releasing Asuka as she did the same to Hikari.

"Sorry, Asuka"

She nodded, rubbing the joint tenderly and looking around.

"So, umm, where are we?"

Shinji shrugged. They had stopped under a small pavilion, the path they were on splitting up ahead. A small, illuminated sign sat at the fork, adorned with colorful illustrations indicating where they were in relation to the rest of the park. He walked over and studied it, Asuka doing the same.

"Okay, so left leads to the concert venues and one of the food courts, right leads to the beach and then to the water park," Shinji read out loud, "Alright, which way do you guys want to go? I'm not sure what concerts are happening right now, and I have no desire to eat anytime soon. The beach sounds nice, but I'm not sure what attractions there are on the beach proper. Plus, the water park closed a few minutes ago, so that's out."

He looked around at each of his friends. They all shrugged.

"I dunno. Either one sounds good," Toji spoke up. He looked to his left, "Whadya say, Hikari? Got a preference?"

She looked up at Toji and shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm good with anyt…" she stopped, her eyes widening as a devious smirk slowly spread across her lips, "Actually, I think I'd like to go check out the concerts."

Toji nodded.

"Alright, sounds good to me. Come on Shinji, Asuka, let's g… Ow!" he yelped as Hikari stepped beside him and not so discretely jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, "Ow! What wa…"

"Maybe Shinji and Asuka don't want to go see a concert," she cut him off, "We don't have to stick together the entire time, after all. Maybe they want to go to the beach and see the sights there."

She turned to Asuka.

"How does that sound?"

Asuka took a small step back. She had never seen Hikari's face look like that, and she didn't know how to feel about it.

Other than scared.

"Ummm, sure…." She turned to Shinji, the boy just as uncomfortable under Hikari's gaze, "You want to go to the beach?"

"…"

"Shinji?"

He blinked and shook his head, turning to her.

"Uhh, yeah. That sounds…" he glanced at Hikari, "…great? Yeah, great."

Hikari's smile grew as she grabbed Toji and started pulling him down the left path, the boy bending almost double as she yanked down on his arm.

"Ok, you guys have fun. We'll catch up with you later!" she called out behind them.

With that, Toji and Hikari disappeared around a bend, leaving Shinji and Asuka standing under the soft fluorescents of the pavilion. A child screamed joyfully in the distance and they jumped. They looked at each other, bewildered.

"What the hell just happened?" Shinji asked uncertainly.

Asuka shook her head.

"No idea. But we should probably get going to the beach. If Hikari finds us anywhere but there I'm afraid what she might do. Unless you have another idea?"

Shinji shrugged, smiling unsteadily.

"Nope. Let's go."

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"You cheated. You're a cheater. I know it."

Kaji sighed, leaning back in his seat, the "Game Over" screen flashing brightly in front of them.

"Nope. Just better than you," he remarked, stretching his arms over his head and cracking his knuckles, "I told you, I play regularly. The arcade near my apartment has this exact version. When was the last time you played?"

He turned to Misato and grinned, the woman shooting him a dirty look from the corner of her eye. She folded her arms over her chest, turning her head away from him.

"That's not the point. You play dirty. It's not fair," she huffed.

Kaji chuckled.

"I thought I was a cheater. Which is it?"

She turned and stuck her tongue out. She stood and adjusted herself, staring at him. He regarded her, that damn smirk pinned to his face. It was the kind of smirk that said, "I know you're not actually mad, so I'm going to keep pushing" and she hated it.

Or did she? Misato met Kaji's gaze and narrowed her eyes. She probed his expression for, well, she really wasn't sure what she was looking for. She'd seen something in it earlier that day, in the hotel, but it wasn't there now.

Wait.

She squinted, leaning her head forward. She looked him over, eyes darting over every inch of him, probing for another flash of… Whatever had flashed across his face then. He stared back at her, head tilted, the lights from the arcade screen gleaming in his eyes.

"There something on my face?"

Misato blinked and looked away, the redness in her cheeks obscured by a combination of the low light in the arcade and the multiple colors flashing across the screen in front of her.

"Nope. Just that stupid look."

"Oh? You mean this one?"

She turned back to him and clapped her palm to her face, lowering her head in shame. Kaji was staring at her, the goofiest gin he could muster pinned to his lips as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Misato dared a peek through her fingers after a few moments and lowered her hand. Kaji stared at her, one brow raised, a playful smile on his face. She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You think you're cute, don't you?" she grumbled.

"Don't think, know." he chuckled, standing and adjusting his shirt.

They stood for a few moments, staring at each other, Kaji grinning, Misato scowling as best she could. Their eyes flashed in time with the screens around them, vibrant colors coming and going as the fighting game shuffled through its pre-programmed demo reel, various simulated matches presented in hopes of enticing players. Their breathing came in short, sharp bursts, faces starting to warm.

It hadn't always been like this. At one time there would have been barely a delay between finishing a game and moving on to the next one, their hands inevitably wrapping around each other's. There'd been an easiness to it then, no weight on their shoulders.

Now, for all their efforts, they couldn't move. Or wouldn't. Neither one wanted to be the first to break the silence, so they stood there, the air between them filling with unspoken frustrations, missed opportunities to lay it all out and find what they once had. Several passersby gave them sidelong glances, the tension between the man and woman a palpable thing.

Kaji's hands started to tremble, thankfully hidden by his pockets, as he fought the sudden urge to reach out and grab her. He wanted desperately to run his fingers through her hair, smelling the lavender shampoo he knew she still used.

To her credit, Misato controlled herself just as well, her fingers twitching under her arms as she wrestled down the voice yelling at her to press herself to him, to wrap her arms around his back and dig her fingers in. She wanted to latch on and lay claim to what was hers once more.

"Ummm, Excuse me… Are you two done with this game?"

They jumped. If the kids standing next to them noticed, they didn't say anything.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that," Kaji replied, a little more unsteady than he'd like. He stepped away from the chair, Misato following. They moved over to an unoccupied machine, another fighting game. The giant robots battling horrendous alien creatures on the screen tickled something in Kaji's mind, and he had to tear his eyes away. They found something better to settle on as Misato leaned against the game cabinet next to him.

"Let's go t…"

Hey, do y…"

They stopped and snorted, some of the tension flowing away. Kaji looked at her, tilting his head.

"How about we go for a walk?" he asked, "Maybe head to the beach?"

She regarded him for a moment, eyes narrowed.

"Sure. But we're getting drinks first."

"By that you mean I'm getting us drinks, I presume?" Kaji chuckled.

"Well, since you're offering…" Misato grinned, walking towards the door.

Kaji shook his head and followed.

() () () ()

The beach was a relatively short walk from the pavilion, a simple, winding pathway through the palm trees. Wooden boards stretched across the sand beneath, years of foot traffic and salty air leaving many of them worse for wear. They exited the forest and stepped out onto the sand, the sugar white granules crunching under their shoes. A few dozen other groups were scattered about, surrounding various bonfires and lit grills. The smells of cooking reached Asuka and Shinji, and pangs of hunger shot through their stomachs, despite the large meal they (well, mostly Shinji) had eaten within the last hour.

A little farther up the shore sat a small artificial village, lanterns hanging from nearly every available surface. Asuka and Shinji shared a look and shrugged, heading off towards the village. As they approached, the sounds of a festival steadily came into focus, drums beating as young women in ceremonial dress put on a traditional dance. A plaque by the entrance to the village stated that this was a nightly occurrence during the summer, several different dance troupes swapping out on a week-to-week basis.

Asuka stood, enraptured at the sight of the billowing yukata's and the dancer's long, flowing hair. Almost all of them wore some sort of flowered crown, numerous shades of pink and red blending together to create a whirlwind of summer colors. She stared for some time, swaying with the rhythm, until someone nudged her arm. She turned and came face to face with a bright red snow cone. She blinked and stepped back, looking from the cone to the hand holding it and from there to Shinji's face. He had slipped away while she was caught up in the dance and found a shaved ice seller. Asuka took the offered treat with a muted thanks, biting into it. It was strawberry, her favorite. Of course he'd know that. The cool, sweet flavors washed over her tongue and she closed her eyes to savor it, a smile on her lips.

Shinji watched her over his own cup. He found himself staring at her exposed back, the straps of her dress digging in ever so slightly into the skin on her shoulders. Her green sundress billowed in the steady ocean breeze, her hair doing the same. He let his eyes wander before settling on her face. She stared, rapt, at the dancers as they went through their perfectly choreographed routine. She nibbled absentmindedly at her snow cone, the shifting lights of the performance reflecting in her eyes. He stared at her for a while, until something cold slithered over his fingers. The pile of purple ice was starting to melt in the summer evening heat. He took a large bite, the sweet grape flavors like a salve on his surprisingly parched throat. Shinji kept stealing glances at the redhead beside him, somehow always missing as she did the same. They took in the rest of the performance in comfortable silence, crunching happily on the flavored ice. When the dance was done and their snacks finished, they headed off.

"So, how's the internship going?" Shinji asked as they walked, "I heard you and Hikari are making a big splash with Dr. Hyuga."

Asuka smiled and nodded.

"I mean, Hikari definitely is. That girl was born to be a chemist. I'm not doing bad, but nowhere near as well as her. She's already well beyond where other classes were at this point in their internships, and Dr. Hyuga is considering taking her on as an actual employee after we graduate. He said I would be welcome as well, but I don't know if I'm cut out for it. I will admit, I've learned a lot, but next to Hikari it doesn't seem like much."

Shinji shook his head.

"That's not true. I've seen some of your work. It's impressive, Asuka," he grinned at her, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I've heard dad talk about your research. He thinks very highly of the work, and you as well."

Asuka's smile widened.

"Well, I'll be sure to thank him somehow. Without letting him know why, of course. Wouldn't want you to get busted sharing top secret information. So, how about you? What's new in the world of molecular biology?"

Shinji shrugged and rubbed at the back of his head.

"Well, me and Dr. Aoba are working with Dr. Akagi on a new protein folding simulation. Kensuke is actually writing a good bit of the code for it," Shinji shook his head, "That dude is something else. He can go from listing off the names of every battleship in the Pacific Theater of World War II to building insanely complex programs that boggle the mind and from there straight into the specific episode of a specific show where 'insert this event' happened to 'insert this person' and not bat an eye. I spend too much time reading about polymerase chain reactions and DNA transcription and my brain starts hurting. I don't see how he fits all of it in that ridiculous brain of his."

Asuka giggled.

"Yeah, I'd call him a renaissance man, but I don't think pop culture trivia counts."

Shinji snorted. They continued their way through the small village, the sky overhead now almost completely dark. A steady breeze blew against them, Asuka's hair flowing out around her head. It occasionally brushed against Shinji's arm, and If he was bothered by it, he didn't let it show.

"What about Toji? I haven't seen him as much lately." Asuka continued. Shinji shrugged.

"As far as I know he's still with Dr. Ibuki in the exercise science/nutrition lab. They put him through the ringer a few times a week and then measure how he responds to different supplements and such."

Asuka shook her head.

"I'm still weirded out by that. It's like he's a guinea pig. I thought there were laws against using minors for things like that."

"There are, but Toji is 17, and the law says he can participate if he has approval from his parents, and as long as it's under a certain number of hours a week. He's only there for 3 hours each day so it's less than the limit." Shinji chuckled, "Plus, it counts it as P.E. credits, so he doesn't have to take it at school. I get it; you get to see your friends at school all day and then go hang out with them in one of several state-of-the-art labs where he gets to play basketball and soccer for hours and then gets to try a bunch of different nutrition supplements while they keep track of all his vitals. To Toji it probably feels like he won the lottery."

Asuka nodded.

"You make a good point. I just hope he doesn't hurt himself," her eyes widened, "What about Rei? Have you heard from her lately? I haven't had a chance to ask her about what she's doing."

"I think she's also working with Dr. Akagi. Some programming thing. Last I heard she was helping to build some new sorting algorithm. No idea what that actually means, but good for her."

They looked at each other and smiled, continuing through the village, the sand coated boards creaking under them as they weaved their way through the crowd, no real destination in mind. They walked in a comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for one of them at least. Asuka would occasionally glance around, using the sights and sounds as pretense to study Shinji for a few moments before turning away. She opened her mouth several times, but the words never seemed to be where they were needed. She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

They exited the village proper and onto an illuminated path running along the beach. Soft lights crisscrossed the walkway, help up by wooden posts sunk into the sand. It was relatively unoccupied, only a few groups making use of it, most people using the main entrance and exits that lead back into the interior of the park. As such, they were essentially alone, and Asuka didn't know what to do. The waves crashing a few dozen meters away brought her back to her dream from the night before, and she had to shake her head to dispel any notions of that happening here. Shinji noticed her movement and looked at her.

"You alright, Asuka?"

She jumped and turned to him.

"Yeah, I wa…"

She stopped. He was looking at her strangely, almost confused, but tinged with something unreadable. In the low light of the overhead bulbs, Shinji's eyes seemed to glow. Asuka swallowed.

"I was just thinking about something…"

He tilted his head.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"I… Uh, it was…."

She stopped; the words stuck in her throat.

Come on, Asuka. Say something, anything.

She took a deep breath and met his gaze.

"I, uh… I had a dream last night, and it's been stuck in my head all day."

His brow raised slightly.

"Like a nightmare?"

She shook her head, turning slightly to hide the color rising in her cheeks.

"No. The exact opposite, in fact. It was about as far from a nightmare as you can get…" She practically whispered, looking down.

Shinji stared at her, his face open, his brows raised expectantly.

"So, what was it? It's obviously bothering you. If you need to talk about it, then….

Asuka looked at him and bit her lip.

Now or never, Soryu…

"It was our hon… Whaaaa!"

The words were left behind as Shinji grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her to the side, off the path and beside a boarded-up souvenir shack. He pushed her against the wall and pressed his finger to his lips, smiling. Their faces were only a few centimeters apart and for a moment Asuka's confusion at being shoved behind some abandoned shed was replaced with the sudden urge to grab Shinji's shoulders and lean forward and…

She looked away, squeezing her eyes shut, willing her breathing to slow. Shinji moved and she risked a look at his face. He was looking away from her as he slowly leaned his head out around the corner, his hands still pressing on Asuka's upper arms. She wore a confused look, run through with shock and… Something else. He pulled back.

"I just saw Kensuke come around the corner up ahead. I don't think he saw me, but I saw him," he grinned, "And I saw who he was with."

Asuka's eyes widened and she shifted over, Shinji's hand resting firmly on her upper back as she angled her head to peek around the corner. She pushed her head out as far as she dared and looked. Kensuke was standing at the edge of the walkway, talking to someone Asuka couldn't see, when a girl about his height that she didn't recognize bounced up and clapped him on the shoulder. She had long, dark brown hair bound in twin-tails, a pair of pink-framed glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She wore a white button up shirt and a pair of plaid, thigh length shorts. She held a comically large lollipop in her hands, waving it around as she talked excitedly about something.

They both looked to the side as whoever they were with seemingly replied and they nodded. Kensuke looked at his watch and turned on his heel, heading directly towards the shack. They came around the corner proper and their other companion came into view. Even with her hair now an unnatural shade of blue, there was no mistaking her. Asuka's eyes widened and she pulled back, clamping her hand over her mouth. She locked eyes with Shinji. He nodded, a goofy grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Is that Rei?" Asuka whispered excitedly, "She dyed her hair."

Asuka's eyes widened.

"Oh my god. So that's who Kaji and Misato were talking about!"

Shinji just nodded and kept grinning. Asuka was practically bouncing up and down, her free hand latched onto Shinji's shoulder, squeezing.

"You heard what Misato said, right?" she whispered, "She said that she thinks the girl Kensuke was meeting likes him. What if him and Rei..."

She pressed her hand back to her lips, squeezing to stop the delighted squeal in its tracks. She started jumping from foot to foot, the excitement too much to handle.

If those two can somehow get it to work, then there has to be hope for me and…

She barely controlled the startled yell as Shinji grabbed her again and pushed her farther along the wall. He pulled her around the rear of the building, pressing himself against the splintered wood, her back pressed firmly against his chest. She squeaked in surprise.

"Shinji, what…."

He shushed her and twisted his head to his right, peering back towards the walkway. Kensuke, Rei and the girl he didn't recognize walked past, the brown-haired girl excitedly recounting some scene from her favorite show, while Kensuke and Rei laughed and nodded. They made their way up the path before disappearing into the village.

Shinji stood still for a few moments, just to make sure they didn't come back out anytime soon. After a bit, he closed his eyes, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He slumped against the wall.

"Shinji…"

"Hmmm?"

"Ummm… Your breath tickles, and, uh, well…"

His eyes popped open and he looked down. Asuka's bare neck was only a few centimeters from his face, her hair draped over her shoulder and over her chest. He could smell her sunscreen mixing with that of her shampoo and the salty air coming in from the sea. His hands were resting on the outer edges of her shoulders, squeezing slightly. He stood there for a moment, blinking before removing his hands.

"Oh, uh… Sorry, Asuka. I didn't want Kensuke to see us and think we were spying on him. Which I guess we kinda were…"

Asuka didn't move. She stood there, breaths shallow, her eyes darting back and forth, focusing on nothing. She was still pressed firmly against Shinji, his breathing slow and steady. She shivered and clinched her fists at her side, open and closed, open and closed. She took a deep breath.

"Shinji, I…"

"Well, well. What's this?"

They both jumped, Asuka practically diving forward and away from Shinji, the boy darting to his left and clutching a hand to his chest.

Misato and Kaji stood beside them, devious grins on their faces. They looked at each other and back to the teenagers.

"Sooooo… What was that?"

() () () ()

"Can you still see them?"

Toji shook his head and looked at Hikari.

"Nope. I lost 'em once they entered that village thing on the beach."

"Shit!" the pigtailed girl growled before clapping a hand to her mouth, earning a raised eyebrow from Toji. He could count on one hand the number of times Hikari had sworn, whether in front of him or in private, so this was a special occasion, "Sorry. That just slipped out…"

He snorted and stepped out from behind the palm tree they were hiding behind. He sighed and shook his head, glancing around. They were just off the walkway, using a small cluster of trees as camouflage. They could hear people walking by a couple meters away, small snippets of conversation making their way to them. Occasionally a child would yell, making the two teens' pulses jump.

"It's cool. You know I don't mind. Hell, now I'm just gonna try and make you say even worse," he smirked, "Consider it a new pet project I just thought up."

Hikari frowned up at him, looking away as she fought the urge to smile. She let out a long breath and gave one last look towards the beach.

"Well, I guess they're truly on their own now," she grumbled, "I wish I could go in there with them, but if they caught sight of us, they'd know something was up. Asuka would be so mad."

"Well, you did say you wanted to get them alone together as much as possible, right?" Toji replied, pulling his arm in front of him to stretch his shoulder, "I'd say this counts as both 'alone' and 'together' wouldn't you say?"

Hikari nodded, still frowning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I kind of hoped I'd be able to watch, though."

"You mean spy on them, right?"

"Observe from a distance, Toji. I would never spy on my friends."

Toji snorted and looked around.

"Well, since they're gone and there's no following, how 'bout you and I go do somethin'. We could check out the concerts if you were actually interested."

Hikari stood pursed her lips for a moment, considering her options. There were half a dozen concerts going on at any given time, and she had actually liked the sound of some of the bands playing. Concerts didn't really allow for easy conversation, and if she was going to talk to Toji about… Things, then she wanted to be somewhere quieter, more secluded. Then they could have a proper chat, and if during said chat Toji happened to brush a few stray hairs out of her face before leaning down so he could ki….

Hikari seized up, all color draining from her face. She turned on her heel, facing away from Toji.

Come on, Horaki. It's not going to happen like that. This isn't one of those dreams…

Toji stared at her, his head tilted, eyebrow raised. She was murmuring something to herself he couldn't make out. It became apparent after a few moments that this might continue for a while.

"Hikari."

Nothing.

"Hey, Hikari!"

Still nothing. The girl stayed where she was, lost in whatever she was talking to herself about. Sighing, he stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. Hikari nearly levitated out of her shoes, spinning around and staring at Toji, bug eyed and frantic. She took a short, sharp breath and closed her eyes.

"Toji! Don't do that! You scared the sh… crap out of me!" she yelled, holding her hands to her chest, "What is wrong with you?"

Toji cut back his laugh, biting his tongue to bring himself under control.

"My bad. You were talkin' to yourself and I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, you could have tried saying my name before jumping straight to scaring me!"

"I called your name twice. You were pretty lost in whatever you were talking about, so you didn't hear me."

Hikari stared at him, trying her best to maintain a martial look, and failing. Toji stared back, a large, shit-eating grin on his face.

"Well, don't do it again…" she huffed, trying to sound mad but failing. Toji snapped off a salute and turned.

"Alright, let's get out of here. I'm tired of hiding in the bushes. You ever decide what you want to do?"

Hikari narrowed her eyes, leaning her head back. A thought struck her, and she fought back a goofy smile.

"I'm not really feeling up to a concert right now. I saw on the map there's a section that's meant to resemble a carnival. Let's try that and see where we go from there. Besides, concerts are too loud. I'd like to be able to talk to you without yelling."

Toji nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he said, reaching out and pulling aside a large branch that was hiding them from the main walkway. He bowed and held his arm out beside him.

"Ladies first."

Hikari shook her head, ignoring the warmth in her cheeks as she walked past him and onto the path.

Toji joined her, staying few steps behind as they headed off. As they walked, he kept his eyes mostly on the ground in front of him, suddenly unable to look at Hikari. His father's voice suddenly rang out in his mind, just a short fragment of a sentence, but it was enough.

"…from what's right in front of you."

Toji brought his eyes up, staring at Hikari's back, her blue tank-top leaving most of her upper back exposed. He gulped. She turned and met his gaze, both holding the look for a few moments. They looked away, walking in silence. Toji took a deep breath, closing his eyes, before counting to 3.

Alright dad, let's see if you're right…

1...2...3...

"Hey, Hikari?"

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