Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of school work and stuff so I couldn't really write much. But, I finally found some time to work on this chapter. I hope you like it!
Enjoy!
Chapter 17: Aaliyah's Birthday, A Close Call and finding out
Normal P.O.V
It was Saturday, December 21. In other words, the first official day of the Christmas holidays. In other words, 4 days until Christmas. In other words, 5 days until the girls found out about their unfortunate fate. In other words, 11 days until the girls picked up the babies and moved in with their 'spouses'. Oh, and it was Aaliyah's birthday.
The girls had decided to surprise Aaliyah that morning with a breakfast in bed.
Paree tip-toed towards Aaliyah's bedroom with Miriam and Mariah following close behind. She opened the door a bit and peeked in to check if Aaliyah was still sleeping.
Paree turned around and gave the other two a thumbs up before entering the room and placing the presents she was holding at the foot of Aaliyah's bed.
Miriam placed the tray of food on Aaliyah's bedside table and looked up at Paree and Mariah to see that they were wearing identical smirks.
"1...2...3...HAPPY BIRTHDAY AALIYAH!" The three girls shouted at once, managing to rudely awaken poor Aaliyah.
Aaliyah jumped up in her bed and glared at the three girls. Then proceeded to throw a pillow at each of them, leaving her with only seven pillows left.
"Oh, so that's what we get for getting you presents and a cake and giving you a breakfast in bed. Fine, then I'm leaving." Paree stated sticking her tongue out jokingly.
Aaliyah's glare softened when she noticed the small neatly wrapped packages and the tray of food and cake.
"Aww…thanks guys! But you could have been a little quieter about it." Aaliyah said as she got out of bed.
She moved the tray from her bedside table to her bed, so she could have better access. She started on her pancakes before looking up at her friends.
"You know, I do like to eat, but I don't think I can finish this by myself. Eat." She said before digging into her pancakes and cereal once again.
The other three grinned at each other before joining her.
Ten minutes later the girls were all sitting on the bed, full to bursting, and ready to open presents.
"The ones wrapped in pink are from Mariah, red from me and green from Miriam." Paree explained after handing Aaliyah the presents.
"Hurry up. We have so much planned for today! We're going to go shopping at the mall and then I thought we could go get our nails done and then maybe some swimming at my house." Mariah said quickly.
"Shopping yes, nails no. The people at that place can't even paint their own nails and you want them to paint yours. Open my presents first." Miriam said rolling her eyes at Mariah and then pointing two presents wrapped in green.
Aaliyah opened the smaller present which turned out to be a silver necklace with a single diamond and matching earrings. She opened the second one and found a cute white summer dress with the design of light blue flowers on it.
"Thank you! I love it!" She exclaimed and hugged Miriam.
Next, she opened Paree's presents. Which turned out to be a new stereo system and some cd's.
Mariah's presents were the last ones and Aaliyah eagerly opened them. The first one was a passion flower scented bath set, which consisted of shampoo, conditioner, bath beads and other things. The second present was just as small, Aaliyah opened it curiously, her face lit up in delight when she realized what it was.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed and hugged Mariah tightly.
"Ech…Ally…can't…breath!" Mariah gasped out at the lack of air.
Aaliyah quickly let go her friend, but kept the smile on her face.
"Sorry. Mariah how did you know? I've always wanted a camcorder!" Aaliyah exclaimed looking at her new possession.
"I guessed. Besides, you have everything but a camcorder." Mariah said gesturing towards Aaliyah's technology laden desk. She was right, Aaliyah had an ipod, palm pilot, cell phone, computer, web cam but no digital camera.
"It can take pictures as well." Mariah explained to Aaliyah who was still examining the camcorder closely. Paree and Miriam had taken an interest in it to.
"Mariah, how much more would I have to love you to get one of these on my birthday?" Miriam asked curiously.
Mariah just rolled her eyes and joined the other three in taking pictures with Aaliyah's new camera.
A few minutes later someone knocked on Aaliyah's bedroom door. Aaliyah opened the door to see her grandfather standing there.
"Happy birthday, Aaliyah!" He said before giving her a hug.
"Thank you, Papa!" Aaliyah said, hugging her grandfather back.
"Hello, girls. I thought you'd be here. Anyways, I came here to give you your birthday present, Aaliyah." The old man said before handing Aaliyah four envelopes.
Aaliyah looked at him in confusion before opening one of the envelopes and reading what it said.
"I have abeach housein Hawaii and I'm sending you and your friends there for three days. You'll be back by Christmas. I had thebeach housefixed so that you and your seven friends can have a good time and enjoy yourselves. It's your birthday present from your grandmother and I." Papa Bikonai explained.
Aaliyah and the other three girls screamed and went to hug him.
Mariah seemed to be the only one to catch the 'seven friends' comment. She looked at Papa Bikonai questioningly and all she got for an answer was a small nod and a wink.
"Well, you girls have until six to get ready so if you need to do some shopping go ahead but be back here by six because your flight leaves at 6:45 tonight. Well, I'll see you girls then." With that said he left the room.
'Oh! So that means Rei and the others are going too. This is going to be so funny!' She thought, as she listened to her friends chat excitedly.
Kai, Rei, Ozuma and Tala were all at Ozuma's house playing poker when Ozuma's grandfather told them of the trip they were going to go on.
"Hello boys. It is Aaliyah Bikonai's 19th birthday today and her grandfather is sending her, Paree, Miriam and Mariah to their family'sbeach housein Hawaii. We all thought it would be best if you boys also went. Boris might have decided to send someone after them, so you boys could enjoy yourselves and protect them at the same time. Even though Boris is still unsure of who the spirit creatures are bonded with, he might try to attack the girls to see if they know anything. So, here are your tickets. Your flight leaves at 6:45 tonight so be at the airport by 6:00." Ozuma's grandfather explained all this and turned to leave.
"Mr. Mariano, why can't we just take one of the family jets?" Tala asked, noticing that they would be taking a public flight.
"That would cause too much suspicion, Boris has spies monitoring us closely. It would be more safer to take one public airplane. Do whatever you need to and be ready by six." With that said Ozuma's grandfather walked away.
The boys put away the cards and walked to the front door of Ozuma's mansion.
"I'll get Brooklyn to give us a ride. We'll pick you up on the way to the airport." Ozuma said.
"See you guys later." Rei said and he left. Kai and Tala left soon after.
Tala's P.O.V
I needed to pick up a few things from the mall before I went home to pack.
'What should I get Aaliyah?' I thought as I walked through the mall.
I walked past a small jewelry store and then traced my steps back to the display window. Their was a display of necklaces and rings containing birthstones and a sign saying "Precious Stones look good Anytime.".
'That's it!' I thought as I entered the shop. I was greeted by a blonde haired lady who looked to be in her mid-thirties.
"Hello, how may I help you?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"Hi, can you please show me the birthstone jewelry you have?" I asked in a polite voice. She looked a bit shocked that someone wearing baggy pants, a torn t-shirt, and a leather jacket could be so polite. But looks can be deceiving.
"Oh…of course. Follow me please." She said managing to overcome her shock.
I followed her to the corner of the shop where there was a glass, display case with birthstone jewelry inside it. I had to blink a few times to let my eyes adjust to the shiny jewels.
"Which month's birthstone are you looking for?" she asked.
"December." I answered. I watched as she unlocked the glass case from her side of the counter and pulled out a velvet cushion that had different types of jewelry placed upon it. The one thing the jewelry had in common though was the little blue crystals.
"The December birthstone is the turquoise crystal. These different pieces of jewelry have genuine turquoise crystals as well as diamonds to add a little more quality. What you wish to purchase? A necklace, or bracelet. Or how about this stunning pair of earrings…" the lady droned on and on about the different types of jewelry.
'Why do women need to wear so much anyways?' I thought to myself.
I couldn't decide what to get. Finally fed up with the lady's babbling I decided to by one necklace, a ring, earrings and whatever else there was.
"I'll take one of each." I said. The lady looked at me in shock.
"Pardon me?" she asked, which made me think that she was deaf.
"I said I'll take one of each. A necklace, a ring, earrings, bracelet and whatever other style there is." I repeated a little loudly so if she was deaf she would be able to hear me.
"Alright then, I'll just pack this and make the bill then." she said excitedly.
I followed her to the cash register. I watched as she packed each item separately. The earrings had a different box than the ring. The necklace had a different box from the bracelet and the anklet.
I shook my head a little at the stupidity of the woman. She could have just put the necklace, bracelet and anklet in one box. She placed all the little boxes in a bag and handed it to me.
"That will be $4068.80." She exclaimed. I could tell she was trying to hide her excitement of getting all that money. I handed her my credit card and took it back after paying.
"Thank you and have a good day!" she said as I walked out of the shop. I just rolled my eyes.
I went home and began packing. I was about to pack all the jewelry I had gotten when I had another brilliant idea.
'I'll just give her the earrings, bracelet and anklet for her birthday. I can save the necklace and ring for another time.' I thought.
At 6:15,I saw Brooklyn's escalade outside and picked up my luggage. I placed it in the trunk of the vehicle.
I got in the back with Kai and Rei and we went off to the airport.
Aaliyah's P.O.V
The girls and I had gone straight to the mall after Papa told us the good news.
We had each bought a few summer dresses, a few new bathing suits and sarongs, and some other things.
Mariah and Miriam had gone to their houses to pack their things. Paree was currently packing her things and I had just finished.
Rohin and Aryan were going to drop us off at the airport.
I went into the washroom and took a quick shower. I pulled on a pair of blue capris and a white sleeveless top that went up to mid thigh like a dress. I pulled on a zip up blue jacket and quickly straightened my hair. I applied some eyeliner and lip gloss.
"Hurry up Aaliyah! We have to pick up the others and check in our luggage at the airport." Paree's voice came from the hallway.
"Coming!" I yelled back. I placed my sunglasses on top of my head and took my purse.
Rohin and Aryan had already placed our luggage in the back of their Hummer. Paree and I got in and we went to pick up Miriam and Mariah.
We got to the airport and checked in our luggage and made our way to our seats.
"What number is your seat?" I asked Mariah.
"67. What about you?" she asked back.
"69." I answered.
We finally managed to find our seats. My seat was in front of Mariah's and Miriam's was behind her. Paree's seat was behind Miriam's.
"I wonder who's sitting in these seats?" I said gesturing to the empty seats beside Mariah and me.
"We are!" Two familiar voices said at the same time.
'Oh shit! Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him.' I thought as I turned around and came face to face with…Tala Ivanov.
I groaned and slumped onto my seat.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked in confusion, after he had placed his duffle bag in the storage area above the seats.
"What's wrong is the fact that you're here." I told him as he sat down beside me.
"Well, your grandfather was the one who invited us." Tala replied.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him in confusion.
"He invited us to stay with you girls at thebeach housefor your birthday." Tala explained slowly to me as if I were a two year old.
"Yea, remember he said "you and you seven friends" when he gave you the tickets. Who else would he be talking about." I heard Mariah say from behind me, before she started talking to Rei.
"Oh." It was all I said before turning to look out the window. A few minutes later the plane took off.
'Great, just great. Tala is coming too. Oh well, hopefully he'll be nice.' I thought as I looked at him.
He was wearing black jeans, a white muscle shirt and his leather jacket over it. Over all he looked pretty cute right now.
I think Tala saw me looking because a second after I turned away, I could feel his breath on my neck.
"Liked what you saw?" He asked in a quiet voice. I tried and failed in holding back the shiver that went up my spine, when he said this.
I turned to him with a smirk and looked him up and down.
"No, not really." I replied sticking my tongue out. I watched as he just smirked back.
"You know, just for that I'm not giving you your birthday present." He said folding his arms and trying to scoot away from me.
I gave him a blank look before smiling a little.
"You got me a present? Really? I didn't know you were that nice." I said, jokingly.
"Yes, I did. But, you're being a meanie so I'm not giving it to you." Tala said in a childish voice.
"Tala, please. I'm the birthday girl. You have to be nice to me." I said pouting a little.
"Well, I guess I could give it to you, but not yet later." He replied.
I sighed. I wanted my present! Oh well, I'll get it from him later. It is a six hour flight, after all.
Normal P.O.V
"Ladies and Gentlemen would you please fasten your seat belts as we are going to land in Kapalua airport on Maui island. We hope you enjoyed your flight on Pacific airlines." Came the flight attendant's voice over the speakers.
Kai looked over at the sleeping Paree, whose head was currently resting on his shoulder. He fastened her seat belt and then his own.
When she had found out that he would also be coming to thebeach houseshe had just ignored him. Then, when dinner had arrived she had given him what she couldn't eat. Then, they just listened to music and ignored each other some more. Three hours into the flight she had pinched his ass, much to his surprise and stated that she was making sure he didn't fall asleep. Then, just an hour ago she had fallen asleep and he heard her mutter things in her sleep like "stupid Kai", "Hiwatari you're a dumb ass", "Kai a such a stupid cutie", and his favorite "Kai! Where did the elephant go?"
He was surprised that practically every other line had his name in it, even though she insulted him in every other line. What confused him was that every now and then she would say compliments by saying something like cutie, hot, handsome, or my prince charming once in while as well.
'At least she's starting to grow fond of me. But then again how long could she resist.' Kai thought with a smirk.
The plane landed slowly and Kai turned to see that Paree was still asleep.
"Paree, wake up." He said tapping her face lightly. She just mumbled a little and brushed his hand away.
He tried a few more times and the passengers getting off the plane were as loud as stampeding wild beasts but she still didn't wake up.
Finally in one last effort, which Kai knew would earn him a slap if it worked, Kai tried waking her up.
He slid his hand around her waist and lowered it until it was lightly touching her ass.
"Hey bitch wake up." He said loudly as he squeezed her left butt cheek. Paree jumped up and hit her head on the roof.
"Ow." she mumbled rubbing her head before realizing that the person who had so rudely awakened her was trying to get away.
Kai had taken his duffle bag out of the compartment above their seat and was quickly making his way down the aisle of the now empty airplane.
Paree quickly grabbed her purse and rushed after him. Once she was behind him she tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
Kai turned around and was greeted by a slap. Kai looked up towards Paree's furious face.
"You pervert! What the hell do you think you were doing?" Paree shrieked, poking Kai in chest with every word she said.
Kai grabbed her wrists and pulled her to him. Paree stopped her shouting at once and looked at him furiously.
"Shut up, bitch! That was the only way to wake you up. And I tried waking you up nicely but you didn't budge. I don't think even flock of geese could wake you up. So, next time I suggest you here me out before ranting on like a fucking banshee." Kai said before letting go of her and exiting the plane.
Paree quietly followed him out.
The others waited while Kai and Paree got their luggage. Once everyone was their they got into the limousine that was waiting for them.
When they got to the beach house, they explored it a bit. It wasn't as big as their mansions but it was a decent size.
When you entered the house you came into a fair sized foyer. Then, there was a staircase leading to the second floor where the bedrooms were. To the left of the staircase their was a small hallway. At the end of the hallway was a door leading to the small two car garage. Their were other doors in the hallway which lead to a living room, gym, kitchen and a deck which faced the beach.
"Hey guys there's only four bedrooms." Paree yelled from over the railing of the second floor.
Everyone took one look at each other and ran up the stairs. They looked around and sure enough their were only four bedrooms. The bedrooms contained one queen sized bed, a closet, a bathroom and other furniture usually found in bedrooms. The walls were painted a crème color.
"I'm with Rei." Mariah yelled quickly. Rei went downstairs and took their bags into a room.
The other six looked at each other.
"Well I'm not sleeping with Ozuma or Kai." Tala said.
"I'm not sleeping with you either. I'll go with Miriam." Ozuma said.
"I don't want…" Miriam started but Ozuma just covered her mouth with his hand and dragged her into a room.
The four remaining could hear Miriam's shout of "Fine , but you better not touch me."
"I'll go with Tala, but only if I get my present." Aaliyah said narrowing her eyes at Tala.
"Okay, you'll get it." Tala replied, relieved that he wouldn't have to bunk with Kai..
Paree and Kai watched as the two took the room closest to the stairs. With a reluctantsigh the two took the last room.
Paree had started unpacking her things and placing them in the dresser drawers; while Kai placed his in the closet. Everything was quiet for a while.
Kai looked at the alarm clock as saw that it was 12:30 pm. He saw that Paree had gone to the bathroom. He took off his jacket, pants and shirt and put on a pair of black, silk pajama pants.
He pulled back the sheets and got under the covers, with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He heard the bathroom door open and saw Paree come out wearing a pair of red, silk, pajama pants and a white tank top.
She came over to the bed and got under the covers, turning so that her back was to Kai. A few minutes later Kai heard a funny noise.
He looked over at Paree and saw that she had goose bumps on her skin. She was shivering and that chattering noise was being made by her teeth.
Kai took the covers off of himself and pushed them towards Paree.
"Here, take them, you're cold." he said handing her the covers and turning his back to her.
"What about you?" she asked in a small voice.
"As long as the chattering stops I'll get my sleep." Kai replied, although he was getting kind of cold.
A few minutes later he felt a small hand on his back. He turned around to see Paree looking at him with an exasperated expression on her face.
"Get in here." She said lifting the covers so he could get in. Kai just quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Don't do that whole 'tough guy' act. I can see right through it. You're cold so get in here." Paree said with a roll of her eyes.
Kai got under the covers with Paree and raised his eyebrows in surprise when Paree snuggled up to him. Paree saw his expression and rolled her eyes again.
"I'm just doing this so we can both warm up. I heard about the cold Hawaiian nights but I didn't know it would be this cold. This doesn't mean anything, by the way." she told him, snuggling against him once again.
Kai placed his arms around her small figure and relished in the warmth.
"You're doing this because it's cold and you can't resist my gorgeous body." He said looking at her with a smirk.
Paree snorted and rolled her eyes once again.
"The day that happens will be the day some old maniac is out to get us." She replied
'How ironic,' Kai thought. 'there is an old maniac out to get us.' Kai thought.
'Which means you do like my body.' Kai thought with a small smile, on his face, as he looked at Paree's innocent sleeping figure.
"Goodnight bitch." he whispered.
"Goodnight jerk." Paree replied. Kai looked at her in surprise, before closing his eyes and drifting off into sleep.
Miriam woke up the next morning to something warm against her back. She turned around and saw Ozuma looking down at her.
"Morning Ozzy." she said stifling a yawn. She felt Ozuma tighten his grip and pull her closer to his body.
"Morning my bitch." he said placing a small kiss on her neck.
"Didn't I tell you not to touch me?" Miriam asked him in a tired voice.
"You did?" Ozuma asked, faking an innocent expression.
"Yes, you pervert. Why are we sleeping like this?" Miriam asked, nodding her head to their tangled bodies.
"I don't know. I woke up and didn't feel like leaving your warm embrace." Ozuma said with a smirk.
"Right. You can let go now." Miriam said.
"But I don't want to." Ozuma said with a pout.
"Okay then, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands." Miriam said.
"What are going to do?" Ozuma asked suspiciously.
"You'll see." Miriam whispered in his ear, before kissing it.
Miriam kissed Ozuma's jaw line and then his neck, while running her hands across his chest.
Ozuma moaned a little when she kissed a tender spot behind his ear. Miriam kissed his bare chest and kept going lower and lower, until she was at the waistband of his boxers.
Ozuma had let go of Miriam now and was waiting to see what she'd do next.
"I'll be right back." Miriam whispered in Ozuma's ear before going into the bathroom.
Ozuma lay on the bed with a stupid grin on his face, fantasies of a naked Miriam running through his head.
"Close your eyes." Miriam called from the bathroom. Ozuma did as he was told. He heard footsteps coming towards the bed.
"No peeking." Miriam said in a sugar coated voice. Ozuma nodded. He felt her weight on the bed and then…
SPLASH!
Cold! Cold! Cold! Ozuma's boxers were soaked with ice cold water. He shivered at the cold water that had made his…er… excited lower region, return to it's normal size.
He heard Miriam giggling beside him. He glared at her before leaping off the bed and running into the bathroom.
Miriam just shook her head before pulling the covers off the bed and replacing them with new ones. Just as she finished making the bed Ozuma came out of the bathroom looking more composed than before but also a little angry.
"You little bitch!" He growled coming closer to her. Miriam backed up a bit.
"You're going to pay for that." Ozuma hissed in a deadly voice, still coming closer. Miriam backed up until she hit the wall.
'This is just like all the other times, I played pranks on Ozuma.' she thought as she watched as Ozuma came closer and placed his arms on either side of her head.
She braced herself for the shouting that usually came, but it didn't. She waited for the threats that usually came, but they didn't.
She looked at him in confusion.
'Maybe he's changed his strategy.' she thought, eyeing him closely.
Just then Ozuma started tickling her. Miriam tried swatting his hands away but it didn't work, he just kept tickling her. Miriam started laughing, as Ozuma tickled her stomach, under her knees and under her arms.
"Ozuma…stop!" she gasped out. Ozuma just ignored her and kept going.
"Beg, bitch, beg." Ozuma said in a cruel voice.
"Please…giggle…stop." Miriam said again. Finally Ozuma stopped.
He watched as Miriam composed herself and stood up. Her face was flushed and she had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
Ozuma took in her disheveled appearance. She was still wearing her pajamas, a white t-shirt and black boxers. Her hair had come out of the braid she had put it in. He had a sudden urge to just hold her but he ignored it and went along with his plan of revenge.
Ozuma held her wrists high above her head and kissed her gently on the mouth. Slowly caressing her lips with his own.
Miriam was taken aback by this. She had only kissed Ozuma three times. The first time had been when they were fifteen years old. They were at the annual Christmas dance at school and the two of them were standing under the mistletoe, they tried to get out of kissing each other but then Ozuma just gave her a long, passionate kiss. Then he pushed her away saying it was the worst kiss ever. The second time was at the mall a few months ago and the third was a few weeks ago in that broom closet at school. Each time though it was the same hard, hungry, kiss. This time it was different though.
She felt Ozuma place soft pecks on her lips and kissed back each time. After a few minutes of this she felt him pick her up not breaking the kiss they were engaged in at the moment. She didn't really notice where he was taking her.
Next thing she knew she was dropped into a bathtub full of ice cold water. Miriam looked up at Ozuma furiously.
He just smirked back.
"Revenge is sweet." he said before turning to walk away.
"You're such a bastard." Miriam said standing up in the bath tub. Ozuma turned around to look at her.
"Me. A bastard. Just for dropping you in the tub. What about you? You lead me on and then splashed cold water on me. So, I guess that would make you a bitch." He replied, leaning against the door frame.
"Well how else would you stop a testosterone driven boy?" Miriam said crossing her arms stubbornly.
"The same way you would stop a hormone driven girl." Ozuma answered.
They glared at each other for a moment.
"Let's just pretend this never happened." Miriam stated.
"Yea, that's a good idea." Ozuma agreed. It was quiet for a few minutes.
"I call the shower first!" Miriam squealed jumping into the shower and closing the screen door.
"Bitch." Ozuma mumbled walking out of the bathroom.
Aaliyah woke up in Tala's arms that same morning. She didn't seem to mind though. Which was…strange.
She got up and took a shower, changing into the blue and white summer dress Miriam had given her. She applied some mousse to her hair so that it would stay wavy, like it usually was after she washed it.
She walked back into the bedroom and saw that Tala was still sleeping. She opened the curtains and let the sun shine into the room, then went to wake up Tala.
"Tala. Tala wake up." Aaliyah said shaking him.
"I'm up. I'm up." Tala said rubbing his eyes and sitting up slowly. He looked at her for a second before getting out of bed and going into the bathroom.
Aaliyah made the bed and waited from Tala to come out of the bathroom. Tala came out, wiping his head with a towel. He had changed out of his blue pajama pants and into a pair of khaki's and a white t-shirt.
"Okay, am I missing something here?" he asked looking at Aaliyah with a confused expression.
"What are you talking about?" Aaliyah asked innocently.
"Well, I'm still in one piece. And I know I had my arms around you last night, so you should've butchered me by now. You haven't called me an idiot yet and you didn't wake me up with a horn. What's going on?" he asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Well, you see. I would've butchered you, but I was comfortable in your arms. I haven't called you an idiot or woken you up rudely because you have something of mine, which you should hand over soon…or else…you'll be sleeping on the floor tomorrow night." Aaliyah said. She was now standing right in front of him.
"I knew you wanted something." Tala muttered throwing the towel in the laundryhamper.
"So, where's my present?" Aaliyah questioned, holding her hand out expectantly.
"Yea, yea. I'm getting it." Tala grumbled and went over to his duffle bag.
Aaliyah waited and tried to see what he was holding, when he came and stood in front of her.
"Here you go." Tala said handing her two small red boxes.
Aaliyah looked at them before opening the larger one. Inside the box were two little, gold chains with blue crystals and white diamonds on them.
Aaliyah gasped and looked at them in awe. She opened the second box to reveal a pair of earrings. The earrings were made of gold with the same crystals and diamonds in them that were in the bracelet and anklet.
"The two chains are a bracelet and an anklet. The earrings and the two chains are made of 24 karat gold. The blue crystals are genuine turquoise, your birthstone, and the other crystals are white diamonds. I thought you might like it." Tala said, smiling sheepishly, and scratching the back of his head.
Aaliyah just looked at him for a second before placing the covers back on the boxes and placing the boxes on the bedside table. She then turned to Tala and jumped on him, hugging him hard. They both fell onto the bed.
"Like it! I fucking love it!" She screamed in his ear. Tala hugged her back after hearing her say this. They stayed like this for a moment, before Aaliyah let go. She just lay her head on his chest. Tala, not knowing what to do, just placed his arms on her waist.
"I didn't know you were that smart as to get me jewelry." Aaliyah said suddenly. Tala thought about what she said before exclaiming, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Aaliyah just laughed a little before getting up. She took her camcorder out of one of her bags and turned to Tala.
"Let's go, Rei and Mariah are making breakfast, then we're going surfing." she told him before exiting the room.
Rei and Mariah worked in the kitchen of the small beach house and made breakfast. Giving each other a peck on the cheek every now and then.
They had woken up early and decided to let their friends sleep a little longer.
At 10 o'clock Aaliyah and Tala came into the kitchen. Kai and Paree came about ten minutes later. Ozuma and Miriam came about 10 minutes after Kai and Paree.
"What's for breakfast?" Aaliyah asked while recording everyone on her camcorder.
"Pancakes and toast. What took you guys so long?" Rei said as he started eating his breakfast.
"Miriam took a long time in the shower." Ozuma answered shortly. This answer earned him a glare from Miriam, which he decidedly ignored.
"Kai thought it would be funny to hide my sandals. It took me a while to find them." Paree said glaring at Kai.
"Well, you should've just checked my bag. You're just stupid." he answered glaring back.
"So, what are we doing today?" Mariah asked trying to stop the verbal fight that was sure to come.
"Well I thought we could go to check out the shops they have here and then after lunch we can go surfing and swimming." Aaliyah answered.
Everyone agreed to with her plan. They took the jeep to the town, since it was quite a distance away.
When they got their they started browsing around the shops and buying some Christmas presents and other things for themselves.
At 12 o'clock they went to a small restaurant and had lunch. They drove back got back to the beach house an hour later.
The boys got their surfboards and headed to the beach while the girls followed behind with a beach volleyball net and some snacks.
Luckily for them the beach connected with the backyard of the beach house.
"Hey Mariah can you help me with this?" Miriam asked as she tried setting up the volleyball net.
"Of course." Mariah answered and soon the net was set up. The girls played volleyball for a while before the guys came back.
"Hey, how about a girls vs. guys game?" Ozuma suggested after wiping the water off his body.
"You're on!" Miriam yelled back. The others sighed at the competitive natures of their friends.
The next two days passed by in a blur. They surfed, swam and basically just had a good time.
On their last day their they decided to go to for dinner.
"So, where do you suggest we go?" Tala asked the others, as they dragged their luggage into the living room.
"I heard about a luau that's happening at the beach tonight. Maybe we can go their after dinner." Rei suggested.
"Sounds good." Ozuma said.
The girls came into the room and looked at the guys, who looked like goldfish, because of the way their mouths were hanging open.
Paree was wearing a strapless, red top that ended just above her belly button, along with a white flowing skirt that ended just above her ankles. She was wearing red and white flip flops to match. Her hair was wavy with a flower behind her left ear.
Aaliyah was wearing a light blue halter top with a beige skirt similar to Paree's. Her hair was in a French braid with a few bangs framing her face. Tala noticed that she was wearing the earrings, bracelet and anklet he had given her. She wore light blue flip flops.
Miriam was wearing a green tank top with a matching skirt. The skirt was similar to Aaliyah and Paree's except it had white flowers here and there. Her hair was in a ponytail. And she was wearing white flip flops to match.
Mariah was wearing a light pink off the shoulder top and a black skirt similar to Miriam's except it had pink flowers on it. Her hair was put up into a messy bun with white chop sticks in it. She was wearing pink flip flops.
"Pretty soon all that drooling in going to cause a flood." Paree said breaking the boys out of the trances.
"Whatever. Let's go." Kai said, shrugging off her comment.
They got into the jeep and went out to the same restaurant where they had had lunch two days ago.
After they had eaten dinner they went back to the beach house and walked to where the luau was being held.
Their was music and coconut drinks as well as some Hawaiian snacks. Some people they had met at the beach before, welcomed them with flower necklaces.
The girls danced while the guys just watched.
"I'm going to go dance with Mariah." Rei said and went to find her.
"I'll see you guys later." Tala said and went to join Aaliyah.
Kai and Ozuma sat there sipping there coconut drinks while watching Paree and Miriam, who were learning the hula from a few Hawaiian girls they had become friends with.
Kai was watching Paree when something else caught his attention. He watched a man with lavender hair talking to another man with red hair.
'They look familiar. Where have I seen them before?' He asked himself, as he watched them make their way over to Paree, Miriam and the Hawaiian girls.
"Hey, Ozuma have you seen those two before?" Kai asked gesturing towards the lavender haired man and the red haired man.
Ozuma looked at them for a second before a look of recognition and fear dawned on his face.
"Kai those are Boris's men! Remember the pictures we were shown at that last meeting with all the elders and Brooklyn and the others. Those two are Johnny McGregor and…Bryan Tolsh." Ozuma whispered as he got up and to watch Miriam better.
"Shit! They're heading over to Miriam and Paree!" Kai said as he watched the two men getting closer to the girls.
"Hey guys!" Tala said, coming up to them.
"What's wrong?" Rei asked noticing that Kai and Ozuma's faces seemed a little paler than usual.
"Guys, where'd you leave Aaliyah and Mariah?" Ozuma asked hurriedly.
"They went to join Paree and Miriam. Why? Is something wrong?" Tala asked in a concerned voice.
"Shit! Shit! Oh shit!" Ozuma exclaimed.
"What the hell is going on?" Rei asked now looking worried at his Kai and Ozuma's actions.
"Boris's men are here! They're heading for the girls. They recognized them." Kai explained while Ozuma peered over the heads of people to see where the girls were.
"What?" Tala asked as all the color drained from his and Rei's faces.
"Oh fuck! They've got weapons! A gun or a knife or something, all I know is a saw some metal thing in each of their hands." Ozuma hissed to the other three.
"What? Let's go, what are we fucking standing around for then!" Rei exclaimed.
The four started making their way over to the girls. When they got their they saw that Boris's men were only a few feet away.
The girls turned to them with confused looks on their faces.
"What's wrong guys you look a little pale." Mariah said, noticing their complexions.
"We have to go. Now!" Tala said taking Aaliyah's hand and guiding her through the crowd, towards the backyard of the beach house.
Kai and Ozuma mimicked Tala's action and took Paree and Miriam's hands and started walking towards the beach house.
Rei and Mariah followed them.
"What's going on?" Paree asked.
"We don't have time to answer right now. We'll tell you later. Just keep walking." Kai ordered.
Ozuma looked back towards the luau and saw the lavender and red haired men meet up with another red head and a blonde guy. They were talking with looks of confusion on their faces and then one of the men pointed in the direction that Ozuma and the others were currently going.
"Shit! Faster guys! They saw us!" Ozuma shouted.
Miriam, Paree, Aaliyah, and Mariah just ran as fast as they could with flip flops on.
They reached the house and went in. Kai locked the door behind him, while Rei and Ozuma shut the windows and closed the curtains. Tala went to lock the front door.
"Go into the living room and wait there." Rei instructed the girls. They did as they were told and waited in the living room.
The boys came in and sat down as well. They had identical looks of fear, concentration and exhaustion on their faces.
Kai walked into the room and pulled out his cell phone. He started dialing a few numbers before Rei stopped him.
"They can pick up the frequency. It's better to send the elders an email or something." Rei said.
The four boys went into their duffle bags and pulled out their laptops. They started typing rapidly. They finished a few minutes later.
They placed their laptops on the dining table and looked at the girls, who seemed surprised, angry, and confused at the same time.
"What?" Rei asked them.
"What is going on?" Mariah demanded in a strong voice.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'd like to know." Miriam added.
"Same here." Paree said.
"Mm hmm." Aaliyah added in her two cents.
The boys sighed and looked at each other, before looking away thoughtfully.
"You'll find out soon." Kai answered running a hand through his hair.
Just then Ozuma's laptop made a ringing noise.
The boys gathered around it to see what response they had received from the elders. The girls watched the expressions on the boys faces curiously.
"Well, what happened?" Miriam asked quietly, when the boys let out a sigh of relief.
"Something was wrong. That's why we had to leave the luau so early. We sent a message to the elders about it and they said that they have fixed the problem. We're going to the airport now. So if you need to change I suggest you do it now." Tala explained.
"I'll call for a taxi." Rei said and got up to go call for a taxi.
The eight teens had been dropped off at the airport by two taxi's and were now checking in their luggage.
They boarded the plane and went towards the first class passenger seats.
"Why didn't we have first class passenger seats when we came?" Paree questioned.
"Because they were all booked." Kai replied. He went to the bar and asked for a glass of whisky.
He came back to his seat beside Paree and sat down, taking a sip from his whisky glass as he did so.
Rei and Mariah were currently talking very quietly. Aaliyah and Miriam were watching a movie and Tala and Ozuma were playing table tennis.
"I need a massage. That's the one thing they need here a massage center." Kai said rubbing the back of his neck after downing his glass of whisky.
"Turn around." Paree said, turning to him. He looked at her in confusion.
"What? Why?" He asked.
"Turn around. I'll give you a massage." Paree repeated.
"What's in it for you?" Kai asked quietly. Paree just rolled her eyes at him.
"Think of it as my way of saying thank you for not being a total bastard during this trip and for……" Paree mumbled the last part.
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"What was that? I didn't hear the last part." Kai said smirking slightly.
"For not being a total bastard and keeping me…warm at night. There I said it, and if you make even one perverted comment about that I'm going to slice off yourfamily jewelsand stuff them down your throat." Paree said.
"Fine, Fine. So, when are you giving me this massage?" Kai asked jokingly.
"Now. Just turn around." Paree told him. Kai did as he was told and turned around.
Paree took off his leather jacket and started kneading his tense muscles. She started massaging them lightly and slowly.
"That feels good." she heard Kai mumble.
She kept kneading and massaging his muscles until all the knots were out.
When she finished Kai turned back around and slumped in his seat.
"We have 4 hours to go." he stated after taking a look at his watch. He looked at the others to see that they were back in their seats and sleeping.
Aaliyah's head was resting on Tala's shoulder and his head resting on her head. Ozuma and Miriam had their seats all the way down, like a bed and were facing each other while sleeping. Rei and Mariah's seats were placed all the way down as well and they were cuddled together.
Kai looked at Paree to see that she had fallen asleep as well. He moved her seat half way down and placed a blanket on her. Then he did the same with his own seat.
The eight teens were awake by the time they had landed back in Japan. They got their luggage and saw Rohin and Aryan waiting for them at the airport.
"Hey guys. We were told to pick you up and take you to the Hiwatari mansion. You guys are going to stay the night their and then you can go home tomorrow." Aryan said as he and Rohin placed the luggage in the trunk of the limousine they had brought.
The eight teens got in and sat down. They were still pretty jet-lagged and the run from the luau to the beach house had just increased their tiredness.
They tried and succeeded in staying awake throughout the ride. They took a few of their bags and went inside the mansion. They headed straight for the stairs and to the bathrooms to get refreshed.
A half an hour later the eight teens were refreshed and in their pajamas. They walked downstairs and found the elders, including the ladies, sitting in the family room. Brooklyn, Rohin, Aryan, Garland, Angelique, and Sophia were there too. Alexandra and Isabella entered soon after helping the maids bring in tea and snacks for everyone.
The elders took in the appearances of the eight teens before them. The girls were all wearing white or gray sleeveless shirts and black shorts. The boys were all wearing muscle shirts and pajama pants. They all looked exhilarated and exhausted at the same time.
"So, how was your trip?" Nana Bikonai started.
"It was fun. We did some shopping, surfing and swimming. It was a great present Nana. Thanks." Aaliyah said sending the old lady a smile.
"Your welcome dear. Now, I understand you ran into some trouble earlier tonight?" she said.
"Yes, we did." Tala answered from his spot beside Aaliyah.
"I see. Well you girls must be wondering why we're here today. We need to tell you something very important. The boys have known for a while now, but we decided we ought to wait before telling you girls. A long time ago a very powerful and kind monk made a crystal known as the Silver Crystal. He made it to help people and use it for good, but then he realized that many bad people wanted to use it for evil purposes. He decided to destroy it. Instead of destroying it though, he simply managed to divide it into different creatures. These creatures bonded with spirits so that the power of the crystal could be concealed. If the spirit creatures and their soul mates are in the same form of living species then their power can be extracted and the crystal can be formed again." Mariah's father explained.
The girls were listening very intently now. Even Mariah, who knew already, seemed interested in learning more about it.
"The species the creatures have taken is human. And the creatures are the Phoenix of Ice: Chanzel, Dranzer; Phoenix of Fire, Pegasus; Unicorn of Sky, Nelosa; Unicorn of the Earth, Driger; Tiger of War, Galux; Tiger of Peace, Wolborg; Wolf of the Moon and finally Gidarah; Wolf of the Sun. There are other smaller creatures but the don't play as big a role in the making of the Silver Crystal as these eight do." Garland told them.
"Now I know you must be shocked after hearing this because this spirit creatures belong to you girls and the boys. You must be wondering what role you play in this puzzle. Well, a man named Boris has found out that the spirit creatures are somehow linked to our families and that we know something about them. He is intent on getting the power of the Silver Crystal and will not stop until he has it. You girls must always be near the boys in order to stay safe. You are like guardians to each other. Your spirit creatures are soul mates which makes you soul mates as well, whether you like it or not. The people you were running from back at the beach work for Boris. They had orders to find you girls and kidnap you. Boris still does not know that you are the bonded ones, but he had a plan to take you hostage and demand information from us. It is a goodthing the boys spotted them when they did. Otherwise, we would have been in a sticky situation." Old man Bikonai said.
"Yes, well overall this means that you need to stay close in order to stay safe. We are all working very hard to stop this man and you can help us and yourselves by doing this." Kai's mother said.
"Well, that is all we needed to tell you. You must be tired. We're sorry we kept you up so late but you had to know. I suggest that you all go to bed now and we shall talk in the morning. Goodnight." With that said the elders departed for their rooms, as everyone was staying the night at the Hiwatari mansion.
The eight teens were left in the room.
"Miriam I'm going to bunk with Rei tonight. So, Ozuma's going to be with you. Goodnight guys." Mariah said and her and Rei departed for their room.
"I think we'll go to bed too now. Miriam?" Ozuma said looking at Miriam in concern.
"Huh? Oh yea, let's go. Goodnight." she said before following Ozuma up the stairs.
"I'm going to go to bed too. Um…goodnight." Aaliyah said going up the stairs to her room.
"Kai, I'm going to go with her. So, Paree you're going with Kai okay. Goodnight." Tala said before following Aaliyah.
This just left Kai and Paree in the room.
Kai smirked as he remembered something. He went up behind Paree.
"I guess this means you liked my body for a while now." Kai whispered in her ear.
Paree seemed to come out of a trance. She looked at Kai in confusion.
"What?" she asked.
"Remember the first night in Hawaii? When I said you couldn't resist my gorgeous body and you said the day that happened would be the day there was an old maniac out to get us. The old maniac's been out to get us for a few months now. Which means you've had the hot's for me for a long time." Kai said with a smirk.
Paree just smirked back and started walking up the stairs, with Kai close behind. She went into his room and to the bed. She pulled back the covers and got in. Kai did the same and put off the light.
"Only in yours dreams, Hiwatari. And nothing has changed." Paree replied after a moment.
"I didn't expect it to." he answered. He turned and placed an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his body.
"You're lucky I don't have the strength to kick you right now." Paree whispered tiredly.
"Why?" Kai asked.
"Because if I did, you would've been on the floor by now." Paree answered turning around to face him and snuggling closer.
"Whatever." Kai said indifferently but if one listened closely you could detect a little fear in his voice
And the two drifted off into sleep.
Their you go! I made this chapter extra long. Now REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!
I tried to focus this chapter more on Kai/Paree and Aaliyah /Tala, if you didn't notice.
I'll try and post up another chapter soon.
Byez!
