§ § § -- August 31, 1995

By rote Toki found the shortest path to his childhood home and shuffled along it, trying to understand Roarke's rejection of his fantasy. His life thus far hadn't exactly been fraught with accomplishment. He was thirty-one years old, and had been born and raised on Fantasy Island as the middle child of Japanese-immigrant parents. Toki had never been clear on why they had left Japan to seek refuge on the island; he knew Roarke had strict immigration rules, and he sometimes devoted some thought to wondering what had compelled his parents to transport their lives to Fantasy Island.

Toki wasn't much of an achiever in fact, and he was uncomfortably aware of this, but had no idea how to change it. Thinking about it, he realized he'd probably had it too good for too long. Not only was he not the oldest child, he wasn't even the oldest son. His three sisters had been held to higher standards, particularly Kayoko, the oldest of them; and much had also been expected of his older brother, Saburo, because Saburo was the firstborn child in the family. Michiko and Reiko had in turn been held up to higher standards than he, merely because they were girls. So as a male and the younger of the two sons, he had had far more leeway than his siblings, and had taken advantage of it. His parents had always seemed quietly disapproving, but they had never come out and taken him to task, as if they had expected it of him.

He disliked coming back home these days, because his mother and father had been very upset by his divorce from Myeko Sensei and his subsequent move to Hawaii for an excellent job. He still had to live frugally, of course, since Hawaii was an expensive place and he had to send Myeko child support; but he had no real responsibilities, and he hated being made to feel guilty about it. Couldn't a guy have a life of his own? But every time he came back to visit, his parents made certain he knew they were very disappointed in him.

Which brought him back to his fantasy. He'd had a crush on Leslie almost from the time she first came to the island. To be sure, it hadn't started out that way. Like his family, he had seen the photo and newspaper article that had come out a few days after her arrival; there had been an interview with her, with Roarke and Tattoo in attendance, in which she had explained how she had come to be Roarke's ward. He remembered feeling a little sorry for the orphaned girl, but hadn't given the article another thought till his sister Michiko had become friends with Leslie and made her part of the crowd she hung out with. After that he had started seeing quite a bit of Leslie, every time Michiko had her friends over, and he had been amazed at his own reaction to her. The black-and-white photo in the newspaper hadn't been very good, so when he'd gotten his first look at Leslie Hamilton in person, he had been very impressed.

Unfortunately, he'd botched things up with her after having seen her only a few times. Before Leslie had lived on Fantasy Island a full month, he had gone to Michiko to ask about her, feeling stupid but convinced he had little choice. "What's that new girl like?" he had asked her, trying to come across as diffident.

Michiko peered at him in confusion. "What? Oh…you mean Leslie? She's very nice, kind of timid, but that's to be expected since she's so new. Why?"

"Just wondering," Toki had mumbled.

But Michiko had seen right through him. "Don't tell me," she said, her almond eyes going wide. "You like her, Toki, don't you?"

"Don't tell her," Toki snapped. "You girls, all you do is giggle and wrinkle your noses and try to act cute. If you tell Leslie anything, Michiko, you'll be sorry, I guarantee it."

Michiko rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, Toki, don't be so stupid. Even if I did tell her, I don't think she'd believe me. She doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself, and she's still trying to adjust to her new life here with Mr. Roarke. And Camille said something nasty about how she must be in good with the owner of Fantasy Island, and poor Leslie went right over the edge. Give her some time to settle in and get used to things, and maybe adjust a little more to losing her family, before you tell her you've got a crush on her."

Toki scowled; Michiko, perceptive and empathetic, had hit a nerve, and he hated to admit it. "Geez, sorry I asked," he grumbled and left. He had decided that his sister had no idea what she was talking about; and the next day in school, he'd somehow managed to corner Leslie to declare himself. Even now the memory made him cringe.

"Say, Leslie…could I talk to you a minute?" he'd asked, finding her at her locker trying to get its temperamental combination lock to work properly.

Distracted and slightly frustrated by her fruitless efforts, she looked at him in surprise. "I guess so. What's up?"

"Well, I, uh…I was just wondering if maybe you felt like hitting the beach with me sometime," he said. "Unless Mr. Roarke keeps you too busy. I mean, I heard he can be really strict. Does he make you live by a lot of rules?"

She stared at him, a completely perplexed expression on her face. "Rules? No, not any more than anybody else might," she said slowly. "But I don't know if I'd have enough free time. I mean, see, I sort of help Mr. Roarke out on the weekends. It's all go-fer stuff and like that, but I don't want to welch out on him or anything."

Toki squinted at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You'd rather work on the weekend instead of hanging out with your friends or something? You must be nuts!"

"It doesn't feel like work," Leslie said, her voice going from perplexed to defensive. "I think it's fun. And anyway, what kind of stupid thing is that to say, telling me I'm crazy?"

"I just don't get it, choosing a job over having a good time," Toki said, shrugging. "Are you looking to be his new assistant or something? He never needed more than one, but now you've come here to live with him and he feels like he has to give you something to do, is that it? Geez, isn't schoolwork enough?"

Leslie, who in between her replies to him had been dialing her combination and still getting no results, finally banged a fist on the locker door, which perversely popped open. "Leave me alone, Toki," she snapped, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm the one who owes Mr. Roarke, not the other way around. He helped me out when I first came here and he's giving me a home till I'm of age, so I owe him everything. I'm trying to pay him back a little at a time. If all you can do is stand around and insult me and Mr. Roarke, then you can just get lost, and stay that way!" With that, she turned away from him and studiously began to rummage around inside her locker. Toki, forced to admit defeat, slunk away, still trying to figure out what would make her choose work over the beach on a weekend.

Today he could comprehend her rationale a bit better. He hadn't known her then as he did now; his knowledge had a lot to do with the fact that he'd occasionally listened in on his sister's phone conversations with Leslie and sometimes eavesdropped on the girls when they'd all gathered at the Tokita home. He'd definitely been an insensitive clod—and worse, he had continued to be one all the way through high school, because he'd felt so hurt and rejected that first time that he decided he needed to pay her back for it. Michiko had usually taken Leslie's side in their enmity, and now that he was an adult, he could understand why.

He looked up and realized his ruminations had taken him all the way to his parents' house. I guess it's time for me to face some more of their music, he thought glumly, and it's gonna be the same old song. Why do I even bother coming back? With a heavy sigh, he let himself in the front door. "Mom, Dad? It's me, Hachiro." His parents had never called him Toki; they had been among the very few who had insisted on using his real name.

"In the kitchen, son," he heard his father call. There were several voices, some clearly belonging to children; and when Toki walked in, he found his brother Saburo, sister-in-law Kalani, and their son and daughters visiting.

"Toki, what a surprise," said Saburo, standing and reaching out to shake his brother's hand. "What brings you back?"

"Oh, just thought it was time to check in with the family," Toki mumbled vaguely, glancing around. "Hi, Kalani." Kalani smiled in greeting.

"Welcome home," said Masako Tokita with a formal nod at his younger son. Miyoshi Tokita, at the sink, turned and gave Toki a surprised smile. "How long are you here?" his father continued.

"Just till Monday morning," Toki said. "I couldn't get any extra time off work. Where's Reiko? Anyone heard from Michiko or Kayoko?"

"Reiko is at a friend's home, and we had phone calls from the other girls recently," Masako said. "Sit down, Hachiro, and try to look as if you feel at home." He raised an eyebrow as he said this, and Toki sheepishly took the only remaining empty chair. For another hour or so he let himself relax and enjoy the family gathering; as long as Saburo and his family were there, the focus was off Toki. He let his mind wander back to the fantasy Roarke had refused to grant; he was still determined to get it, one way or another.

At ten till three, he left along with Saburo and his family and retraced his steps back to the main house. Roarke was there alone, as before, and seemed resigned when Toki came inside. "Have you reconsidered your request?"

"Yes, and I still want you to do it," Toki said firmly.

Roarke studied him without moving for a long moment, just until Toki began to feel acutely uncomfortable; then he said in perplexity, "May I ask why you are so determined to have this fantasy, especially in light of its certain failure?"

Toki almost told him the truth, but quailed at the last moment and fell back on his earlier rationale. "I already mentioned it before, Mr. Roarke. I've been nuts about Leslie for years, and I just want to show her that I'm not the same guy she remembers from school."

"As I told you earlier, Leslie knows her own mind. I must warn you that there is very little, if any, chance that this fantasy can be granted. The best I can offer you is to give you the opportunity to speak with her."

"I'll take it," Toki said eagerly, pouncing on this even though he knew it was little more than a crumb. "Just tell me where and when I can meet her."

Roarke sighed, signifying defeat. "Very well, I will speak with her this evening and then notify you of the time and place."

"Fabulous," Toki said, hope exploding in him. He pushed the much-folded check over the desk at Roarke. "Thanks, Mr. Roarke, you can't imagine how much I appreciate this. It just might change my life. Thanks." He left the house before Roarke could question him any further, though he was well aware of Roarke's puzzled gaze on him as he went.

‡ ‡ ‡

After their repast on the veranda early that evening, Leslie and Roarke retreated to the study, where Roarke handed Leslie a stack of checks. "I would appreciate it if you would go through these and list them on the deposit slip," he told her. "You'll have to make the trip to the bank tomorrow, since there is far more than usual to be done on Monday."

"Okay, no problem," she agreed, unlocking the top-right drawer and removing the business checkbook belonging to Roarke's company bank account. "I'll just add the trip to the ATM to my list of stuff to do."

"Try to keep at least an hour open," Roarke said, surprising her.

"What for?" she asked, settling in one of the leather chairs and peering at him with raised eyebrows.

"I'll explain in a moment," he said. "Do that first, if you would, please."

She shrugged and began to write the check numbers and amounts on the topmost deposit slip; it didn't take long before she caught the name and address on the tenth or eleventh one in the stack. She stared at it, then looked up at Roarke. "Father…"

"Yes?" he said, looking up and giving her his full attention.

"What's Toki Tokita paying you to do?" she asked.

"Ah, so you've found it," Roarke said and sat back in his chair, sighing gently. "I'm afraid I must ask a great favor of you, Leslie. Toki came here earlier in the day insisting that I grant him a fantasy, despite my warnings that it would be all but impossible to fulfill. You are aware, I trust, that he has very strong feelings for you."

She shifted a little uneasily in her seat and looked away. "Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't know how he actually felt till I visited Michiko on Arcolos a couple of years ago. She told me then that he had a crush on me and he just didn't know how to handle it. I wasn't sure if I should believe it." Leslie finally met her father's sympathetic gaze. "I'm probably going to regret asking this…but what is his fantasy?"

Roarke said, "Originally, his request was to make you fall in love with him, but I told him that would be quite impossible, not to mention morally objectionable. But he refused to let up…so I thought perhaps I could orchestrate a compromise of sorts. At least let him speak with you, Leslie. I know there's no love lost between you two, at least from your side, but it appears there is a great deal of it on his end. I have the impression he wishes to make amends at the very least." He saw her increasingly dubious expression and leaned forward, an earnest expression on his handsome features. "Give him that, Leslie, if for no other reason than to take the opportunity to make things clear to him. I can see he carries an enormous amount of false hope, and if you don't clarify your position, he can't move on, and you may find yourself with a new problem. I trust I need not spell it out to you."

"No, I see what you're getting at. If I don't tell him where he stands, he might go on thinking he has a chance with me." Leslie sighed and let her head fall back, wishing there were some other way, but fully aware there wasn't. "Okay, Father, I'll talk with him. You make the arrangements and let me know."

"Very well," said Roarke and smiled warmly at her. "I think you'll be glad you did it."

"That remains to be seen," Leslie retorted, but she smiled a bit reluctantly back, then peered at Toki's check. "Good grief," she blurted. "He paid six hundred dollars just for the chance to talk? That's a pretty expensive conversation."

Roarke laughed. "Perhaps not to Toki. Don't worry, Leslie, I'm sure you'll handle the situation just fine."