Chapter 8: An Oasis in Life's Little Desert

The old bus that had chauffeured us during our trip casually came to a halt by the side of the road. The paint was chipping off and the vinyl seats were ripped in several places, but I was never so happy to see any mode of transportation! The little old man with the two missing front teeth smiled widely and greeted each of us as we climbed aboard. Akasaka-sama and Ryou settled all of our belongings for the trip, giving the rest of us a chance to catch our breath from the morning's hike.

"This is so exciting!" Mint was completely glowing with joy. "A real bed; real food; a shower!"

We all nodded and laughed. Ami leaned back in her seat and smiled.

"I remember… When I first got back to civilization I thought it would be wonderful… but I found I'd forgotten the simplest things, like how to use a microwave… Regular water tasted funny to me… Being inside made me long to go back out again… It was funny how such a short amount of time had changed me… made me stronger." She paused. "Sorry," she said waving apologetically. "I'm just some old woman rambling on about her past." She quietly turned her attentions to a book. About that time the guys climbed onto the bus and we were hotel bound!

"Ichigo," I turned to see Ryou sitting beside me.

"What do you want," I said looking away. He leaned back in the seat and sighed.

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"If you have to ask me what, I'm not going to tell you." He smirked at me and flicked my forehead. I glared at him as he walked back to the front of the bus. Yes… What was he talking about…?

"Were you worried?"

"Of course not…"

"Then why bother coming to get me! Send someone else next time if you don't care…"

I blushed. Was that what he was talking about? I peered over the seat at him, but he was having a conversation with Ami and Akasaka-sama.

"What's going on Ichigo," asked Mint slyly sitting next to me. The other girls gathered round, each with a mischievous grin on their face. I tried to shrink.

"W-w-hat are you talking about?"

"You and Shirogane-onii-sama!" cheered Purin.

"What about us?"

"Look, she's blushing," teased Zakuro. I started to get claustrophobic.

"Come on guys, there's nothing going on."

"Sure, Ichigo, we believe you."

The bus rolled to a stop and I was saved for the time being. The guys were the first off of the bus to help us down. Of course, in my blind rush to get inside and away from my friends, I tripped.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" I took my face out of Ryou's chest and blushed.

"S-s-sorry," I stammered, too embarrassed to say much else.

"Well, be more careful next time baka-strawberry," he commented walking over to help unload the bus. A minute or so later, Ami came out of the reception hall with our passes.

The inside of the hotel was far more spectacular than the outside. The ceilings almost seemed to run into the sky and were supported by elegant roman style pillars. The ground was solid marble and the walls had beautiful scrolls hand painted on them. It was breath-taking. Ami pointed out the hotel's restaurant where we'd be having dinner. We were on our own for lunch.

"But I have nothing to wear to dinner," sighed Mint disappointedly as Ami unlocked the door to our suite.

"Don't be too sure," she smiled. Hanging in the closets were five beautiful dresses. "Keiichiro and Ryou picked these up for you girls just before we left. Hope you like them." We all rushed in and took a closer look at our gifts:

"Think of them as a reward for your hard work," added Akasaka-sama with a smile.

"Kirei… they're so pretty," cheered Purin as she ran her fingers over her silky, yellow dress. I pulled mine out and held it against my body. It was a long, form-fitting red dress that settled at the shoulders and had a small slit up the left side. It was much more mature than anything I had sitting in my closet at home! They'd even bought us shoes for the occasion. I glanced over at Ryou who was looking at me and smiling. I blushed.

"We'll leave you girls alone now," he said in his normal voice. "Enjoy your 24 hours of vacation time!" The door shut behind them.

"Dibs on the shower," called Mint as the door to the bathroom slammed shut. Zakuro, Retasu, and Purin looked at each other for a moment.

"Dibs on the other shower," the all yelled in unison. The three rushed off in a battle royal to beat each other to the second bathroom. I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I instinctively reached up to touch the spot on my neck where the bell used to lie. Aoyama-kun… I rolled to my side and glanced over at the phone. For a moment, I considered calling him… but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Dinner time rolled around pretty quickly. I stood in front of the closet mirror, checking myself out in the red dress. It fit flawlessly. There was a knock on the door.

"Do you like the dresses?" Akasaka-sama smiled.

"They're lovely," replied Retasu happily.

"How about yours Ichigo?" I smiled happily at him and nodded. "Ryou picked that out especially for you," he added with a small wink.

The hotel's restaurant was a magnificent piece of work with multiple levels, a bar, a live band, and even a dancing floor. Soft symphonic music wafted through the air, mingling with the sweet smells from the kitchen. I was in heaven!

A few pleasant hours later…

"I couldn't eat another bite!" cheered Purin happily.

"I didn't even realize I was so hungry," Retasu murmured. Everyone began to get up and go their separate ways. As I stood to leave, I felt a hand gently take mine. I turned.

"Ichigo," Ryou said to me, very seriously. "Stay and dance with me?" I blushed and stood there a moment. Had I heard right; did Ryou just ask me to dance. Memories of our first dance surfaced: how he held me; how he'd guided me so tenderly through every step. I nodded dumbly.

We were alone. At least in the sense that our friends were no longer in the restaurant… and I couldn't help but feel that, somehow, that was their plan. Still, I didn't have much time to think about it. I felt my body grow warm against Ryou's as we danced close together. Somehow, it seemed to feel right. I felt safe… secure… How many songs we stayed through, I couldn't say… because for that moment, there was only Ryou and me...