Chapter 14

Tsuyoshi's and Aya's lips met. Sparks flew, igniting an exciting feeling in both of them. Tsuyoshi's left hand moved from the back of Aya's head to her cheek. Aya put her hand on Tsuyoshi's,wrapping her left arm around the back of his neck.

Feeling bold,Tsuyoshi put his tongue to Aya's mouth,asking to enter. Aya opened her mouth,letting Tsuyoshi's tongue explore her. Hers met his,and the two embraced the deep kiss as they tasted one another.

Aya moved into a more comfortable position,sitting on Tsuyoshi's lap with her legs on either side of him. Tsuyoshi brought his left hand down to Aya's waist,where it rested. Their tongues wrapped around each other, neither one getting enough. If it wasn't for the need of oxygen,the kiss would have lasted forever.

Breaking apart,Tsuyoshi and Aya breathed deeply,their foreheads resting on each other. Tsuyoshi gazed into Aya's chocolate brown eyes. Aya stared in Tsuyoshi's golden brown eyes. After finally catching their breath, the young couple held each other, their lips meeting again for another deep heated kiss.

/

The fireworks that lit up Tsuyoshi's room weren't figurative. They were real. As part of the yearly tradition, the sheriff's department officers set off fireworks every five minutes for the first hour of the festival. Magnificent colors lit up the semi-cloudy sky. Beautiful reds,piercing whites, light blues and stunning yellows.

Despite having seen it before,Sana was amazed at the display. Watching the fireworks gave her goosebumps. Akito stared up at the sky, impressed by the small town's celebration. Along with the explosions,a band on the stage played.

People walked around,watching the fireworks, dancing,and eating food. Akito helped himself to some food while Sana danced to the fast beat song. Every so often,she would grab some random person from the crowd and dance wildly with him or her. It was quite a sight.

When she had exhausted herself,Sana came over to Akito for some refreshments. As she cooled down,people came over to talk with her. She introduced those people to Akito. Akito would silently shake the persons hand.

The fireworks had stopped and the sheriff officers joined in the celebration. Dancing, eating, laughing, just having a good time. Akito stayed off to the side,watching the entire town. A gathering like this reminded him of when he was younger. The town he and Tsuyoshi grew up in would throw parties like this almost all the time.

He had met Tsuyoshi at one of them. Tsuyoshi,eight years old at the time,had been dancing like the dork he was,tiring himself out to the point of collapse. Akito,who wasn't a partier,went over and gave Tsuyoshi something to drink. Excitedly,Tsuyoshi loudly told Akito about his love of dancing and large group gatherings. Akito had talked about his preference to small quite get togethers.

"Like funerals?" Tsuyoshi had asked.

The two of them bonded over their differences and became close friends. Later,seeking a more adventurous life,Akito had convinced Tsuyoshi to come along for the ride.

Snapping back to the present,Akito saw Sana right in front of him,inches from his face.

"What are you doing?" Akito said, taking a step back.

"You looked funny." Sana replied. "Like you were thinking of something. You didn't even notice me waving my in front of your face."

"So?" Akito asked. "Is their something wrong with that?"

"What were you thinking about,Akito?" Sana asked. "I want to know."

"Nothing." Akito said.

"I wanna know. I wanna know I wanna know." Sana pressured.

"Shut up." Akito said. He tried to walk away,but Sana grabbed his arm.

"Come on,Akito. You're not having any fun. I've been watching you."

"What do you want?" Akito asked,getting a little annoyed.

"Why don;t you go dance?" Sana asked,pointing to the group of dancing townspeople. "I think you'll like it."

"No." Akito said. "I don't dance."

"Not even with a girl?" Sana teased,grinning ear to ear.

"Leave me alone." Akito said.

"Fine." Sana said and she walked away.

Akito spent the next thirty minutes walking around,watching people,mostly Sana, dance and have fun. It wasn't his fault he didn't like to dance. He would if he wanted to. Sighing,Akito continued walking.

'Damn that girl.' Akito thought. 'She doesn't make any sense sometimes.' Akito sat down on a bench and tried to relax a little. 'But she did want me to enjoy myself. Why am I worrying about this so much?' Akito stared into the crowd and instantly spotted Sana. She stuck out no matter where she was. She'd stick out in a room full of her clones.

Meanwhile,Sana was worrying about Akito,even as she danced. She wanted him join the celebration with everyone else. Finishing dancing,she walked over to a bench and sat down. Sighing,she began to wonder if she should give him a break. 'He'll dance when he wants to.' San thought. 'I shouldn't force him.'

Sana rested on the bench and closed her eyes. When she did, the noise from the festival increased. Breathing in and out,she listened to the music play. Then she heard someone approach her.

Akito,who had seen Sana sitting on a bench,sighed in defeat and walked over to her. When he there,he reached out his hand to her. "Would you like to dance?"

Sana opened her eyes and looked at him. She was suddenly reminded of the dreams she had of him. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she said. "You want to dance with me?"

"Yeah. " Akito said. "If I'm going to dance,I might as well be with a friend."

"'Friend'?" Sana asked,taking his hand and standing up.

"We are friends,aren't we?" Akito asked.

Sana nodded her head in agreement and lead him to the dance floor. As they walked,the band stopped playing fast music. Instead they put on slow,romantic music. Stopping dead, Akito thought. 'Stupid band!'

"Maybe we shouldn't." Sana said.

"No." Akito said. "I finally feel like dancing. Come on."

"But Akito," Sana objected. "This song."

"Just ignore it." he said.

The couple reached the dance floor. Feeling slightly uneasy,Akito grabbed Sana's hand with his own. Holding each other,with Akito leading,they stepped in tune with the music. They glided across the floor with the other dancing couples.

Sana looked at Akito. She realized then that she didn't know much about. "Akito?"

"What?" he said.

"What's your last name?" Sana asked.

"What?"

"Your last name. I don't know it." She looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Hayama." Akito answered.

"'Hayama'." San repeated. "'Akito Hayama.' Sounds nice."

"Thank you." Akito said. "What's your's?"

"Kurata." Sana answered.

"Alright."

They kept dancing,changing how they did it whenever the song would change. They dance together for the rest of the festival,comfortable in each others arms. Feeling more relaxed then ever, Sana said to Akito. "I had a dream about you."

"What?" Akito asked. "A dream?"

"Yeah." Sana said. "The two of us were dancing together just like this. Only,I was wearing a beautiful dress."

'Everything you wear is beautiful.' Akito thought. He couldn't take it anymore. He had come to realize what was growing inside him since he met Sana. His love for her. Sighing,he held her closer to him.

"Y'know,there's a lot I don't know about you." San said suddenly.

"Like what?" Akito asked.

"Like...your favorite color."

"Green."

"I don't know how you know Tusyoshi." Sana said. "You two seem close. How did you meet?"

Akito sighed. He didn't want to talk about Tsuyoshi at the moment. "Him and I met at a party like this when the two of us were eight. He danced himself to death and I gave something to drink."

"That's it?" Sana asked.

"That's it." Akito repeated.

Sana smiled,resting her head against Akito's chest. "I bet you were cute when you were eight."

"Hey." Akito said.

Sana looked up at him. The two of them stared deeply into each others eyes. The music played slowly and beautifully. With all her cares leaving her mind,she leaned up toward him. She touch her mouth to his,and he pressed back. They stood in the middle of the slow dancing crowd,sharing a kiss under the dark,starry sky.

/

Naozumi had been working all day. He was too busy to help with the setup of the town festival. He had received a large amount of files in the mail that day. He spent all day reading them over. The files were from other departments farther north. They all were about the Silent Duo.

He had asked for them,seeing as the Duo seemed to be heading south. Thinking he could get a lead,he spent all day reading what others knew. 'Know your enemy.' he told himself. One thing he knew,the Duo was close by. They had robbed from Mr. McCullum. As he came home a couple days ago. According to him, he was about eight minutes from town. The rode off toward here after they robbed him.

Naozumi sighed. Several people came to town in the passed few days. Since there hasn't yet been a report of them south of his town,they must still be here. And he had his suspicions.

Feeling exhausted,he closed the files and locked them in his desk. He stood up and stretched. Looking outside,he saw that the festival had been going on for quite some time. 'Damn.' he thought. He had hoped to see Sana at the festival. Maybe even dance with her. 'Maybe I'm not too late.' He grabbed his jacket and walked outside.

Noazumi reached the celebration, and any fatigue he felt was lifted. The music played,the people enjoyed themselves. Looking around,he saw that band was playing a slow song. This was good for him. If he could find Sana,he might get to dance with her. Walking along the shadows so he didn't bump into anyone,he looked for Sana.

He found her. And he didn't like it. She was slow dancing with that Akito guy. And he saw she was wearing that soft white blouse he bought for her. The two of them seemed to be talking at the same time. Anger and jealousy began to build inside him. Just as he decided to walked over to them and cut in,his nightmare became real.

Watching from the shadows,he saw Sana look up into Akito's eyes. Then she leaned up and kissed him. She kissed him. Naozumi's heart broke at the sight and pure anger boiled in his chest. Resisting the urge to pull his gun out and shooting Akito,Naozumi turned away from the kissing couple and walked home.