THEME SONG: 'Piece of Love' – Ranma ½ the Movie: Nihao my Concubine
The two slender teenaged girls stood in the bright tropical sunshine, blonde and chestnut hair blowing in the pleasing sea breeze. Mia shuddered, and pulled her towel closer around her shoulders, hating the feeling of her short wet hair on her clammy neck. Rachel shot her a sympathetic glance, smoothing down the hem of her grey skirt.
"At the end to find the page is torn – if all have will to love... yet yield…" Rachel murmured half to herself.
"They'll give their auras, strength revealed – and your fallen ones shall come reborn…" completed Mia, with a sharp rise of her eyebrow. The girls pondered the verse in silence momentarily.
"Any ideas on what it means?" Rachel asked the nearby Michelle, sighing deeply.
"Not a fuckin' one," Michelle answered bluntly dropping a rock the size of her fist onto the forming pile. One already completed pyramid of stone sat near to it, a crude piece of driftwood wedged in the top. Helping her with the collection were Ash, Jesse, James, Trish, Pikachu and a swollen-eyed Todd. Erin and Sarah lay lazily on their backs, just out of reach of the lapping waves, Riny nursing a cut on her palm from a unusually sharp rock.
Brock and Gary were having an arm-wrestling marathon, and had seemingly been frozen in time for the previous 20 minutes, as both teens seemed uncannily equally strong. Misty watched with a bored expression on her face, pausing every now and then to glare at the frolicking Meowth. Karlie frolicked also, running in and out of the waves squealing as Tracey watched and sweatdropped.
"Chase me! Chase me!" she laughed, kicking her leg and sending flicks of water aimed at Tracey, but hit Riny. This just made Karlie laugh harder, but she sweatdropped when the short girl rolled up her trouser legs and charged into the water. "Hey," Karlie protested meekly, backing away. "I wanted Tracey to chase me, not yoooooooou!"
Rachel and Mia smiled at the scene, both visibly sobering when they looked down on the two mounds that represented Duplica and Richie.
"Hey, if they come back to life…" Michelle began, standing off and brushing her hands off. "And we've buried them…" Mia began to giggle inanely at the image of their friends as dirt-covered zombies, and Rachel sweatdropped.
"Hey, they're gonna come back… right…" Rachel murmured almost inaudibly – more of a string of garbled words than a question. Mia gulped – not a reaction of worry or fear, but because her throat still felt red-raw, and greasy.
"Sure. I don't know what's going on here, I won't pretend that I do..." Michelle professed, in a sincere tone. "But we wouldn't be feeling so god-damn positive about the loss of two of our friends if it were the end. Someone's making it easy to bear... there must be a reason." Michelle smiled to herself as she heard a high-pitched, semi-garbled wail from Erin as she suddenly ran in further than her depth, and was swallowed up to her ears; this of course being followed by hysterical laughter from Karlie, Sarah and Tracey. "There's no way this story can't have a happy ending!" Rachel gave a wobbly smile, but then the conversation was abolished as Trish bounded up, followed by Tracey carrying a shivering and dripping wet Erin, a lovely piece of seaweed adorning her hair. Karlie followed practically on Tracey's back, complaining that she had never been carried, and Sarah trotted along after that, still sniggering to herself.
"Okay, we need to go book fifteen people and two Pokémon into a hotel, then tomorrow morning, we'll travel by road to the North and get the hell off this island!" Trish's plan of action was met with roaring appraisal, and the group all nervously gazed at their childish and unsteady monuments to their dead companions. They grinned impishly at each other, and set off at a run across the deserted stretch of beach, with their backpacks bumping up and down against their backs, and their shoes grasped precariously in their hands as their bare feet kicked up small clouds of sand.
"Ack! Ash you TWERP! That was my EYE!" Gary smirked as he ducked beneath the strife of Misty's mallet, feeling uncharacteristically part of the team. Then he burst out laughing when Ash got malleted straight into the sand, and snapped out of it.
~*~
The Takai-Ryokan was the Archipelago's finest hotel, and the group stared up at it in awe, feeling the need to describe it as 'a large golden monument soaring up towards the tropical skies' (well, that's what the sign outside it said anyway). Thirteen people and two loose Pokémon was far too much to impose on the particularly skitty Nurse Joy of Kiwi Cove, and if they had to stay in a hotel, concluded Brock, they had to stay in style.
Gary however wasn't so pleased. They had to book three rooms: two middle-sized and one large; but even for a single night, Oak had to part with 2 weeks worth of Trainer battle winnings. When he asked sulkily why he was paying, Misty grinned and answered because he was the richest and therefore, most highly skilled Trainer, while she thoughtfully held a fuming Ash by the collar.
Still awe-stricken, the group walked into the elevator, delighted that it accommodated all of them quite comfortably, and Sarah jumped and grabbed hold of the nearest person (happily for her it was Brock) when a electronic voice piped from the nearby speaker.
"Hell. Oh. Guests. Ket-chum, Sa-to-shi, Ash-ton; Wa-ter-flower, Ya-wa, Ka-su-mi, Mis-ty; Sl-ate, Tak-e-shi, Brock; Sket-chitt, Mei-mi, Ka-ty," Everyone stared wide-eyed at Tracey, whose eyes were also open wide. The voice continued. "Oak, Shi-ge-ru, Ga-reth; Cam-eron, Too-ru, Todd, Mor-gan-Ty-ler-Smy-the, Kou-ji-rou, Ja-mes; Bell, Mu-sa-shi, Jess-ica; Pi-ka-chu; Me-ow-th; Der-van, Hi-ro-shi, Ri-chard…" Rachel gasped and whirled around as if she expected to see him standing behind her. Ash shot a look at the bag on his shoulder. Everyone else stared warily at the speaker as it fizzed with static and repeated: "Unknown! Does not compute!" seven times before seemingly calming down and continuing. "What rooms would you like me to take you to?"
Sarah fumbled for the piece of paper that had their room names written on.
"Um, Akudou, Kobi and Tobokeru please," she murmured into the speaker, sweatdropping slightly at the absurdity of it all; however Ash and the other 'characters' seemed totally unperturbed by it. The elevator shuddered into life and Sarah felt like the wind had been knocked out of her when a split-second later the doors opened to reveal a lavishly decorated corridor.
"Good. Bye. Have a nice. Day. Ket-chum, Sa-to-shi, Ash-ton; Wa-ter-flower, Ya-wa, Ka-su-mi, Mis-ty; Sl-ate, Tak-e-shi, Brock; Sket-chitt, Mei-mi, Ka-ty; Oak…" Everyone made a frantic dash out of the doors and into the eerily quiet corridor, which had a sobering effect on them. Misty raised her eyebrow at Tracey, who sweatdropped.
"Okay, okay, so I musta picked up my mum's IDC…"
"IDC?" repeated the authors, totally bemused but very interested.
"Your mum is called Katy? I'm learning sooo much about you!" Karlie gushed.
"Identification Chips," Ash answered, with a confused tilt of his head. "Don't you have them where you come from?"
"No…" Trish answered.
"Not yet anyway," Michelle muttered darkly.
"Why did it pick up Richie?" Erin finally said, voicing what she knew Rachel was dying to. Ash shrugged the extra bag off his shoulder.
"I guess he must have had his IDC in his bag instead of on his person at all times like the law says," he frowned. Rachel stared at the bag – she hadn't noticed it before. Ash had kept Richie's bag. She looked over at Todd, and sure enough he had a small slingback bag with yellow stars all over it as well as his own sensible brown one. Rachel smiled.
"Okay!" Erin motivated, putting on her 'happy' voice, and motioning for Sarah to hand her the slip of paper. "All boys in this one," she instructed, pointing to the larger room, with the word 'Akudou' engraved on the door. "That includes Meowth," she ordered. "Okay next," she continued, pointing at the middle door of the three rooms, the one with 'Kobi' engraved on it; "This one is for Jesse, Misty, Karlie, Trish and Mia. So that means me, Rach, Sarah, and Mitch are in this one," she finished, pointing towards the room marked 'Tobokeru'. "Got all that?" Everyone solemnly nodded.
"Well we can't go anywhere till tomorrow, and it's only about one in the afternoon…" Brock shrugged…
"So let's hit the pool!" Ash finished for him, and the group split three ways, with the authors laughing as they took the extremely confused lift back down to the lobby to purchase some swimsuits (with Gary's money of course).
~*~
Mia smirked and lowered her sunglasses as she watched Gary become more and more unnerved as he swam laps around the pool and Rachel dutifully trotted along the side parallel to him. The pool was empty apart from them (it not being tourist season you know…) so Gary had more room to exercise than he knew what to do with. However the petite blonde girl in the pink bikini was driving him crazy – and not in the sexual sense. Finally he cracked, and pulled her into the water by her foot. Rachel spluttered as she dunked under the crystal liquid, and resurfaced, her now seeming darker hair plastered to her face.
"WHAT are you doing?" they both yelled at each other at the same time. Rachel huffed, and attempted to sort her hair out.
"I was *trying* to protect you."
"You were STALKING me! For a second it felt like I was Tracey and you were Karlie!" A pair of recently purchased goggles fwapped Gary in the back of the head, but he paid them no heed. Gary and Rachel continued arguing, as Karlie self-consciously swam small laps around Tracey and Ash, being extra careful not to let anything higher than her neck show, as, like most teenaged girls, she was stupidly unnecessarily embarrassed about a bikini-clad body.
Erin had simply refused to buy or wear one, saying that bikinis were sexist and evil, proclaiming that she'd wear one when guys started wearing them. A smirking Michelle had reminded her of the episode: 'Holiday in Acapulco' and Riny had then quietly slipped into one and into the water.
"Hey Mia!" called Ash from the shallow end. "Come in and play volleyball!" he invited. Mia froze, and shook her head, smiling slightly. She was quite happy sunbathing. "C'mon!" Ash pushed, and Sarah attempted to nudge him to shut him up.
"Shut it Ketchum, isn't it understandable that Mia's a little wary of the water at the moment?" Gary's nasal voice proceeded her nudge, and Ash sweatdropped and apologised, as Brock, James, Tracey, Misty, Todd and Ash began a game of volleyball over an invisible net.
Meanwhile, Gary had had quite enough of Rachel's new 'over-protective' outlook on him – she was like the over-protective parents he'd never had. Putting his acting skills to use, he flippantly started a conversation about Tracey and Karlie. One minute later and Rachel's eyes were are large as dinner-plates and her face was a furious red. Gary smirked to himself as she zoomed off towards Karlie in the deep end, *finally* leaving him alone.
~*~
"I demand an explanation for why I was dragged away from my topless Kenji-koi!!" Karlie yelled, when the authors were assembled together on the side, near to Mia's sun-lounger.
"You're dripping on meeeee!" she wailed, as the Pokémon characters sweatdropped from the pool as they watched the secretive huddle from a distance.
"I think they're plotting to kill us," Ash said seriously.
"You won't be calling him your Kenji-koi in a minute Kaz," Rachel said, ominously, making everyone lean inwards. "Karlie, just remember that you're a wonderful person and we all love you for who you are…" she stalled. Karlie rolled her eyes and made a 'hurry-up' motion with her hands, as all the wet authors were freezing standing on the side motionless for so long.
"C'mon!"
"Okay," Rachel continued, gulping. Everyone's eyes grew wide as Rachel relayed what Gary had told her Tracey had said about Karlie.
Karlie's scream of outrage echoed angrily around Kiwi Cove.
~*~
Now back in her clothes, Karlie ran her arm obstinately across her nose as she sniffed again. Her hands were shaking as if she was shivering from cold, and it was proving difficult to ignite the firelighter she had stolen from Brock's bag. She gave a watery smile of triumph as the sink-full of old newspaper caught alight, and the flames danced and blazed in the large ceramic sink of the Kobi ensuite bathroom.
Reaching over towards the counter, Karlie gently picked up a large, A5 sketchbook, running her fingers lovingly over the smudged pencil lines, as she flicked through page after page after page of sketches, mostly Pokémon, but a few here and there of people, and even one of her alone. Clenching her fist and wrinkling the cartridge paper, Karlie's eye twinged slightly at the cloud of smoke.
"TRACEY YOU EGG!" she bellowed, as she sacrificed the contents of his most prized sketchbook to the hungry fire, cackling madly. She watched with pride as the paper blackened and burnt to ashes, feeling a pang of sadness when she caught sight of her own eyes in her portrait staring back accusingly at her as that page too smouldered and coiled in on itself until it was gone completely. Karlie was startled out of her reverie by a high-pitched beeping sound.
"Ack," she murmured tiredly, when she looked up and saw the flashing and beeping fire alarm. Split seconds later, someone came crashing through the door, and landed on the counter, centimetres from the fire. Karlie regarded him coolly, complete with icy stare. Tracey stared at her bemused.
"Kaz what's going on? Why did you start a-" Tracey's voice trailed off as he saw the empty binding of his sketchbook inches from him, and the charred scraps in the sink. He stared at her with wide, slightly-scared dark green eyes. "Wha- why?" he asked desolately. Karlie simply intensified her cool stare, and walked with her arms folded out of the bathroom. Despondently, Tracey turned the water on, making the dying fire in the sink hiss angrily, until it too was gone, leaving only soggy, black leftovers, which had once been his prize-winning sketches.
Tracey rubbed his face tiredly, feeling a deep urge to cry.
"Oh she's gonna pay for this," he murmured throatily, his voice cracking. Gary, who was listening outside, suddenly began to wonder if his idea had been such a good one after all…
~*~
Tracey relished in his short burst of an evil cackle: don't let people walk all over you, his mother had always used to say. Wouldn't you be proud of me now, mum, Tracey thought as he repeatedly stabbed the neck of the teddy-bear with a pair of sharp scissors. Victoriously, he held up the severed head of the toy, as stuffing floated from the gaping hole in the neck to the ground. Michelle and Misty wandered in to Kobi chatting, before halting in horror.
"You WANKER!" Michelle yelled, in disbelief, while Misty just gaped. "What the HELL did she ever do to YOU?" Tracey's eye twitched.
"Karlie burnt all my best sketches…" he growled. Michelle balled her fists up angrily.
"So why the fuck did ya mutilate Riny's teddy bear?!" Tracey looked at what he was holding, and sweatdropped. This… was not gonna be good.
~*~
"I'm so sorry Bubble," Karlie comforted, as she strode round and round the Tobokeru room, containing all the authors plus Misty. "I shoulda given it back to you when I first realised it got mixed up with my stuff from the tent, but I totally forgot!"
"S'not your fault," Riny sniffed, as she attempted to sew her Lucy-Bear's head back on to its body – but as she hadn't sewn anything since Year 2 at school she wasn't making much headway. Michelle also wandered around and around the room, muttering random cursewords under her breath – the stress of it all having finally hit her smack in the face.
"It's like he's a completely different person!" Misty noted. "He's acting… like… sorry Rach, but like he's possessed like you were!" Everyone jumped.
"You think that's it?" Trish asked warily, but Karlie shook her head.
"No, he hasn't been on his own since we got on the ship. He's just SCUM."
Riny held up the sewn bear, and then watched in heartbreak as the head toppled off and rolled into the corner. Her mouth clenched.
"DesTROY him," she commanded.
"Can do!" Mia laughed, grabbing some charcoal that she had sneaked from Tracey's bag earlier than day, and smudging two black lines under her eyes.
~*~
Mia, Michelle and Karlie stealthily crept into the boy's Akudou room, swiftly handing Brock a Playboy magazine (also snuck from Tracey's bag earlier) to keep him quiet. He trotted off quite happily, leaving the three revenge-hungry girls alone in the room.
"Mia," murmured Karlie. "How is stealing all his boxer shorts gonna destroy him?" Mia shrugged.
"It's fun." Karlie and Michelle sighed, and kept sneaking closer and closer to Tracey's bag. "Okay I'll check the bag, Kaz you check the drawers, Mitch, go stand watch," Mia ordered. The two other girls nodded, and Mia rapidly searched through Tracey's belongings. In a few seconds, she stopped, and cursed under her breath. "They must be in the drawers, Kaz." Karlie stared down at the open drawers.
"No boxers, Mia."
"Y-fronts then."
"Um. No Y-fronts, Mia."
"What are you on?" Michelle and Mia peered into the drawers to see all of Tracey's clothes, neatly folded and in rainbow colour order. But not a single sign of any underwear. Tracey was currently in the pool, wearing swimming trunks… so shouldn't his discarded boxers be lying around somewhere? A strip search of the room proved this wrong. The three girls sweatdropped.
"Maybe he hid them cos he knew I'd be coming?" Mia suggested.
"Maybe… maybe…" Michelle began, before sighing. "Let's never do this again, okay? Next time we just lock him in a cupboard."
~*~
Gary was very smug; entertainment like this was worth the bill for this place. He looked up as Riny walked by him along the poolside, dressed in her detestable black bikini.
"Where are they?!" he joked, placing his two balled up fists on strategic parts of his chest. Erin glared at him, still sore over her teddy's untimely demise, before growling words more fit more Michelle on PMS rather than lil innocent Riny, and stomping off. Gary watched the leaving teenaged girl.
"Hey Ash," he called, "you'll never guess what Erin just said about your hat."
~*~
Stunned, Erin walked in to Kobi, where the other girls, including Jesse this time, were all getting ready to go to the restaurant downstairs. It was getting on to 5 in the evening, and the pool wasn't so much fun in the brisk evening breeze. Everyone looked up as she closed the door behind her.
"W-what?" asked Karlie, recognising the look on her face. Erin furrowed her brow.
"I-I… Ash just bitch-slapped me…"
For some reason, they all found this hysterically funny. "Hey," Riny protested. "It's not funny. It hurt! And he called me Erina-Louise!" The laughter stopped instantly, and was replaced by a low, ominous 'ooooooo'.
"What is WITH all the boys today?" Sarah yelled in exasperation.
"Ah well, more boxers for me!" Mia cackled, exaggeratingly tip-toeing out of the room. Jesse lazily kicked the door shut behind her from where she lounged on the floor.
"Well I'm glad SOMEONE is profiting out of all this," Erin huffed, as she plonked herself down next to the vanity unit and began the seemingly impossible task of brushing out her wet and tangled hair.
~*~
Mia was enjoying herself immensely – she knew the boys were getting ready in the other girl's room – Tobokeru, because it had a larger bathroom, so the coast was clear. Humming the Mission Impossible theme to herself, she pressed herself flat to the wall for no reason other than for show as she edged her way towards Ash's green backpack.
A voice nearby made her nearly jump out of her skin, before she realised it was someone in the ensuite shower. Someone singing country songs.
"Maybe tonight, I'm gonna tell him, how I feel," crooned Gary. "Maybe I'll leave well enough alone! Maybe, just maybe, he'll wanna be mah baaaay-be! What if he's got plans of his own?" Mia's stomach ached and her entire body shook from the stress of holding in her uproarious laughter.
"What made you say that? Was it the moonlight, was it the starlight, in your eeeeeyes?" Gary flourished, sending little droplets of water flying out of the cubicle so Mia could only assume he was dancing too. She thought she was gonna pass out as she leaned weakly against the wall. "What made you say that? Have you been listening to your heart? It's too late now, he don't wanna take it back – it's not real love, what made you say that?"
"If there ever was a time for a Dictaphone," Mia murmured to herself, gaining more composure as Gary reverted to humming. She gasped as he started singing again, to the same tune.
"What made me say that? Rachel wouldn't, bloody leave me aloooone, what could I do? What made me say that? That flat-chested chick is a bitch toooooooooo. It's too late now, I'm having way too much fun! Maybe I'll stop, but only when Tracey kills someone!" Mia frowned darkly as Gary burst out laughing.
"I'll deal with YOU later on, Oak."
~*~
"Rachel, I was eating," Tracey said irritably, feeling edgy around any of the girls.
"I know," Rachel said simply, escorting him to the very end of the corridor. "Okay, listen," she began. "Karlie got stressed at you because of Gary."
"Of Gary?" he repeated, blankly. Rachel nodded.
"He told me that you insulted Karlie's glasses." Tracey gaped. "You didn't, did you?" Rachel asked hurriedly, and Tracey shook his head fiercely.
"I'd never! There's nothing wrong with her glasses, and besides, I know how defensive she is about them!"
"Good," Mia beamed, appearing behind Tracey, startling him. "Tell HER that," she smiled. Rachel giggled and opened a cupboard door, and Mia gave Tracey a violent push into the darkness.
"Have fun!" came Michelle's laughing voice as the door swung shut, and the lock clicked into place.
"BUT NOT TOO MUCH!" came Riny's disapproving voice. Tracey stared in disbelief as he heard their voices fade down the corridor. It was dark, and he couldn't see much of anything.
"Bitches," growled a voice, and he swung around to see Karlie's faint outline in the gloom. Tracey sighed, and began to apologise, profusely.
~*~
10 MINUTES LATER
~*~
The group, minus Karlie and Tracey, sat stuffing their faces, and chatting around the large round table. Suddenly there was a clatter as Erin's fork fell to her plate, her mouth hanging open.
"What?" asked various people.
"We just *LOCKED* Karlie somewhere!" Erin gasped, as everyone's eyes grew huge.
"Shit!" squealed Michelle. "Where's the damn key?"
"You had it!"
"I bloody well did not!"
"Shit!"
"Rach you had it!"
"NO I DID NOT! Look, we've been through this! I was not, myself then…"
~*~
"I mean it Karlie," Tracey continued to apologise. "I'm terribly sorry for what you thought I did, and for what I did to Riny's bear." Karlie shuffled, growing more and more embarrassed by the second; he was apologising for Gary's lie and she was the one who had been most egg-like by burning his sketch book. "Do you forgive me?" Tracey pleaded, his eyes now adjusted to the serious lack of light so he could see her haughty stance, and even detect her misery-inducing lack of bandana.
Karlie sighed, and reached into her pocket, running her fingers over the soft fabric of the bandana before pulling it back on her forehead. Tracey smiled, almost weak with relief.
"Does this mean you do forgive me?" Karlie made an embarrassed 'hmmm' sound, and stopped leaning on the back shelves.
"Tracey do I annoy you?" she blurted, bluntly. "Cos I could stop…" she added lamely. Tracey smiled sadly, sure Karlie was a bit… a bit.. well, passionate, but he guessed that was one of her endearing traits.
"Should I answer something corny like: you used to, but when you weren't attached to me all day I realised how much you mean to me?" he bluffed, chortling insecurely.
"That'd be nice…" Karlie murmured, startling him, and turning his breathing just a tad bit heavier…
~*~
"I'm TELLING you, Rina was the last to have it!"
"Oblivious!"
"Yes, yes you did I TOLD you to hold it!"
"You did NOT!"
"Erm, young ladies, management has asked me to inform you that if you to not resume to eating your meal quietly, then I-"
"Fuck off!"
"Michelle!!
"Excuse me young lady!?"
"Oh excuse me; I said… *ahem* …FUCK OFF!"
~*~
"Karlie, why are you so… infatuated with me?" Tracey's question caught Karlie off-guard.
Because you've got a gorge voice, you're sensitive and you have more topless scenes than Brock, her brain answered on cue. Outside, she reverted to stalling hysterical laughter.
Wouldn't it be great if you two were locked in here forever? OoOoOOh and a deadly virus wiped out mankind, and the entire fate of the human race depended on you and Tracey procreating? her warped imagination persisted, making Kaz wish dearly that there was some sort of off button for it. Tracey just waited patiently until she could laugh no more, and she lifted her arms listlessly.
"Because…" she began, feeling stupid – as she had hardly been hiding her feelings for him up to now. "Because… I guess… because you're… well…" She winced at the word she was about to use to end that sentence – mental note, she thought. Remind me to KILL Rin. Her mush is contagious. "You," she finished, meekly, shyly looking up at him as if awaiting approval.
Breathlessly, Tracey moved forwards across the few centimetres that separated them. Karlie's heart was beating so fast that it made her pendant jump slightly every time. Tracey was now so close to her than his lips were about a millimetre from the tip of her nose.
"Do you have anything else to tell me, Karlie?" he asked, in an uncharacteristically husky voice.
"You mean besides… you're standing on my feet?"
~*~
Mia was now so worked up about the missing key, she stood up abruptly, making everyone shut up and gaze at her extremely bulky looking hip area.
"What?" she asked. "I'm wearing all of Ash's boxers under my trousers. Whaaaaaat?"
~*~
Aaaaand once again, Tracey was apologising profusely.
Don't worry, that irritating voice in Karlie's warped imagination teased. You can step on anything of mine, but not my heart! Who IS that? Karlie thought in bemusement. I have a Rin-clone living in my head making me think MUSH!
"It's okay, really," she managed to choke, out, and then simply choked as she felt Tracey's soft fingertips drift down the sides of her face. Slowly, Tracey removed her glasses, and let them hang by one handle from his left hand, while his right stayed by Karlie's red-hot face. Slowly he let his lips brush against hers.
"Don't drop my glasses!" she gasped, pulling away abruptly. He stared at her cynically, now getting to the point where he needed to kiss her to keep his sanity. "What? Well YOU tell me where I'll get a new pair on this island, genius!" Tracey rolled his eyes, his lust making him bold, and he clumsily threw her glasses into a nearby bucket of cold soapy water. "You're the one putting your hand in there to get em out," Karlie murmured, folding her arms obstinately. Her vision had already been limited in the dark, but now she couldn't see anything at all. She flinched as Tracey tried to kiss her again, having not been able to see his approach.
"I'm sorry," she squealed, in an unusually high voice. "I just, you know, want it to be… really, wonderfully… perfect…" Tracey smiled, and wrapped his arms around her so she could feel him even if she couldn't see him.
"Ah it will be," he reassured her gently, "it's bound to be, cos you yourself, are so incredibly wonderfully perfect…"
~*~
"Er, guys?" Ash winced as the warring girls all turned to look at him. He fished inside his jacket pocket, and brought out a small metal key. "You lookin' for this?" There was a long silence until…
"KILL HIM!!!!!" bellowed very agitated females.
~*~
Karlie yelped in surprise when Tracey's lips hit hers more forcefully than she had been expecting. Tracey withdrew with a sigh.
"Did you just *yelp*?" he asked, tiredly.
Listen, complained that chibi-Rin-thing in Karlie's head. If you don't stop being such a baby, then the others are gonna let you two out and you'll NEVER GET A GOOD SNOG! The Rin-thing makes sense, Karlie shrugged to herself, before grabbing her beloved by the neck and ramming her tongue down his throat, making him yelp considerably.
~*~
"It's too quiet in there!" Trish worried as they stood outside the door. Misty shrugged and reached over with the key, stopping for a second as Sarah grabbed her arm.
"I don't think…" she began, but Misty had already unlocked the door, and pulled down the handle.
The group of people blinked several times as Karlie fell backwards out of the door she had been leaning against with a wail, and Tracey landed with an 'oouf' sound on top of her.
"EGGS! Leave me alone!" she snarled, pushing Tracey off sensitive areas. Erin's eyes were narrowed rather than wide, as she tutted and waggled her finger at her older friend.
"You, make, me sick!" she reproved, before walking off into Tobokeru.
"Jealous," Karlie murmured, as she and Tracey got to their feet, her grinning widely and triumphantly, and Tracey grinning bashfully. Mia raised her eyebrow.
"Wow Tracey, I didn't know you wore lipgloss." Tracey's blush intensified.
"Your neck is a funny place for it though," Michelle added dryly.
~*~
Karlie lay pretending to be asleep in Kobi – when in reality she was waiting for 2am to come, so she could return to that wonderful place inside the closet with her Kenji-koi. Hmmmmmmmm, she sighed blissfully. Perfect.
Her eyes opened slowly as a niggling voice invaded her happiness.
Twelve hours ago Duplica died in her boyfriend's arms. Or had you forgotten? With a troubled frown, Karlie turned over on to her side. Yes, it was weird at how quickly they adjusted… negative to positive in the shortest space of time. Blanching at the idea of emotional control, Karlie frowned, and pulled her legs up to the foetal position.
My feelings are my own, she reassured herself.
