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After lunch, Kiko brought a little folding chair to Yin, along with a small pillow. The to-be mother laid back on the chair, pushing the pillow under her feet. Gai disposed of empty water bottles, cleaning up the trash. Hei rose up to adjust the umbrella that secured the girls' shade.
Gai was lying down near Kiko, his hat covering over his face. Kiko took out a manga magazine and scooted slightly toward Yin. Hei sat beside Yin and held her hand as he watched the children play--he still couldn't believe that he and his beloved were having a baby. Kiko placed the magazine in her lap and quickly eyed her friend's stomach. "Yin~," She said cutely. "When are we going to have a baby shower~?" She gently touched her friend's swelling stomach. "I can throw one for you~!" She said with a smirk.
"I don't know, Kiko...maybe closer to the baby's arrival?" Yin said with her eyes closed. She could remember Kiko's parties back in college. They were extremely loud and had loads of alcohol. She could just imagine what a baby shower would be like if Kiko threw it.
Kiko sighed and saw Hei dig through his bag to take out a folder of papers. "I don't think so! This is our vacation! No school work!" Kiko screamed, snatching the folder away from him while a triumphant smile was spread across her face. Just then, Gai began to snore very loudly. They all laughed.
Yin was finally able to take a nap. Kiko gave Hei a cooking magazine to read while she read some manga. Of course, Gai was passed out. Yin woke up with a light sigh, softly rubbing her face. She reached to her side to touch Hei's arm. She sat up and yawned, still feeling a little drowsy. Hei closed the magazine, looking over the two girls. "Let's get into the water before it gets too late." Yin nodded in agreement, and Kiko just let out an excited squeal.
Hei helped Yin to rub on a good amount of sun tan lotion in the areas she couldn't reach. He slathered some onto his face and saw Kiko manually inflating a beach ball. Hei assisted Yin on to her feet as they waited for Kiko to finish with the ball. Lifting it over her head, she ran towards the ocean. Yin pulled off her sun dress, stripping down to her swimsuit while Hei threw his shirt onto the blanket. She took Hei's hand, and left for the water together. Yin shivered as she felt the cold salt water around her ankles.
"Catch!" Kiko yelled and threw the ball to Hei. He hit it back like a volleyball and moved Yin further into the water. Kiko laughed and splashed water at Yin, allowing the ball to float between them. Yin lifted her arms up to block the water and smiled. She returned splashes in the direction they came from. Hei grabbed the ball and began to laugh, then the girls decided it was his turn to get splashed. He cried foul--and they stopped, giggling.
The three of them played until Yin felt something at her feet. She bent down to check what it was and hoped it was a shell. She suddenly lost her balance, tumbling into the water. "Yin!" Hei yelled and advanced to catch her. He sighed, thankful that he was standing close enough to do so. Kiko moved over--visibly nervous. "Everything thing is fine… let's get out and dry off."
Yin felt bad and clung to Hei. "I'm sorry." She said to both of them. Kiko shook her head, denying that Yin did anything wrong, which soothed Yin. Hei wrapped a towel around Yin to dry her wet skin off. Hei did the same, and so did Kiko.
Kiko stomped her foot onto Gai's stomach once her feet were clean. "Come on, we're gonna leave soon!" She loudly informed him, causing him to jump. The two argued over her method of waking him up. He stood up, frowning. He helped the group pack everything up. By the time everything was cleaned up, the sun was beginning to set. Hei and Kiko left first, and Gai aided Yin just as considerately as before.
---
The next day came and the real reason for them being at the beach was revealed.
"Yin! Your composition is going to be used by the idol Hina!" Kiko said avidly. This deal took her and Gai for a loop since Yin was only on their little label. She was popular on the internet, but never gained too much popularity in the general public.
Yin was shocked and became flustered. "I don't look good right now…how will I present myself?" She touched her face, wondering if her pregnancy had affected her physical beauty. Hei was sitting next to Yin, flabbergasted. Gai congratulated them and patted Hei on the back.
Kiko waved her hand in disregard to Yin's claims. "Don't wo~rry, we're just having dinner with the manger." She smiled, leaning in. "I did some research, and it seems like he isn't very handsome--so don't get nervous." She said with a brief, malicious cackle.
---
Suou sat in the room with Tanya. She was as stiff as a corpse while Tanya applied some make-up onto her face. She smiled a little and couldn't help but feel confident. Suou even styled her normal braid into a bun. She wore the ruffled miniskirt she brought to make a good impression on Hei. "Done!" Tanya said and moved away. She held up a Lilliputian mirror and Suou was surprised at how much a little make-up had transformed her.
She smiled and put the mirror on the bed. "Thanks!" She said and hugged her best friend. The other girls were yelling up the stairs for them to come down. Suou huffed a little and got off Tanya, before speeding down the stairs with her.
Sasha whistled as Suou came down in front of Tanya. "Oooh who are you getting dressed up for?" Nika teased. Suou blew raspberries out at them. Nika guided them to the cave, Tanya's fingers entwined with his. Sasha and Irina made sure to tease Suou throughout the whole exploration. She tried not to let it get to her since she was going to meet Hei very soon.
They arrived at the cave and caught a glimpse of a blonde boy about their age standing, alone. He lay eyes on them when they got closer, but chose not to speak. The group wanted to break up and investigate the cave already, but Suou convinced them to wait. She hoped that Hei wouldn't be too much longer.
Suou walked around the little clearing to appease her anxiety. She twiddled with her fingers in front of her chest and kept glancing at the path to the cave. Her heart began to pound louder and louder with each minute Hei didn't show up. She heard the bush rustle and looked up--expectantly. She quickly became disappointed when she saw it was just a squirrel. They ended up waiting for half an hour, then Sasha started to complain.
"Hey hey~ go ask that boy. He is alone and then we can go in pairs." Sasha whispered. Suou whined, but everyone else thought it was a good idea and pushed her into his direction. Suou froze up since this blonde boy was a stranger.
"H-hello.." She said, attempting to act friendly. "My friends and I are exploring this cave--I was wondering if you'd like to be my partner." She smiled awkwardly, because she'd asked a stranger to pair up with her.
"Alright." The boy answered and followed Suou to join the rest of the group. Nika handed out flashlights, one per pair. Nika and Tanya left first. Sasha and Irina waited a few minutes before going in. Suou turned on the flashlight, looking over at the blonde boy. "Ready?" She asked, walking into the cave. The boy stood close to her as to not get lost.
Suou gazed at the wet floor and gradually became depressed. She was supposed to be with Hei and it was supposed to be romantic. She had dreamed about it last night--her and Hei in the dark; only nearly inaudible sounds of their breathing and heartbeats. Hei said her name softly, and she said his name without the honorific. She sensed his face getting closer and closer, and then she confessed! But that was where the dream ended. Just the thought of it made Suou's heart skip a beat or two. The blonde boy glanced at her for a moment and then proceeded to look at the light on the ground.
Suou was so caught up in her phantasm that her foot got caught in an indent. She dropped the flashlight, and it rolled on the ground and fell over the edge of the rocks making a splashing sound. She screamed as she was about to fall into the water, along with the flashlight. She felt two hands wrap around her wrists and pull her back to safety. She started to worry. "What are we going to do? We don't have any light! We can't find our way out! What if the tide comes in?!"
"Shhh. Stay calm… keep blinking until your eyes get used to the dark." She heard the calm voice of the blonde boy and followed his instructions. They stood there for a few minutes, and then the blonde boy stole her hand. He directed her along slowly. Without him, she would have been stranded. They reached the other end of the cave where an agitated Tanya was awaiting them.
Tanya threw her arms around Suou and the blonde boy let go of her hand. "Are you alright?! We heard you scream! Oh I was so worried!" Tanya said and started to sob. The blonde boy observed the scene for a few moments before slipping away.
Once Tanya had calmed down, Suou looked around. "Where did that boy go?" She asked, facing her other friends. They looked around and found it creepy that the boy had just disappeared without anyone noticing.
"Maybe it was a ghost!" Irina said and started to shake Suou who shook her head and explained what happened in the cave. "Waaah! He really must have been a ghost! You are very lucky, Suou!" Irina said relieved. This only made Suou feel more uncomfortable that she had been helped by a ghost.
---
Hei was ushering Yin to the restaurant's bathroom. The meeting with the manager was going very well, and the little label was going to get a huge sum of money for the rights to Yin's song. After fees, taxes, and Kiko taking out her percentage, it was still a very large sum which the couple needed now since a baby was on the way. Honestly, Kiko was doing most of the talking and it was a lot of business jargon. The manager wasn't a very vibrant person so his dull talking almost bored them to sleep.
"Hei, let's tell them I'm tired and go for a walk on the beach…" She reached out and groped for the handle of the door. "Okay?" She added in a cute voice before she went in. Hei waited for her outside the door and thought about her plan. It wouldn't be too hard to use that lie since she was pregnant, and he was getting bored with the conversation too.
Yin came out, and Hei entangled his fingers with hers. "Alright, Yin. Let's go for a walk on the beach." Yin smiled, and the couple went back to the table to announce that they were leaving. Kiko and Gai gave their farewells casually while the manager sounded formal and congratulated them. Hei brought Yin out into the refreshing night air and took a deep breath. "That cave would have been more interesting than this guy." Hei laughed.
Yin wrapped her arms around his. "You're interested in that cave? I wonder where it is...you will have to apologize to those girls the next time you see them." They walked onto the grainy sand, and Yin kicked her sandals off. She bent down to pick them up with Hei's help. "I want papayas and hot sauce…" She said, getting another one of her odd pregnancy cravings.
"We'll have to go find a store." Hei smiled and trailed down the beach by her side. The waves were loud, now that the beach was empty. The wind blew and Yin pulled her shawl around her shoulders tightly. Hei figured that they could share the papaya and she could have it with the hot sauce alone. They were lucky to find a place open that actually had papayas and hot sauce.
Hei stood with Yin outside the store after they made their purchase. He took out his pocket knife and peeled the papaya while Yin held the bag to catch the rind. He skillfully cut it in half and scrapped the seeds into the bag with the peel. He cut a piece and handed it to her. She slung the bag on her arm and squeezed some hot sauce onto her slice of papaya. Hei cut a piece for himself and ate. They began to walk and eat, not wanting to get in trouble for loitering.
Once the papaya was finished, they looked around for a public bathroom so they could wash their hands. Hei was grateful they found one. He discarded the bag of the papaya remains and led Yin to the sink. He washed his hand and the knife so that they wouldn't get sticky. "Today was nice; it's too bad we have to go home tomorrow." Yin said and, clutching Hei's hand.
"Yes… this was a nice little reprieve. I'm glad we came." Hei said and kissed Yin serenely. They retreated back and started a discussion about what kind of deal Kiko was trying to make. They joked that Kiko was trying to get a summer mansion out in the countryside. The wind's breeze continued to blow harder.
Behind them was a group of kids huddling together to keep warm from the wind. They couldn't hear each other because of the distance, but the group had a very good view of Hei and Yin. Suou was laughing and holding onto Tanya's arm until she saw Hei. She got extra quiet when her eyes drifted down to his hand. She saw that he was holding someone else's hand… and that someone was lacing their fingers with his. She swiftly inspected them and saw that it was the silver haired woman from before. Suou's eyes widened as she saw the woman wrap her arm around Hei's and lean her head onto his shoulder.
Suou's cheeks reddened with anger. How could she cheat on her husband! Hei must feel very sorry for her since it seemed like he wasn't responding to her advances. Suou glared daggers into the woman's back. She looked back at her friends--they hadn't noticed Hei and that woman in front of them. Suou huffed amply. "Slut." She muttered at the unsuspecting woman's back.