Cruising the Caribbean
By: Fiery-chan and Angel13.
A/N: Here is the chapter you have all been waiting for!!! When we last left our heroes, (Hehe, I've always wanted to say that!) Ryo had just confronted Evan, now the competition will begin! And I get to write it! Props to Angel for another marvelous chapter.
But first I'd also like to thank everyone for their kind words and encouragement. I would also like to mention that for matters beyond my control, my Internet access is being limited (Dreamer, Hooba, and Angel know why) so the chapters will take longer to update. I apologize for the inconvenience.
On a final note, I would like to especially thank Hoobastanker and The Biggest Dreamer. The two of them were very helpful throughout this "period of darkness" and both Angel and I are very grateful for it. Thanks guys, we luv ya! Fab4 forever!
Disclaimer: For sanitary reasons, which would be the bathing inconvenience, boy were they starting to smell, I had to release all of the hostages in my closet, including Akiyoshi Hongo. So, I no longer own digimon. But be warned anime creators! I will come back and get you soon! Bwahahahaha!!!!!!! BTW, the ocean in Kansas is still up for bidding, the auction price begins at 1000 American dollars and the highest bidder will get it.
Chapter 19: No more Mr. Nice Guy!
"What can I do for you Akiyama?" Evan asked, after Ryo had caught up to him.
"We have things to discuss."
"Duh, you wouldn't have called out to me otherwise." Evan said.
"Ok, where to begin." Ryo pondered. Just as Ryo was about to start explaining, a voice called out to him.
"Hey Ryo!" Ryo turned to see Emily running up towards him.
"Hi Emily." Ryo said.
"Hey Ryo, Evan. Ryo I have to talk to you." Emily said.
"Now?" Ryo asked.
"Yes now and it's very important." Emily replied. She took Ryo's hand and dragged him off.
Once they were far enough away, Emily began talking.
"I ran into Kila. Don't do it. Just ignore Evan."
"What are you talking about?" Ryo asked.
"The competition. Don't go through with it."
"But I have to! It's the only way to win Rika's heart."
"Maybe someone hasn't clued you in but Rika is a girl."
"I already knew that." Ryo said.
"Then that means that you also know that she isn't some object. You boys can't just compete over her like she's some prize. Now I'm not going to go all feminist, let women vote, on you but she's a living, breathing, human being. She's the love of your life, your fantasy girl. If you hold this competition, you'll lose her for good. No girl wants to be treated like some guy's toy. And Rika will hate you and never speak to you again if you go through with it. I've seen it happen before." Emily explained.
"Then what do you suppose I do?" Ryo asked.
"Well for now, just hold off on the competition and let Evan be Evan. What you see is my cousin's naturally flirtatious self. Evan has always been like that. So just shrug it off for now."
"And how do you suggest I do that?" Ryo asked.
"There's a club called "Las Noches" on the island. It's having a teen night tonight. Me, Becky, and Fio are going. You should come with us. They'd love it." Emily said. "Then you can deal with Evan later."
"Um, ok I guess so. Sure, what harm could it do?" Ryo said.
"That's the spirit! Now then, let's go get the girls and go shopping!" Emily cried.
As they passed by Evan, Ryo mouthed "We'll talk later." They walked down to Becky and Fio's cabin and Emily knocked on the door. It opened and Becky's mother was standing in the doorway.
"Hello Emily, Ryo. The girls are out right now." She said.
"Do you know where we can find them?" Emily asked.
"Try that store Destiny. I think they said that's where they were heading."
"Ok, thank you." The two said their goodbyes, then headed off to the island.
*****
After wandering around, they came across the store called Destiny. It was a teen store for both guys and girls and contained clothes to suit every style out there. It was three floors and had everything from clothes to accessories. One could create their entire wardrobe with accessories for each outfit in that store alone.
"It's huge!" Ryo exclaimed, looking around at everything that was in the store as they walked towards the girls department.
"Yeah, it's a great store. All the magazines rave about it." Emily explained. "You should buy something for Rika."
"Um, I don't know about that." Ryo replied.
"Trust me, it's a great idea!" Emily then waked from rack to rack, pulling out clothes and tossing them into Ryo's open arms. "I should do some shopping while I'm here. Let me know if you spot the girls." Ryo looked around and saw them standing by a rack filled with black and blue jeans.
"There they are!" He said.
"Good. Fio, Becky, hey!" Emily called. "Aha!" She pulled a t-shirt out of one of the racks and held it to her body. Ryo laughed.
"I like that. 'You know I'm better than you, should I rub it in anyway?' That's great." He said, reading the shirt aloud.
"I like it too. Maybe I'll buy one." Fio said.
"Hey girls." Emily replied.
"Ryo, we haven't seen you in who knows how long. What's up?" Becky asked.
"Nothing much. Emily conned me into coming with you girls tonight." Ryo replied.
"She did? That's great! You'll have so much fun Ryo, trust me." Becky said.
"Um, sure."
"Now we have to buy you an outfit! And then we can buy you a bunch of other clothes too!" Fio cried.
"Hey, Ryo. How about this for Rika?" Emily asked holding up an outfit. It was solid black spaghetti-strap tank top with a sheer black button-down blouse over it and a pair of white capris with black glitter along the hemline.
"Ooh, I like that!" Becky said.
"Yeah, me too." Ryo replied.
"Ok, so what size?" Emily asked.
"Um, get a three in the jeans a small in the tank top and a medium in the shirt." Ryo said.
"Ok, got it. Now for tonight I'll wear this." Emily held up another outfit. It was a white glitter tube top with a pair of blue low-rise bell bottoms with silver glitter sparkling in random places on the jeans."
"I like that." Becky said. "This is my outfit." She held up a pair of black low-rise jeans with a red halter-top.
"And this is mine." Fio said, holding up her outfit. It was white jeans and an aqua-blue tank top.
"Now then it's Ryo's turn." Becky replied.
The girls led him off towards the boys' section and sifted through the clothes, pulling out a variety of things. They finally decided on a pair of khaki jeans with a white wife-beater and a solid, royal blue button down t-shirt to go over it.
*****
A/N: If you're wondering all of those outfits do match. They are all favorites of my friends and since my friends' personalities reflect my characters, I chose their "clubbing outfits." No we don't go clubbing but that's what they call them. Ok, back to the story.
*****
They headed off to the dressing rooms and tried the clothes on. The girls were impressed with their choice for Ryo's outfit.
"The blue brings out your eyes." Fio commented.
"And it also shows off those rock-hard abs of yours." Becky added with a grin. The girls laughed as Ryo blushed. "Ok, so I'd say we're done. Let's pay for this then go grab some food." They headed to the cashier and paid for their packages. Afterwards, they left the store and walked along the street, which was filled with midday shoppers.
"So where to next?" Ryo asked.
"Well, we need shoes. How about Bakers?" Emily asked, pointing to the shoe store across the street.
"Ooh! I love Bakers!" Becky squealed.
"I thought you were from London." Emily said.
"Fio and I moved to London only a year ago. We lived in America for most of our lives so we know all about the American stores and cultures."
"Ahh, gotcha. Well Bakers is my fav too so let's go!" The three girls raced into the store with Ryo walking slowly behind them.
"It's official, I have unleashed my feminine side." He said to no one. "I don't want a feminine side!" He walked into the store to find that the girls had already picked out their shoes. Emily had chosen a pair of white sandals that had a slight heel. Fio had picked out the same sandals except they had a higher heel. Becky had picked out a pair of clear sandals with a heel that made them look like glass slippers. They also grabbed bags to match their outfits and then paid for the purchases.
*****
After finishing in Bakers, the four teens walked into a cafe to get something to eat. They ordered muffins and smoothies and sat at a table by the window.
"Ok, so here's the plan. Emily you come to our room about seven and we can help each other get ready." Becky began. "Then Ryo you can come around 8:30. Then we'll chill in town for a while then head to Las Noches around 9:00. We'll stay there for a few hours and leave about midnight. Then we can walk through town and head back to the ship. How does that sound?" Everyone agreed and they got up to leave. They split the bill then began walking back to the ship.
"So then I'll see you all tonight." Emily said when they reached her cabin.
"Kay, bye." Fio replied. They said good bye and walked to Fio and Becky's cabin. When they arrived, Ryo said goodbye and walked to his. He got inside and tossed the bags on his bed.
"Someone did some shopping." Kila said.
"Oh hey Kila." Ryo replied, turning towards where his friend was.
"So how did the talk with Evan go?" Ryo explained what happened and Kila's smile turned into a frown. "Emily is siding with Evan and trying to protect her cousin. You fell right into her trap."
"Why would she do that?"
"Poor, naïve, little Ryo. You have no idea about the cruelties of human beings. Pity." Kila said.
"Well, whatever. Where's Rika?" Ryo asked.
"Around. You should check the pool. I think she went tanning." Kila replied.
"Ok, then I'll see you later." Ryo grabbed the bag that contained Rika's outfit and hurried off towards the pool.
*****
When Ryo arrived, he found Rika lying on a lounge chair reading a magazine.
"Hey Rika." Ryo said, walking up to her. Rika looked up.
"Oh hey Ryo." She noticed the bag in Ryo's hand. "Shopping?"
"Oh yeah. I went out to do some shopping and I saw this outfit and I though it would look great on you so I picked it up."
"Ok, let me see it." Rika said, sitting up. Ryo sat down next to her and pulled out the outfit, laying it down in his lap. "Wow, that's nice. I like it." Rika said with a smile. "But what were you doing shopping in Destiny?"
"Me, Emily, Fio, and Becky are going out tonight and we needed clothes so they dragged me there. We're going to a teen night at some club. Do you want to come?" Ryo asked.
"Nah, I'll just chill tonight."
"Ok, do you wanna go surfing or something?"
"No thanks. I'll just chill here and work on my tan."
"You sure?"
"Yes Akiyama. Now scram, you're blocking the sun." Ryo laughed.
"Ok, I'll see you later then." Ryo got up and left Rika to her tanning.
*****
Night came and Ryo took a shower and got dressed. He ran a hand through his hair and dried it off as well as he could.
"Spiffy." Kazu said, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. Ryo laughed.
"Thanks. But I have people to go get. See you later tonight."
"Ok, have fun Ryo." Ryo left the cabin and walked down towards Becky and Fio's cabin.
*****
Rika sat in the sand on the beach, tracing her toes through it. She sighed.
"I am so bored. Maybe I should have gone with Ryo."
"Hey Rika." A voice said. Rika turned around and saw Evan.
"Oh it's you." She got up and started to walk away but Evan grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Wait-just hear me out Rika, please?" Rika sighed.
"Fine, whatever." She sat down in the sand again and Evan sat next to her.
"I want to apologize." He said.
"You want to what?"
"Apologize. I've been a total jerk lately. I totally screwed up things between you and Ryo because I wanted you to go out with me. But I realized that I was a jerk, and I let my male hormones get the best of me I guess. And now you and Ryo are probably so messed up that you'll never be able to fix things up, you'll be all alone and it will all be my fault. So I'm no longer going to plot evil schemes to make you and Ryo hate each other, I'm just going to let you two fall in love and live happily ever after because you deserve someone great like Ryo, and not a jerk like me." Rika smiled.
"Evan, that is so sweet. You're a great guy and I'm sure you'll find a pretty girl to make you happy. Just wait, you'll see." She said.
"Yeah, sure. Well that's all I had to say, so bye." Evan got up and walked away.
"Cole, wait!" Rika got up and ran over to him. "Everyone else is busy so do you wanna go grab a hotdog?"
"Sure, ok let's go." Evan replied with a grin.
They walked over to the hotdog stand and bought two hotdogs and two cokes. They took their food to the boardwalk and sat down on a bench that looked out over the water.
"So Cole, why the change of heart?" Rika asked.
"I dunno. I guess the rational and mature part of my brain is finally working." Rika laughed.
"That's a very good guess."
"Ryo wanted to talk to me about something, but he went out, I wonder what it was." Evan said, half to himself.
"Do you have any idea?" Rika asked.
Just then, Kila came running up to them.
"Yo Cole." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a note. "This explains everything, read it when you're alone. I gotta jet. Henry and I are going to see a movie. Bye!" She ran off leaving a very confused Evan and an even more confused Rika.
"Um, yeah."
"I'll read this later." Evan said, stuffing the note into the pocket on his shorts.
*****
"So, now what?" Emily asked.
"We can just chill on the boardwalk." Ryo suggested.
"Damn! And I really wanted to go tonight!" Rebecca whined.
The reason as to why the four are upset is as follows. Upon arrival to Las Noches, they learned that a fire had leveled the building and now there was no club there. Since Las Noches was the only one that had a teen night, that meant there were no other clubs for the four to go to, so now they had nothing to do and were quite upset over the matter.
"I agree with Ryo. Let's go walk around on the boardwalk." Fiona said.
"Yeah, I agree too." Emily added.
"Ok, let's go." Becky grumbled.
The four made their way to the boardwalk and decided to walk around.
"Hey check it out." Fiona said, pointing over to a bench. Everyone turned their attention to where Fiona was pointing. It was the bench that Rika and Evan were sitting on and the two were talking and laughing. Jealousy overtook Ryo and he felt his blood boil as the rage grew deep inside of him. He should be the one sitting next to Rika and making her laugh and smile, not Evan!
Emily noticed as Ryo clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Uh oh, we've got trouble." She whispered to the other girls.
This had gone on long enough in Ryo's opinion. It was time he put an end to Evan's flirtatious ways. He walked over to the two about halfway.
"Hey Evan, come here." He called.
"Ryo don't." Emily began.
"Shut up Em. This is between me and your cousin. Don't get in the way." Ryo ordered.
Evan got up and walked over to Ryo.
"Hey bro, what's up?" He asked. Ryo drew his clenched fist back and slammed it right into Evan's face, causing him to fall to the ground.
"That's what's up." Ryo said through gritted teeth. He turned and stormed off to the cabin, leaving a very astounded group of girls and a now standing, but with a black eye, Evan.
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Thanks to my pal Dan for helping me with the rage scene. He informed me of what would happen if a guy's jealousy overtook his body. Ok, so Angel is the lucky contestant who gets to pick off from where I left off.
Fire: You're being very mean to Angel.
Fiery: What? How?
Fire: By making her pick up from Ryo's jealousy. First it was with the truth or dare; now it's with Ryo giving Evan a black eye. You are cruel. Angel is my favorite writer so be nice to her! Besides, she's your friend. This isn't how you treat your friends.
Fiery: Fine, I'll be nice. Sorry Angel.
Fire: That's better. And since Angel is including the other tamers in her author notes, the other elements will make appearances in Fiery's.
The Element of Water: Yes! Finally! Hey Earth, Wind, get in here!
Fire: Not now, the chapter is over.
Water: Oh, ok. Never mind guys!
Fiery: Damn Elements. So annoying. Ok, I forgot to say this in the disclaimer but "Las Noches" is the nightclub from In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. My favorite book. I was going to borrow it for this chapter but decided not to. That's all for now! Oh yeah, REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Luv'n'stuff!
Fiery-chan and Angel13