Chapter five

Kino was jolted out of her peaceful sleep but the sound of pounding at her door. She peeked her eyes open and glanced at the clock. It was only nine PM. She had only fallen asleep a few hours earlier. She and Hayami had eaten an early dinner and gone to bed early, to make up for lost sleep the night before. The pounding continued, and Kino grumbled, nestling deeper into Hayami's arms.

After a point, when Kino was almost asleep again, Hayami's voice caused her jump in surprise. His words rumbled slightly in her ears as his chest moved up and down. "For God's sake, Kino, just answer the damn door…"

Kino groaned, but sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Reaching over, she gave a Hayami a quick hit on the chest, letting him know that if she had to stay awake, so did he. He waved her off, but opened his eyes and gave a small yawn. The pounding hadn't stopped. Kino rolled her eyes at the person's persistence and called out, "I'm coming!"

Stumbling towards her door, she unlocked it and peeked out, blinking tiredly. Before stood a rather frantic looking Yamada. She then remembered she was supposed to watch Howan that evening. Flushing from embarrassment at the fact that she had forgotten the girl, Kino smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, Yamada. I was asleep…"

Yamada waved her off quickly, and murmured about being late. Howan popped up behind him, smiling happily at Kino, her teddy bear in her arms. Kino smiled back, and listened with half an ear as Yamada quickly rambled off at her. Nodding half-heartedly as Yamada finished up, she smiled and waved as he walked away at a hurried pace. Kino had the sneaking suspicion that he was late for his "date", as Iga had put it.

Once Yamada had disappeared from view, Kino turned to Howan, who held a small over night bag in her arms, along with her bear. Taking the bag, she turned and led Howan into her room.

Hayami was sitting up now, waiting for her to return. Howan saw him and waved, but then realized that Hayami wasn't usually in Kino's room, and looked up at Kino.

"How come he's here?"

Kino blushed slightly, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Hayami was chuckling. Kneeling down to eye level with the girl, she smiled, "He's, ah… spending the night with me. Like you."

Howan thought about it, and then shrugged and walked over to Hayami, pausing only briefly to put her bear on the bed, before looking up at Hayami and reaching her arms up. He looked a bit surprised, and unsure as to what she wanted. Kino giggled, and mouthed it out to him.

His ignorance towards children was so cute. He obviously didn't have much experience with kids, and was a bit uncomfortable with not knowing what to do.

Hayami understood, and carefully reached down, as though nervous he would hurt Howan, and lifted her up. She grew quite comfortable on his lap, and happily tugged at a piece of his hair. He held her so gently, Kino noticed. It was almost like he was worried that he would somehow break her. She wasn't a China-Doll. So why was he so worried?

Kino could think of a number of reasons for this. Possibly because he was self-conscious when he was around her, and was afraid of messing up. Or maybe he somehow thought he might, in a way, corrupt Howan. Kino knew Hayami didn't think highly of himself. She would have to talk with about that…

Sighing, Kino turned towards the over night bag and started to shuffle through its contents. There was toothbrush, extra clothes, a snack in case she got hungry… mostly simple things that were required on a regular basis for Howan. Kino smiled and turned towards the two, where Hayami was watching Howan with interest as she talked to her bear. He glanced up and met her eyes, and she smiled at him.

She needed to lie out her extra sleeping bag for Howan so she could sleep. Putting down Howan's bag beside the two on the bed, she wandered over to her closet. Damn, she hated this part.

Getting out anything from her closet was hard. Kino kept an insane amount of items stuffed away in there, most of which residing on the top shelf. This included the sleeping bag. In fact, the closet was so packed up top, that Kino was worried that it might break the shelf. But still, she couldn't get rid of any of the items. They were important to her. They were the only things remaining of her life before Blue Six.

Grumbling, Kino pulled open the door and started to carefully rummage through the items on the top shelf. She had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach it; her memory began to shift to the last time she had stood like that. Her feet ached, and it was familiar. When she had been four, her mother had forced her to take a Ballet class with her older sister. Surprisingly, Kino had been rather good at it, and had soon moved to Pointe. After a few years of that, however, Kino had switched her interest from Pointe to Figure Skating…

But that was over and done with. She hadn't danced, or skated, in years.

As Kino continued to reach through the items, she was unaware of a pair of eyes trained on her. Or, more correctly, at her legs. Hayami couldn't help but watch. When she reached up like that, the bottom of his shirt moved up so far that it was barely covering her. While he couldn't do it right now, he serious was considering grabbing her and kissing her here. Of course, he couldn't, and he knew that, but he could at least wish, right?

It was funny for him. He'd spent a lot of time making wishes like that. Of course, that was back when he was completely oblivious to Kino's feelings. What was funny was that now, he could actually do it. He didn't have to wish, for the most part. If he wanted, he could kiss her. And not have to worry about her panicking.

Kino continued to grumble, and finally felt the familiar material of the sleeping bag against her fingers. Grabbing it, she gave it a yank. Bad idea.

Kino soon found her self on the floor, with her closet raining objects on her. Half of her memories were currently on the floor. The good news was she got the sleeping bag. Looking up, she saw Howan was laughing her head off in hysterics, and Hayami was watching her with an amused look on face.

Glaring, Kino grabbed a near by pillow that had fallen out of the closet and tossed it at him. Surprisingly, she had a good arm, and the pillow connected with Hayami's face before he could block it. This only caused Howan to laugh harder. Shaking her head, Kino stood up, brushed the dust off of her, and then brought the sleeping bag over.

Laying it down beside the bed, Kino shook her head as Howan started to calm down a bit.

It had taken almost an hour, but Kino had finally managed to convince Howan to sleep. The little girl was currently breathing softly on her sleeping bag, her bear tucked into her arms.

This gave Kino, and subsequently Hayami, a chance to clean up.

Most of the items that Kino was picking up she hadn't seen in years. Photos, drawings, jewelry, and other things that would otherwise be useless. Hayami had a question about each item, but when he turned to ask Kino, he stopped. He was worried about hurting her. These memories couldn't be happy for her… He didn't want to push. While he was curious, he saw the way she twitched or winced with every item she put away. It was just a reminder of the pain she had gone through. However, he found a few items that explained themselves.

The things he found most interesting were the drawings. Kino had done most of them, he assumed, but a few weren't. He looked over each one, and when Kino glanced over his shoulder, she flushed with embarrassment. They were mostly crude representations of her family; stick figures and such. He found a few he couldn't figure out, but Kino only laughed at him and waved him away.

Eventually, they managed to get most of the items away. The few remaining they pushed aside, making room for movement. By the time they finished, it was well passed midnight. Sighing in exhaustion, Kino collapsed on the bed, quite content to stay in the position she was in currently: diagonally sprawled across the bed, her feet dangling over the edge.

She, however, had no choice but to move when Hayami literally lifted her off of the bed and moved her to one side. She groaned, but allowed him to do so without fighting. Pausing only momentarily to check on Howan, Kino almost immediately curled up beside him as he slid into the bed beside her. He responded by wrapping his arm around her shoulders, holding to him as she relaxed against her body, her bare legs brushing his.

It took only a few moments before each was consumed by sleep.

Kino wasn't one to complain when a guy tried to be playful with her. In fact, she found it rather cute. But right now, still trying to return to the comforting arms of sleep and unconsciousness, Hayami was being anything but. He was running his fingers along here back, so gently she barely felt them, but just enough that they sent shivers down her spine. She shifted, attempting to shake him off, but he only seemed to grow more persistent.

"Knock it off," she murmured, her words muffled by his chest. She felt his chest rumble as he chuckled, and moved his hand so it was tugging at a piece of her hair. She groaned, and swatted his hand away. It worked, for about three seconds.

Sighing, and knowing that arguing would get her only so far, she peeked her eyes open and glared at him. He smirked at her, which only caused her irritation to grow. "What, is this some sort of morning ritual you're starting? 'Get Kino as angry as possible before she's had her normal dose of caffeine'? Lemme tell you something: Not a good idea."

He only laughed at her, and then stopped playing with her hair and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a quick squeeze before he sat up. She looked at him in confusion, before she noticed the small figure hovering beside the bed. Howan was awake and seemed to be watching them with interest.

Kino smiled at the little girl, and then gave Hayami a quick shove, catching him off guard and causing him to topple over the edge of the bed. Howan giggled and Kino ruffled her hair, before sitting up herself. The girl's pigtails had fallen out during the night and her hair came down as a large, tangled mess.

Hayami stood and grabbed his shirt, which had been carelessly tossed aside the night before. Turning to Kino, he smiled at her. "Breakfast?"

Howan jumped and nodded, answering first. "I want eggs! And bacon!"

Kino laughed. Turning to Hayami, she grinned. "Doing room-service now?"

He glared and reached down, grabbing some random article of clothing that was on the ground and tossing it at her. Kino caught the flying sock and stuck her tongue out at him. He spoke to her, and though he was still glaring, his tone was teasing. "Just tell me what you want."

She didn't skip a beat. "Coffee. Black."

He stared at her, before shaking his head. "Didn't think you'd like coffee."

"I don't. But Tsuji makes it bad enough that it'd wake up anything."

Hayami rolled his eyes, but smiled. Howan walked over to him and tugged at his pants. He glanced down and she looked up at him expectantly. Kino knew almost immediately what the child wanted, but Hayami was a different story entirely. He looked uncertainly at the girl, before kneeling down and lifting her up, carefully. Kino smiled. Maybe he was learning…

"Can I come?" Howan asked. Hayami looked over her shoulder at Kino silently mouthing out, "Help!". Kino stifled a giggle.

"Actually, Howan, I figured you'd might want to stay here and get ready with me." She said, smiling as the girl's curiosity took over and looked at Kino, cocking her head to the side.

"Ready for what?"

Kino smiled, and stretched before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed so they were toughing the floor. "Well, I heard that New Osaka is the first major city in this area to start replenishing they're vegetation and wildlife. I hear they have a park."

Howan's eyes lit up, and Kino could understand the feeling. A place where everything wasn't mechanical? Where it was safe to have fun, and not get funny looks? Where for once, it was safe to be comfortable? Howan had gotten used to the lack of fresh air and open spaces, as Kino had, but Kino knew the girl at times missed being able to just run around and enjoy herself. To just be a kid.

Howan spoke very softly, as though she were afraid if she said it too loud, the idea would disappear and she would find out it was just a cruel joke, "A real park? With swings?"

Kino smiled, "Well, I don't know about swings, but there will be grass."

If it were possible, Kino would have said that Howan lit up like a Christmas tree. Of course, it wasn't possible, but the little certainly did glow. Practically jumping from Hayami to Kino, Howan hugged her closely. Smiling, the older girl placed a hand on her back, and waved Hayami away, signaling he should leave now before he was stopped and they all missed breakfast.

Making his way towards the cafeteria, Hayami found himself shaking his head as his thoughts drifted. It wasn't really a problem, per-say. He knew his way around the boat well enough. The fact that his thoughts kept straying to the same thing- or person, rather- was a bit frustrating. He'd thought that after he and Kino had finally gotten things straightened out, his thoughts might have cleared up again.

Wrong. Very wrong. Now, he found her in his thoughts even more than before. This time, however, he had more justification. Everything about her was perfect, at least in his mind. She had so many good qualities, but still had enough flaws to counterbalance her personality. But the flaws were, possibly, the reason he was so attracted to her.

It made her more human. She wasn't perfect, but that made her even better. It made it so the relationship seemed more real. And of course, she balanced him out as well.

While he was reckless and really didn't care about himself, she was precise and calculating, planning everything a step ahead. He was set in his ways, and preferred to be alone; she was open to change, and craved company. And she also wasn't afraid to give him a good kick in the ass when he needed it.

Still preoccupied with his thoughts, Hayami walked into the Cafeteria and ordered Kino and Howan's breakfast. He told Tsuji to make some toast for Kino as well as the coffee, feeling that she really did need to energy.

Tsuji glared at him as he prepared the food. Obviously not impressed with their encounter, the chef had determined that Hayami wasn't some one he wanted on the boat. However, since Iga seemed to require the man's services, he would deal with it.

The food took only a few moments, and Tsuji, recognizing that Howan was the only person on the boat that ordered eggs and bacon, as most others preferred coffee in the mornings, gave Hayami a tray to carry the order on. Sending the chef a quick "thanks", Hayami left.

The walk back took more time the walk there. He had to be careful not to spill the food or coffee. The tray itself didn't seem to want to stay balanced, and was constantly tipping to one side or the other, no matter how firmly Hayami held it. He did, however, eventually reach Kino's room. He could just imagine the rumors going around right now about the two of them, what with him disappearing into her room for the second day in a row, and now bringing a tray of food to her…

They must either think that we're together, or that she's sick… Hayami thought with a chuckle as he attempted to balance the tray in one hand and open the door with his other.

After trying for a moment, he finally succeeded, and opened the door a crack. He stopped when he heard Kino and Howan talking together.

"He's cute!"

He heard Kino snort with laughter. "Howan, you're too young to be thinking of things like that."

"But he is!" the little girl protested. Kino only laughed, and looked up as Hayami pushed open the door all the way. The two girls were sitting on Kino's bed. Howan was sitting with her back to Kino in-between the older girl's legs as Kino brushed out her hair.

Howan practically jumped Hayami for the food and ate it so fast both he and Kino were stunned she even had time to chew. Kino sipped her coffee quietly, occasionally nibbling at a piece of toast.

Howan jumped up and smiled at the two. "Can we go now?"

Kino shook her head and sipped her hot drink. "You still need to ask Yamada about it, remember?"

The little girl groaned, but nodded. Kino grabbed a watch from her nightstand and glanced at it.

"Tell you what, kid." She murmured, placing her coffee cup on the table. "We'll leave in two hours. So you come back at one o'clock, and we'll head out."

Howan nodded and grabbed her bear, wandering towards the door. She paused briefly, before turning back to Kino. "I can keep my bag here, right?"

Kino nodded, and shooed the little girl away. Howan laughed and nodded. Neither Kino nor Hayami were worried about letting the girl go on her own. The child knew Blue Six as well as anyone else, having lived on it for passed a year. And the girl was responsible, and knew not to get into trouble. Howan left quietly, trying to remember the last time she had actually seen real grass.

Once the door was closed and Howan had left, Kino turned to Hayami. Leaning over, she whispered seductively into his ear, "Howan thinks you're cute…"

He chuckled, and slid his arm around her waist. "And what do you think?"

She thought about her answer, and at the same time, slid her hand up his shirt to trace random patterns on his back. He almost shivered at her touch, and, suddenly craving to be closer to her, slid his other arm under her legs and pulled her into his lap. She didn't seem surprised.

In fact, she enjoyed it thoroughly. She kissed him, gently, almost teasingly. He, however, was fully content to capture her lips in a deep kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away and once again leaned up to whisper in his ear, "We've got two hours… enough time?"

His only response was to pull her onto the bed beside him.

Author's notes: Gah, sorry about the small delay, guys! This chapter took longer to get out…

I've got two days left in school, and I've been alternating between crying with my friends (Most of us wont see each other again, at least until summer is over) and attempting to get the color out of my skin…(My friends went Sharpie happy yesterday… and decided to use me as a year book…)

Anywho, I hope you liked it. By the way, I Wont Tell, the party's not gonna happen for a while. I've got something big planned for that. Big!

Please Review! It makes me smile!

Graywords-girl♥