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^_^)

Please excuse the corny chapter title, now on with the story!

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Love and Lust

Part 8- Kissing away the tears

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---Flashback---

Erika stood over Ikki's half conscious form. She saw how helpless he looked, soaking wet, half choking and looking so ashamed. His eyes fluttered at her, half-afraid, through coughs of seawater.

One hand was clenched around Ikki's collar, forcing him to half sit up. The other hand was poised in the air ready to slap him.

Erika glared through a small screen of tears. The urge to hurt Ikki for what he had done was overpowering. She felt ready to beat the hell out of him.

But Belmont had stopped her. He held her hand back in position and just shook his head.

Later, he carried Ikki away to his tent when he passed out from a combination of almost drowning and the exhaustion of too many sleepless nights. Erika unwillingly helped Belmont carry Ikki back to his camp.

After Belmont had put Ikki into his sleeping bag and Erika had hung up their wet clothes, she had stood silently at the entrance of Team Iceland's tent, watching the two with an empty expression.

Erika took one look at Belmont's face then turned away. Since then she hadn't said a word.

---End of flashback---

Erika felt all mixed up inside. The changing feelings in her mind (concern, anger and confusion) blurred into a prevailing numbness.

Erika stopped running and stumbled forward when she ran out of breath. She half leaned, half collapsed against a nearby tree trunk, panting.

She felt so confused.

Deep down, under the surface, she was still mad at Ikki. Erika just didn't know why Ikki had tried to...hurt her boyfriend.

No.

Not hurt...Ikki had tried to -rape- Belmont.

She shivered even though it wasn't cold. A part of her felt deeply disturbed. The Ikki she knew wasn't like this at all.

For now, the worst was (hopefully) over but Erika still had so many questions to ask.

She didn't understand why Belmont wasn't angry with Ikki at all. If he was then he certainly didn't show it.

Inside that tent, she had seen the blonde watching over Ikki as he slept with a soft, concerned expression she had never seen before.

When he'd come out, to tell everyone how Ikki was, he just acted as if nothing had happened.

Erika just didn't understand.

Just WHY was Ikki after Belmont?

How could Belmont even forgive Ikki for what he had done? It just didn't make sense!

"Erika."

...

Belmont was standing right behind her. It felt a little awkward. The air around them was thick and static but it was quiet enough to hear their audible breaths in the silence.

Erika swallowed, she turned round suddenly, almost sharply, and found herself staring intently into Belmont's violet eyes.

The intensity of her gaze faltered slightly.

-Boy did he look good.-

Belmont was shirtless, bare chest rising rhythmically with each breath, blonde hair glossy in the light. His skin was browned by the sun to a light tan that glistened with sweat.

And those alluring purple eyes were gazing at her with such a gentle softness that if anyone saw him, they would be able to tell straight away he was in love with Erika.

It was all enough to make her heart melt.

They stood there for a moment in the comfortable silence.

Then it all spilled out- the unanswered questions, the confusion and the demands to know just what was going on.

Belmont listened to her. Right now that was all he felt he could for her. He was aware that Erika was effected as much as he was about what Ikki had done but still he told her that what happened wasn't all his fault.

"Ikki will be back to normal soon, he just needs time to heal."

Tears began to well up in Erika's eyes and she stood there silently not knowing what to say to this. Belmont stroked away a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "He'll be fine, Erika. You don't need to worry about me."

Belmont stepped forward and pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. Erika closed her eyes and a tear trailed down her cheek.

"How can you even stand up for him after what he's tried to do to you?" Erika's voice was barely a whisper. She looked down into Belmont's chest, hiding her face, "Why did you stop me?...If- if I hadn't had found you both, then Ikki would have...would have..."

Erika broke down crying silently. She was about to turn away feeling slightly ashamed but Belmont took her into his arms. He pressed her close to him and softly wiped her tears away with the back of his hand, trying to comfort her.

They both sank into an embrace, feeling slightly shaken about what had gone on. But now, what had occurred was in the past and it couldn't come back to hurt them.

"Everything's not what it seems." He whispered softly into her hair and told her everything.

Soon, the whole situation became clearer. Erika began to see the whole story and her anger died away, as she understood the meaning behind what had just happened.

"No more crying now, okay?"

Erika nodded and they smiled.

Belmont's eyes softened...before bending down and drawing Erika into a deep kiss.

---

Rintaro wriggled through the foliage but stopped halfway so that his head stuck out from behind the bush.

[Team Iceland's camp is meant to be somewhere around here.]

He looked round at the boring-trees, bushes, Erika-and-Belmont-making-out, then again at more boring-

[WHAT THA?!]

Rintaro's jaw dropped.

Belmont and Erika heard the rustling of the bushes nearby and glanced at Rintaro still in the same position.

They looked at each other for a moment then Erika and Belmont carried on kissing.

Rintaro's jaw opened further.

"DUDES." he said hotly, "break it up already!"

Erika and Belmont broke apart slightly. They took one look at Rintaro's face and just laughed.

---

"Yo...Ikki"

Ikki turned away from his medabot, his face was burning red with shame. After what he had done, he didn't feel he had the courage to talk to Metabee again.

The yellow bot kneeled down beside his medafighter. At first when he had woken up to find Ikki gone, he was furious. Metabee had marched right up to the meeting spot ready to give Ikki one hell of a tirade.

But he hadn't expected this.

When Koji had told him that his medafighter had almost drowned to death, Metabee's angry narrowed optics had turned to wide circles. His mood had completely changed. Now he had totally forgotten about his "revenge" on Ikki and sat solemnly by his side.

"Hey Ikki" Metabee said softly, "You didn't have to go jump in the river and kill yourself bro...why didn't you just ever tell me what was wrong?"

Ikki was silent, treating Metabee's question as if it were a rhetorical one.

Then he thought about what he just said.

Metabee clearly hadn't been told the truth about what had really happened. Deep down Ikki felt relieved- Metabee didn't know the truth...and it was better that way.

"Ikki, we'll always be friends and I'll always be behind you if you need me."

Ikki had never heard Metabee sound so somber before. He half turned towards his

medabot giving him a small, genuine smile.

Unexpectedly, he gave Metabee a hug.

"Thanks Metabee." He said softly closing his eyes. "Thank you for always being my friend."

---

Later, Ikki, Metabee and the screws left the camp and Karin, Koji, Rintaro, Belmont and Erika resumed with their trip.

Ikki had persuaded them to go without him. He reassured them all he was going to be just fine. Everyone was still worried about him but it was lessened by his usual behavior, which had seemed to return. And as the day progressed, all initial concerns had died away.

Belmont looked up into the bright sky. The rest of the day promised to be (A LOT) more normal then before. :)

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End...of this part.

There's one more chapter to go (well maybe two but I'm not sure about making it official yet...)

Part 9 will come out on Tuesday (10th June) or maybe sooner, it all depends how evil I'm feeling.

:) Thank you all for reading (Man, some of your reviews have made my day) :)

(And I reassure you...Rintaro thinks "WHAT THA?!" not "WHAT THE?!")