Chapter Three:

Ignored Signs

7/20

Minako's POV

Darkness rims my vision as I heave the food left in my stomach overboard. My throat burns roughly as I wretch, and my eyes sting with moisture. That makes twice today... I wipe at my mouth grudgingly, the taste of bile lingering on my tongue.

"You okay?" Fuuka asks quietly from behind me. I back away from the railing and shut my eyes. The pounding behind them begins to dull, so I open them in hopes that the world has gone back to normal. Much to my dismay everything is still reeling. Except now it's slightly more bearable.

"I'll manage," I answer her as I rub my temples. "I always get seasick when I ride on ships."

"Oh, okay," she says, seeming at a loss. "How much have you eaten today?"

My stomach groans sickeningly at the mention of eating, yet the emptiness inside still gnaws at me. "Actually..." I say, as I try to remember what I ate this morning. "I did have seconds for breakfast... and some random things from a vending machine." I also had three melon breads, but she doesn't need to know that...

Fuuka laughs subtly to herself anyway. "No wonder you're feeling so sick. Why'd you eat so much if you knew we were going to Yakushima today?"

Sighing, I turn around and rest my forehead on the railing. "Because I was really hungry..." I groan the second the words leave my mouth. That sounded really lame...

It's true though. As of late I've been hungrier than usual. It's probably just the stress from exams and SEES missions, but hopefully this trip will cure me of that. After the past few weeks I could really use a break.

"Well maybe you should lay off for a little while till you feel better," she suggests, smiling sheepishly at me. It must look like I'm eating myself sick. I grin back at her however, she was the only one worried about me after all.

"Will do, thanks for the conc-"

"LAND-HO!" Junpei's booming voice cuts me off.

"Guess we're here," Fuuka says with a laugh.

"Guess so."

-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-

I've never seen such a beautiful beach before, then again this is my first time at a beach period. Everything is so bright and gorgeous it hurts my eyes. Rays of sunlight dance off of the unknown territory giving it an ethereal glow. Of course I've seen pictures of Yakushima before, but this beat any picture. Pictures couldn't show you how warm the sand felt between your toes or how alive the ocean made you feel. Tears began to spring up in my eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Yukari asks, resting a hand on my shoulder.

Quickly I wipe away the tears. "No, this is just my first time at a beach. I guess I'm just getting a little emotional." I laugh at myself, and put on a smile to convince her. Why am I being so weird?

"That means we got to make this trip even more special then, huh?" she dances around me, almost twice as energetic.

"What?" Junpei shouts, causing us all to turn in alarm. "This is your first time coming to a beach?

Reluctantly I nod, and pull at the hem of my bathing suit cover. "I guess I just never got around to it growing up."

A sinister grin takes residence on Junpei's face. "Then I'll help you discover the wonders of a beach," he suggests flirtatiously as he weaves his arm around my waist. Blushing rapidly, I push him away.

"No thanks," I attempt to say politely through gritted teeth.

"Awwww come on, at least take off your bathing suit cover," he begs dejectedly. "No need to be shy. The other girls sure aren't." Before I can even dignify him with a response several glares turn on him, and somewhere among the crowd of females I hear the cracking of knuckles.

-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-

Akihiko's POV

Ignoring the pain in my palms, my nails dig into my balled fists. Tightness consumes the light hearted feeling in my chest and I feel anger ruling over any other emotion. Just as I feel my feet drawing me closer to the scene before me I catch myself. Stopping dead in my tracks, I grip at my head, reaching for my sanity.

I close my eyes, and release the pressure that had built up in my body. There is no reason that I should feel this way... Junpei has made moves at Minako before, but the second he put his arm around her... the second he touched her... I don't know something in me just snapped. It felt as if everything in me screamed for me to stop him. That he wasn't allowed to touch something that belongs to me.

I'm not a dog and Minako isn't some territory I can just mark... I reminded myself guiltily. Minako and I are friends... just friends. That night, and what happened didn't matter. She was able to get back to normal easily, and although I played it off that way too things still feel weird with her. I keep getting these random feelings when I'm around her. I don't really know how to explain them though.

Bringing me back to reality, I see a hand wave back and forth in front of my face. "Akihiko, you in there?" Mitsuru asks as she withdraws her hand.

Blinking back the confusion I nod at her, and smile sheepishly. Remember where you are, Akihiko... "Just thinking about all the swimming I can get in while we're here," I lie convincingly, though I can see a shadow of doubt in Mitsuru's deep burgundy eyes.

"I can see you chose your... aerodynamic swimsuit again," she says, avoiding looking past my neck. I've long gotten over the self consciousness that I had when I started wearing swimsuits like this, but peoples' reactions still amuse me. No one seems to understand that a swimsuit needn't be aesthetically pleasing as long as it helps you swim faster.

Taking a quick look over of Mitsuru I smirk ruefully. "I can see you chose your useless swimsuit again."

"Useless?" she repeats, slightly taken aback.

"Obviously. That suit would just slow you down. A tight bikini would be best, like..." I trail off, looking at the other girls for an example. My eyes instantly stop on Minako however. Not yet in the water like the others, she stands like a beacon in the sand. Sun glistens off her snow white skin, showing just how perfect and smooth it is. Her light pink bikini covers only the necessary parts of her anatomy leaving the rest of her exposed. My heart lurches unexpectedly, but I ignore it and attempt to refocus on what I was saying.

Mitsuru, awaiting me to finish talking, follows my gaze with her eyes. To her it must seem as if I had been looking at the whole group, not just one person specifically. "I guess no one else dressed as appropriately as you then, huh?" she jokes as she pads off toward the group. Shaking my head, I follow after her, pushing all the negative feelings to the back of my brain.

-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-

Minako's POV

Honestly, this just overwhelmed me. Sure, I'd been in a nice place before, but this was different. A huge, elaborate mansion designed with the most expensive of decorations and furniture, along with servants that waited on people hand and foot was just too much.

Obviously I wasn't alone in this sentiment as Junpei was freaking out over every little thing we passed in the halls on the way to the dining room. Mitsuru smiled at him every time he did, though she always looked a little sad. Yukari and Fuuka both seemed too caught up in something else to care, whereas Akihiko acted passive to the entire experience.

Though as we sit at the table, with the intricate buffet arrangement in front of us, I can't help but to notice everyone looks beyond ecstatic. Whatever it is that's bothering everyone suddenly didn't seem to matter. The maids had quickly ushered us all into our prearranged spots, Fuuka was to my left and Yukari to my right.

The moment Mitsuru announces that we can start eating I reach for the first thing that looks good. Some things make their way onto my plate, but as I grab at the food they almost instantly end up in my mouth. After just a few minutes though I regret my haste.

Churning angrily my stomach lets out a nasty snarl. Despite how amazing the food had been going down, it sure as hell didn't feel as wonderful coming up. I can feel the bile searing it's way up my esophagus, and all I want to do is cry, though I know that won't help. Putting a hand over my mouth, I abruptly stand up, looking for a place to...

Just as I back away from the table and turn around, I feel a hand at the small of my back. "She needs to get to a bathroom!" Fuuka, bless her heart, shouts to one of the waiters. Without a word one of the stout servants quickly guides me to a bathroom just as I reach my limit.

Fuuka, although reluctant about it, holds my hair back as I retch into the open toilet. I can hear the footsteps of several people outside of the door, but I hardly have it in me to care. That makes three times now...

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