Hello people! Thank you for being so patient. I just want you all to know that my new years resolution is to put out a chapter every month. Please remind me when I have not put one out for a month and I guarantee that a chapter will be issued. I don't own Hana Yori Dango or the characters and make no money out of doing this. Thank you very much!

Winterslegend

Akira knocked on the door of Tsukushi's room "Kush? You in here?"

Tsukushi opened the door and raised an eyebrow questioningly "Kira? What do you want?"

He chuckled, "Nice to know I'm welcomed. No, no, nothing really but we're a few hours away from the harbor and…"

Tsukushi sighed and pushed the door open wider "You want to know what happened with Doumyouji and I right?"

Akira put a hand behind his head and laughed nervously "No! I didn't say that! And I don't it's all your own business!"

Tsukushi shook her head "It's nothing Kira. We're just hitting a bump again. Nothing all that new, you know that."

She shook her head "I'm not really all that mad, I'm confused! He's always telling me he'll wait for me! He'll be patient and yet all of the sudden he's trying to force me into things!"

The red headed boy nodded and leaned against the doorframe "And you're worried one day he might go insane and go all the way?"

Tsukushi shrugged "I don't know. Maybe I am or maybe I'm just worried that he's a liar! I have no idea! I don't know what the hell I'm feeling!"

Akira studied her "Perhaps you do want it but you're just not letting yourself realize it."

Tsukushi's cheeks flamed and she gave him a hard shove "What the- it's always sex with you guys. You pervert!"

Akira fought against her trying to shut the door on him laughing a little at her childishness "Oh! Come on Kushi! Give me a break!"

She snarled at him and successfully pushed him out completely, what an ass!

Her memory flashed back to a point in time when he had first promised her he'd wait. They were both so young… and foolish. What would she do… she just couldn't bring herself to try…

She could hear Akira on the other side of the door, pounding away, begging her to let him in so they could talk.

She did want to talk, she wanted advice because for once she was lost as for what to do about Doumyouji, for the first time, she wanted to ask for help.

Tsukushi was suddenly aware of the hard brass door knob that pressed against the small of her back and with a slow shaky hand she pressed the small button that released the lock. She walked away from the door, one foot before the other, willing herself to not look back. To not run and lock the door before Akira would realize it was open.

click

Too late. He was in.

She turned to face him and was surprised to see the warm and open face of a long time friend, she had nearly forgotten. Now that she thought about it… he had been her friend for nearly three years now… how time flew.

He shut the door behind him and locked it before opening his arms to her.

With a slow step and a sniffle of her runny nose, that she had not even realized, she was running to him… letting him embrace her.

Akira had seen her distrustful and wary yet vulnerable face and saw, for the first time, who this girl really was. She was strong, she was fierce and vibrant… but she was still human, a human with problems that couldn't be fixed with band-aids.

Over the years he had watched with nothing but aloof detachment as Doumyouji and this girl jump through hoops but without realizing it, he'd become fond of her. He did not desire her or long or even want her. He just loved her as if she was small rabbit caught in a trap, struggling to survive and all the while denying help.

Akira felt her begin to shake and new that she was crying. Looking down at her he wasn't surprised to see a dry face. She cried without tears. It fit her.

"Kush… don't worry about anything right now… just… its okay…" he said patting her head.

She buried her face in his shoulder and cried for a long while and didn't realize that Akira had sat them down on couch until after she'd began to calm down. She wiped her face with a sleeve though it was unnecessary and looked up at his calm face. The small corner of his mouth quirked up and Tsukushi couldn't help but give a small grin as well.

"Feel a little better?" he asked tapping her nose lightly with his slim index finger.

She batted it away laughed; looking up at her surrogate brother she felt the urge to ruffled his long hair. And she did.

"You're nuts," she said settling into the couch away from him, looking at him with an amused smile on her face.

He shrugged "I know."

Tsukushi tilted her head to one side and wondered briefly if he remembered that his cousin was waiting on the Hawaiian shore.

"So… about Koneko…" she started watching with sadistic cruelty as his face slowly turned into one of shock and horror.

"God dammit Kush! Do you have to mention her? I was having such a nice time here too! I'm too pretty to die!" He cried out and buried his face into a pillow.

Tsukushi couldn't help herself. She was clutching her gut laughing, tears of mirth this time was falling down her face.

"I'm serious! Kush! Do you have any idea what she's done to me?" Akira asked her, his face red with part-rage and part-freight.

Tsukushi smiled knowing she was in for some funny stories. "No. What?" she asked innocently, mischief glinting in her eyes.

Rui knocked paced outside Tsukushi's door. He'd seen Akira enter earlier and he hadn't left yet. They'd been in there for over three hours!

He stopped dead in his tracks, was that laughter? WAS THAT LAUGHTER??!!!!

Rui leaned against the door and listened and heard it again. They were laughing! Oh that Akira! If he'd done anything to her, anything at all he would… he would… do something very bad!

Got her drunk, knocked her up… Rui was seeing red.

He knocked on the door (pounded actually) and called out Tsukushi's name.

"Makino! Makino I know you're in there!" he broke down the door and blinked in surprise at the sight of Tsukushi and Akira innocently sitting on a couch with a respectable distance between them.

Akira's lips curved into a smile "We would have let you in had you asked nicely. Join us. We're talking Rui and it'd be nice to spend time with other friends in privacy before we're all on the beach in public."

Rui awkwardly propped the door back onto its frame as best he could before sitting down in one of the overstuffed chairs that were scattered around the glass center table.

Tsukushi felt a laugh bubble up from inside her and spill from her mouth as she watched Rui's uncomfortable gaze drift back and forth between her and Akira.

Akira stood and pulled out a few drinks from the mini bar and started talking about his cousin again.

"Anyways, the last time we were on Hawaii together, as I told Kush-chan, She drugged my drink, sent me out in a surfboard out into the ocean, and then to make it worse she hired some professional divers to impersonate sharks."

Rui felt the corners of his lips rise "I take it you were talking about Koneko then."

Akira toasted him with his flute glass of champagne "The one and only."

Rui laughed softly "He was crying when he got back to shore."

Tsukushi smiled again and felt at ease around these people, it'd been so long since she just kicked back with friends.

Akira let himself fall into his seat again and started talking once more "I'm meeting her once we get onto Hawaii. She's still a hell raiser from what her parents have told me. Playing pranks that seem to never get old with her… you know kiddy stuff."

Tsukushi laughed out loud, Rui felt his heart stir "Yeah and you're sooo grown up right?"

The brunette boy puffed up his chest "Of course."

Rui threw a pillow at him successfully deflating the boy's chest and ego.

Akira laughed out loud "Hey shut up! I'll have you know that I-"

He was cut off by the speakers "Hello everyone. This is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at the port of Molokai in a manner of minutes. Thank you."

Tsukushi face lit up and ran to the window and was greeted with an amazing sight… "Hawaii."

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j/k.

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