Chapter 8: "Closer"

"I can't believe I let myself get dragged into this…" Minato muttered, sitting on the ground and leaning against the concrete wall of the indoor swimming pool complex. He stared sullenly at the gentle slapping of the pool waters created by the handful of swimmers. "Junpei was just twisting my leg when he told me that we'd be working at the beach."

After just mentioning his friend's name, Junpei's familiar voice called out from the other end of the room. "Yo! Minato!" Junpei waved his hands in the air as he ran towards his friend. "Glad you could make it!" He grinned down at the gray-eyed young man, setting his hands against his waist.

Minato scowled and got to his feet. Today, he was wearing board shorts and a thin t-shirt. Junpei also wore something similar, but opted to keep his favorite cap atop his head. "An explanation?" Minato went straight to the point.

"Hey! Hey! No need to be so grumpy in the morning!" Junpei started, forcing cheer into his voice as he spoke to his friend. "I told you I'd get both of us jobs!"

"Jobs at the beach to be more specific," Minato interrupted, frowning at the goateed young man as children entered the complex with their parents. "I knew something was suspicious when you gave me the address of this place!"

Junpei threw his hands up in the air clearly looking exasperated. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "We can't jump up to the lifeguard part-time jobs so I accepted the kiddy swimming instructor positions for us."

"What?!"

"Don't just march out on me just yet!" Junpei grabbed hold of Minato's arms as the slightly shorter man tried to leave. "I didn't say that we won't be able to get those beach jobs!" He couldn't help but smirk at the blue-haired senior. "The director of this complex said that if we do a good enough job, we could be promoted to the lifeguard positions in just a week!"

Minato looked skeptical. "The director said that? What does he or she have to do with these part time jobs anyway?"

"Duh! The director is also in charge of the various activities and facilities at the beach!" Junpei informed Minato with sarcasm laced in his voice. "So don't complain and let's just get over with this job! I heard that we're being placed under some other part timer."

"Iori!" A man barked. "If you and your friend are here already then I suggest you get your asses into your swim shorts! The kids are ready and the other instructor I hired is already in the changing rooms!"

"Yes sir! Right away sir!" Junpei replied, his usually silly grin still on his face. He turned to Minato and asked, "You need to go to the changing rooms, dude?"

"Yeah. I put my bag with my stuff in a locker there."

"Well I'm ready!" Junpei announced, pulling off his shirt. "I went here in my swim shorts so that I could jump into the pool right away!"

The blue-haired student shook his head. "Errr… Junpei, we won't be doing much swimming if we're going to be teaching kids," he pointed out.

"Huh?"

Minato sighed and pointed at a smaller sized pool on the other end of complex. "We're teaching kids who have no swimming experience," he explained. "We can't just start them off at the main pool so we'll be at the shallows for the first few days I guess."

"Pshhh… that sucks," Junpei commented in annoyance. "Oh well. Since we can't exactly go swimming in the adult pool today, let me show you this neat trick I learned before we start our lessons with the kids!" Junpei turned on his heel and began to jog lightly towards the edge of the Olympic sized pool.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Junpei!" Minato called.

The young man turned around and jogged backwards. "Don't worry Minato! It's just a quick dip then I'm out of the pool!" Running backwards, Junpei failed to see that a boy in his swimming attire had stopped in the Junpei's path to gaze at the large pool.

"Watch out!" Minato shouted, watching in vain as Junpei's legs and lower back collided with the kid. "Grab him Junpei!" He cursed upon first hearing a dull splash and then the familiar frenzied splashing of arms against the water's surface. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted at Junpei who sat frozen in his place at the edge of the pool. He broke into a run and was preparing himself to dive into the pool when another figure suddenly dove into the water ahead of him.

"H-Help!" The boy shouted, his voice coming out in a gurgle as his head came out of the water before sinking down again.

Minato dropped to his knees beside the still frozen Junpei as he caught a figure cutting across the clear pool underwater. As the struggling boy sank towards the bottom, the unknown person enveloped the boy in his arms and proceeded to kick towards the surface. All Minato could do was stare as the familiar blue-haired rescuer and the boy broke out onto the water's surface. He rushed to the edge of the pool and held out his arms as Mitsuru's professor lifted the boy out of the water.

"Thanks," Skye said with a smile, pulling herself out of the pool as she shook the water out of her hair. "You're one of Mitsuru's friends, aren't you?" she asked, getting down on her knees to check the bewildered boy's condition.

Minato nodded as he too squatted down to pat the boy on the back. "Sagara-sensei, right?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" He noticed that the professor was clad in board shorts and a short-sleeved black wetsuit.

"I signed up as a swimming instructor here," she replied. To the boy, she asked, "Are you alright?" The boy nodded up at her and chose that moment to cling around her arm. "That was quite a bad first time experience with swimming," she told the two male students before her. "Do you still want to learn how to swim?"

The boy looked reluctant to agree. "The water is going to kill me…"

Skye smiled and shook her head. "If you go to my class, you'll never have to go through that kind of experience again," she assured the boy.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yup! Why don't you head over there where the other kids are staying by the shallow pool?" She got back up to her feet as the boy scurried off towards the group of kids his age. Running her fingers through her wet blue-black hair, Skye turned to glare down at the cap-wearing Junpei. "You do realize what you've done?"

"An accident? Hehe…" Junpei tried, forcing a smile to his face to make the situation look less grave.

Emerald green eyes emanated icy coldness. "An accident that could have ended with a drowned boy!" Skye retorted, not looking at all sympathetic for the young man. She let out a long sigh and turned away from both Minato and Junpei. "I'd think you'd be old enough to act your age," she told them. "Your immaturity here could have cost a life."

"Are you going to tell the director?" Junpei mumbled as he bowed his head, already knowing what was in store for him.

"No."

"Huh?" Junpei's head snapped back up to regard the back of their senpai's university professor.

"I'd be short on manpower if you were to be fired," Skye replied, glancing over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes at Junpei. "I'll look this over if you promise to shape up. I don't want any other similar situations occurring especially when we transfer the kids to the adult pool."

Junpei jumped up to his feet. "Thanks sensei! I really appreciate this!"

"Don't think that you're off so easily!" Skye retorted and pointed to a utility closet. "We're tasked to clean the shallow pool after the class ends, but because of your foolishness today, you're going to clean the pool by yourself," Skye declared before pointing her finger at Minato. "And when I say by himself, you're not going to help him at all! Understand?"

"Perfectly Sagara-sensei!" Minato gulped.

"Other than that," Skye added. "Call me Skye." She regarded both boys with a look of question in her emerald green eyes.

Minato was the first to answer the silent question. "I'm Minato Arisato," he introduced himself with a polite bow to the older woman. When Junpei didn't take initiative to do the same, Minato took it upon himself to introduce his taller friend. "This is Junpei Iori. He was the one who actually got the both of us into this job."

Nodding to both of them, Skye then stalked over to the group of kids with a friendly smile on her face. "Ok kids! You ready to learn how to swim?" she asked the group of excited kids. "Now before we head into the water, I want all of you to remember some rules!" She motioned for Minato and Junpei to come over. "We are your instructors," she told them. "You can call me Skye-sensei or one-san." She gestured at the blue-haired young man and his semi-bald friend. "This is Minato-sensei and Junpei-sensei."

Minato directed a smile at the kids and gave the mixed group of boys and girls a slight bow. "Nice to meet you guys!" Junpei chose to just smile still feeling bad about what he did just a few minutes ago.

"Now kids," Skye called their attention. "The most important rule is that you shouldn't go in the water without an adult especially when we transfer to the adult pool. Next rule is no pushing or shoving into the pool," she enumerated, crossing her wiry arms over her chest. "Last rule, if you need to go to the bathroom please don't do so in the swimming pool." She gazed at the young group seated on the ground before her. "Any questions?"

A girl who looked to be seven years old raised her hand in the air. "Can we bring our floaters into the pool?" she asked, holding her floaters and looking at her other classmates who brought their own floating apparatuses.

Skye nodded her head. "For the first few sessions, you could use your floaters in the shallow pool. Same goes when we transfer to the adult pool. Eventually though, you're going to have to put them aside."

"But we'll drown!" A boy cried out.

"No you won't," Skye assured the nervous bunch. "You'll be good enough swimmers by the time we take away those floaters of yours." She clapped her hands and stepped into the shallow pool, the water only reaching until her hips. "Come on kids, we're going to practice floating and holding your breath under water first."

"Should we split them up among us?" Minato asked, slipping into the water with Junpei close behind him. He eyed the fifteen kids who stood at the edge of the shallow pool. "We could each take on five kids," he suggested, wading over to the edge of the pool and helping the kids get into the pool.

Skye nodded her head in approval. "We'll do that then." She walked to the edge of the pool to help the rest of the kids into the pool.

Three hours later, Skye, Junpei and Minato were sitting at the edge of the Olympic-sized swimming pool with their legs dangling in the water. They had just dismissed the kids from their first swimming lesson and handed them over to their parents. Junpei had gotten over his mistake and actually had a lot of fun teaching the kids how to float and hold their breath under water. He also added in a bunch of his useless tricks to get the kids to laugh to the amusement of Minato and Skye.

"Pretty good for a first session, huh?" Skye asked her co-instructors.

Minato nodded. "They're good kids," he added with a small smile. "I was thinking we'd get a real hyper one, but they're all behaved and attentive."

Skye leaned around Minato and looked at Junpei. "You did a good job today Junpei," she commented.

"Me?" Junpei asked, clearly surprised at the compliment. "But I messed up a while ago!"

"Almost messed up," Skye corrected. "You made up for it during today's lesson."

"Thanks… I think," Junpei replied, blushing slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He cocked his head to the side and stuck a hand into the air. "Yo! Yuka-tan!" he shouted, making Minato cringe and cover his ear. "I didn't know you were coming over to visit!"

Akihiko snorted as he and Mitsuru followed Yukari and Fuuka. "I know it's a public place, but must you be so loud Junpei?" He and Junpei traded smirks when they reached the edge of the pool. He locked eyes with the familiar blue-haired professor. "Hey aren't you-" he started.

"Skye-san," Mitsuru interrupted, walking over to her professor's side. "I didn't know you were also helping out with the swimming lessons!" She glanced at Yukari to check if she was giving any bad reaction, but in her relief, she was not.

"Hello Mitsuru," Skye greeted then turned to Yukari. "Hello Yukari." She gave the younger girl a warm smile. The ex-heiress took one look at the newly arrived group and ran her fingers through her drying hair. "Planning to take a swim?" she asked, eyeing the duffel bags and towels brought by Mitsuru and her friends.

Yukari walked to the edge of the pool, sat beside Skye and eased her legs into the cool water. "We were planning to hang out somewhere else, but Akihiko-senpai wanted to hang out here instead."

"It's a good idea!" Akihiko retorted, dropping his duffel bag onto a nearby bench and stripping out of his shirt. "It's really hot outside and it's convenient for us to hang out here instead since Minato and Junpei were here already to begin with."

Mitsuru casually walked behind Akihiko and with one hand, shoved him hard towards the pool. As the boxer wheeled his arms in an attempt to regain his balance, she told the others in a wry tone, "Aside from his good intentions, he wanted to come here to do laps for his training." She and the other laughed as the platinum-haired boxer plunged into the swimming pool. "Isn't that right Akihiko?" she asked, squatting by the edge of the pool as the young man surfaced.

"Sure…" Akihiko replied, swimming over to the edge then lunging out to grab hold of Mitsuru.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru cried, clinging to the edge. "I haven't taken off my clothes yet!" She desperately tried to stay on the ground.

Akihiko grinned and renewed his grip on Mitsuru's forearms. "You're wearing your swimsuit underneath right?" he asked before setting his feet on the wall and with a mighty pull, dragged Mitsuru into the water. "Ah! Sweet revenge!" He let out with a sigh as he dove down to avoid a wave of water created by a completely soaked redhead.

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru sputtered angrily. "If I get my hands on you, it's going to be an execution!" She struggled to get her shirt and shorts off her body, which left her in a white bikini swimsuit. "Only a coward hides underwater!" She tossed her sodden clothes back to the ground and searched the water around her.

As Mitsuru continued her search for the submerged Akihiko, Minato and Junpei slipped into the pool with Fuuka. "Want to swim to the other end?" Junpei asked his two friends.

"To the other end?" Fuuka asked, looking hesitant. "Well, I'll try to keep up," she decided, taking a deep breath and resorted to using a simple breaststroke while Junpei and Minato swam freestyle to the other end.

Yukari was getting ready to dive in herself when she noticed the ex-heiress grabbing a towel from a bench. "You're not going to join us, Skye-san?" she asked, walking over to the taller woman.

Skye chuckled and hung the towel around her neck. "I'd spoil your fun," she told the hazel-haired high school student. "I'm not really in the same age group as you guys," she added, glancing at how Yukari's friends were having fun in the water.

"Age doesn't matter in relationships!" Yukari pointed out. "If you don't have anything else to do, why don't you just hang out with us?" she suggested, going behind Skye's back and began to push her towards the pool. "I'm sure senpai and the others wouldn't mind!"

"Come on Skye-san!" Mitsuru called from the water as she held a struggling Akihiko underwater. "You're supposed to be on vacation too!" she reminded the older woman.

Skye let out a defeated sigh and tossed her towel back onto the bench. "Oh alright," she relented, getting the sudden feeling that Yukari was going to try to shove her into the pool. At the last minute, Skye quickly stepped to the side as Yukari lunged forward in an attempt to put Skye into the drink. "I don't think so, Yukari," Skye told the girl just as she hit the water. Taking a few steps back, the ex-heiress walked forward then somersaulted into the swimming pool, much to the amazement of her spectators.

For the rest of the remaining daylight, the group of friends plus Skye had fun in the indoor swimming pool. After Mitsuru had given Akihiko a thorough execution, the boxer challenged Skye to a five-lap race. He was a bit annoyed at how cool and calm the professor seemed when she accepted the challenge so he added that the loser would have to treat all of them out for dinner. The first four laps were even between the two of them, but by the time he triumphantly tagged the wall he could only gawp at Skye who was already seated at pool's edge.

"It just goes to show that girls are really better than boys!" Yukari pointed out as she laughed at the defeated Akihiko.

The last thing any of them did for the day was to try jumping off the high dive. Yukari and Junpei were daring each other to jump off from the highest level of the high dive, but neither could do so. Both seniors were only able to jump from the middle level. Once again, Akihiko and Skye were drawn to the highest level along with Minato. While the boxer and his blue-haired friend peered over the edge, Mitsuru could not help but smile as she observed her professor simply lean against the railing with a bored look on her face.

"We're going to get old down here you know!" Yukari shouted, waving at them from the ground. "You got to show some guts, senpai! It looks like Skye-san thinks this is no big deal!"

"Alright already!" Akihiko shouted, making a face at the high school senior who continued to jeer at him from below. Taking a deep breath, the boxer jumped off the ledge feet first. His body sliced through the water like a knife before he struggled to get to the surface for air.

Minato gazed down below to check if the area was clear then looked at Skye. "Shall I go first?" he asked politely.

"If you wish," Skye replied and watched as the young man collected himself on the edge of the platform before diving head first into the water. As Minato surfaced to the cheers of his friends, Skye walked to the edge of the platform, took a long look at the water below then turned around. Her heels already off the platform, Skye raised her arms into the air, jumped away from the edge, and somersaulted three times with an added mid-air twist in between the flips before finally diving head first into the water.

"What else can you do anyway?" Mitsuru asked her professor, holding out her hand to help Skye out of the pool. "It's like you can do anything!" she exclaimed.

Skye merely shrugged and grabbed her towel. "I just like playing sports," she explained. "I learned that dive from my roommate."

"You're not very modest huh?" Yukari asked, grinning up at the taller woman.

"If I'm not modest, you're going to think that I'm bragging," Skye pointed out, leading the way to the showers and the changing rooms.

"Akihiko-senpai and Skye-san are getting chummy, huh?" Yukari told her lover as she glanced at the pair walking ahead of them. "Think there's something there?"

Mitsuru shook her head as she also observed the ensuing conversation between Akihiko and her professor. "I'm sure it's just admiration on Akihiko's part," she pointed out. "He told me before that he wasn't into older women. Skye-san on the other hand just doesn't look interested in Akihiko in that way."

"So you haven't lost a match yet?" Skye asked the boxer.

"I haven't!" Akihiko boasted. "As long as I keep using my lucky pair of boxing gloves, I'm sure to keep winning!" He patted his duffel bag, indicating that the supposed gloves he just mentioned were safely tucked inside.

"Your boxing gloves are eventually going to wear out," Skye reminded the young man. "Whenever that's going to be, you're going to have to buy a new pair of gloves."

Akihiko looked shocked. "I know that!"

"Are you implying that you want to stick with your boxing gloves now?" Skye raised her eyebrows at the boxer. "For some matches and boxers, the quality of the boxing gloves plays a big role whether he or she will win the match."

"Oh yeah? What sports are you good at then, miss hotshot?" Akihiko demanded, sounding cross. "You make it sound like you're at an expert at any sport!" he huffed out.

"I'm knowledgeable and able to play most sports actually," Skye replied, ignoring the annoyed look on the boxer's face. "But I play football and basketball mostly. Why do you ask?"

Minato caught up to Mitsuru and Yukari and grinned at them. "It looks like Sagara-sensei has Akihiko-senpai riled up."

Mitsuru grinned back at her friend. "Akihiko just doesn't take to having competition lightly," she explained, an amused glint in her crimson orbs. "Especially if the competition is a woman," she added. They followed Akihiko and Skye into a modest Italian restaurant and were soon seated at a long table. Ten minutes later, they were all enjoying the main course of three dishes of pasta and pizza.

"So Mitsuru, are we still planning to head over to Yakushima?" Akihiko asked after swallowing his food down. The heated debate between he and Skye fortunately lulled and instead they talked about Skye's involvement as a midfielder for her university's football team. The professor's team had never won, but Skye was invited to join the National team, which she had declined due to her deepening involvement in her mother's family business.

The auburn-haired student nodded her head. "The Kirijo group fortunately allowed me a week off so we'll push through with the trip. We're leaving this Saturday and we'll head back Tuesday morning," she informed her friends, feeling Yukari reach for her hand underneath the table.

"Woohoo!" Junpei cheered.

"Oh no… it's going to be the great babe hunt part two," Yukari complained, crinkling her nose.

"We all know how badly that turned out," Mitsuru commented, smirking at both Junpei and Akihiko. Turning to Skye, she asked, "Would you like to know what happened the first time we all went to Yakushima?" Upon getting the professor's agreement, Mitsuru began to recount how Junpei had convinced Akihiko and Minato to go babe hunting with him. Junpei tried to play it down to save face, but Skye could easily tell that Junpei was the worst when it came to hitting on girls.

"The three of you fought over a transgender male in a bikini?" Skye could not help but laugh as the three young men before her struggled to hide their flushed faces.

Minato managed to give Skye a grin after controlling his fierce blushing. "Oh well, Junpei was the one who was going to face the most trouble if not for Akihiko-senpai," he recounted. "He noticed that there was hair on the girl… I mean guy's chin."

"Perhaps you should have kept quiet and let Junpei discover the many possibilities of that kind of love," Skye teased, which startled laughter from among the other members of their group. "Going to the beach seems like fun," Skye mused when the group finally quieted down. "I haven't been to one for a few years now."

"Really?" Fuuka asked, looking surprised at the revelation. "Being an heiress-"

"Ex-heiress," Yukari put in, slapping her hand over her mouth in her embarrassment.

Skye smiled and waved it off. "Go on," she told Fuuka.

"I just thought that coming from a privileged family would allow you numerous opportunities to travel," the young inventor explained. "A beach certainly seemed like an easily doable trip for someone like you."

"It depends on the heiress I suppose," Skye replied, throwing a knowing look at the only other heiress in their group. "Ever since I got really involved in the family business, I rarely had time to travel just for leisure's sake. I was given more freedom when I was still a university student, but even then I already had my work cut out for me," she explained, taking a filled glass in hand and downing its contents.

Mitsuru could easily tell that their conversation was bringing back bad memories and feelings for Skye so she hastily cleared her throat. "Skye-san is right," she pointed out. "I've been going through the same thing ever since I became of age to start participating in my family's business." She looked at her friends carefully. "Nevertheless, you have to understand that families like ours-" she indicated her and Skye's family. "-are most likely this way towards their children," she finished. "The good thing is that Skye-san turned away from that kind of life."

"The bad thing is that you're still stuck in that kind of life," Skye interrupted, a wry smile forming on her face. "Not that I mean anything bad by it," she assured her student. "As I said before, things may be going well right now, but you should always keep a sharp lookout for possible trouble. I don't need to elaborate on that." She leaned her elbows against the table and propped her chin against her hand.

"That reminds me," Akihiko let out. "Yukari mentioned that you're an ex-heiress and Mitsuru here pretty much confirmed that you decided leave your elite status behind. Are you actually happy now with your decision?"

There was a good minute of silence before Skye gave her answer. "Definitely," she replied, a smile gracing her lips. "I've never been happier in my life!" she exclaimed, looking dreamily at the younger people around her. "I'm living a life without any restraints and I'm relieved that I've escaped a life that has already been planned out for me."

Now that got Mitsuru thinking. She was a bit content with her life right now, but she knew that the Kirijo group had already made a long-term plan for her. When she did take the position as head of the Kirijo group, she would definitely be faced with more restrictions and there was also the inevitable problem of an arranged marriage. What would happen to Yukari? If things went as they are, Mitsuru would be forced to end her relationship with the younger girl. It pained her to think of that highly likely future.

"Senpai…" Yukari called her out of her thoughts. "Why don't we invite Skye-san to come with us to your place at Yakushima?" she asked, noticing that her other friends were nodding their heads in agreement.

The auburn-haired heiress looked thoughtfully at her professor. "It wouldn't be a problem and it'd be more fun if we had more people to come along," she mused and gave a frown when her professor began to shake her head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline," Skye told them, which spurred protest among the group of friends. "I'm not part of this clique," she reminded them. "I'm just a professor who happened to become you acquaintance through Mitsuru. Besides, I've got work to do," she added, glancing at her watch and reaching down to the floor for her bag.

"But Skye-san, we're only supposed to be teaching the kids three times a week!" Minato pointed out.

The jade-eyed professor shook her head. "I took up other jobs to keep myself busy for the summer," Skye explained. "I'm pretty much booked."

"I'm sure your bosses won't mind you missing your first day on the job," Yukari added, hoping to convince the avid biker. "After all, summer vacation just started and I bet they'd be pretty lax. Why not give it a try and ask your bosses if you could miss just one day of work?"

"I don't know…" Skye hesitated.

"Please?" Mitsuru pleaded, her eyes full of hope.

The ex-heiress let out a defeated sigh and fished her cellphone out of her pocket. "Excuse me," she told the group before putting the device against her ear. "Don't be too expectant about this. I'm not too sure that they'll let me off this easily."

As Skye conferred with her bosses, Junpei made a phone call of his own and relayed his report to his friends. "Ken-kun says that he'll be coming along with us," he informed his friends. "The kendo team is giving him a week off from training so he's free to join us."

"Aigis and Koromaru will be coming along too!" Fuuka added, looking ecstatic.

"That's great!" Yukari exclaimed. "It's going to be one of the few times we all actually got together on an outing!" She and the other chattered excitedly about the nearing trip until Skye hung up from her cellphone conversation.

"Well?" Mitsuru asked on behalf of her friends.

"What time and where will I meet you on Saturday?" Skye replied sarcastically, a trace of a smile on her lips. As Mitsuru and Yukari filled Skye in with the necessary information, the others waved a waiter over to order desert before they headed home for the night.

"What has you grinning like an idiot, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked the boxer as the ferry sliced through the rough seas towards the island of Yakushima. Two hours had passed since their large group boarded the ferry that was bound for the pristine island and most of the group had decided to stay out on deck to bathe under the sun and let the ocean breeze cool their hot skin. Mitsuru had just come down from the bridge and noticed her platinum-haired friend leaning against the door and grinning.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing really," Akihiko lied, trying to mask his cheeriness.

Mitsuru rolled her crimson eyes at the boxer. "You've always been a bad liar, you know that?" Mitsuru reminded him as she stepped out onto the deck. "Now tell me. What's the reason for that really big grin of yours?" she asked once again.

"See for yourself," Akihiko replied as he pointed at a person leaning over the railings of the ferry. "I know it's sadistic of me, but I can't help but feel happy that there's something that she isn't good at!"

Mitsuru frowned deeply at her friend before striding over towards her nauseous and shaky looking professor. "Skye-san?" she called out her name.

"I hate boats…" the jade-eyed woman said dizzily. She gripped the steel railings hard as she fought the urge to throw up. Her face and knuckles were a deathly white color.

The redhead stepped forward and positioned herself at her professor's side. "I didn't think you're the type to get seasick so easily," she told the older woman as she soothingly rubbed Skye's back. "I was actually starting to wonder why you were spending so much of your time at the railings."

Skye covered her eyes with her hand and took in deep breaths of air. "How much farther?" she asked. It was apparent that the ex-heiress was one who did not talk much when she was on a boat or rather seasick.

"We'll be docking in fifteen minutes," Mitsuru replied, fishing some chewing gum out of her pocket and offering it to Skye. "Try chewing on this. It should help even a little bit so try to hold on for just a bit longer." She left the blue-haired woman alone and headed towards the center of the deck where a certain hazel-haired girl lay stretched out on a lounge chair.

Yukari tipped her sunglasses down to gaze up at her lover with a sleepy smile on her face. "I saw you check on Skye-san. Is she alright?" Unlike the ex-heiress, Yukari had spent most of the trip sleeping on her lounge chair. "She hasn't left that spot since we left port." She scooted over a bit to allow the redhead to sit with her.

"I gave her some gum, but I don't think it's going to help much," Mitsuru replied. "The seas are rough, but this ferry's design makes it able to cut through the seas smoothly." She shook her long auburn hair out and let the wind hit her face. "I guess Skye-san is just really sensitive to the movement of the seas."

The high school senior reached up and rested her hand against her lover's slender neck. "I hope she feels better when we set our feet on land," she told Mitsuru with a yawn. "But then again, there are people who still feel like they're on a boat even after disembarking."

Mitsuru reached up to her neck and placed her hand over Yukari's hand. "I've got some medicine for nausea at my vacation home if that's the case. I'm sure Skye-san will feel better after taking some medicine."

"To all the passengers, we are docking at Yakushima port in a few minutes! Please gather your belongings and get ready to disembark."

"Arghhh! Finally!" Skye shouted into the ocean air.

Mitsuru and Yukari giggled as they helped each other to their feet. "Shall we go fetch our things, mon amour?" she held her arm out to the shorter girl and waited until Yukari had hooked their arms together. "Perhaps we should accompany Skye-san too," she considered, watching as her professor swaggered across the deck.

"Urrk!" The ex-heiress covered her mouth with her hand and raced for the railings.

Yukari shook her head. "Maybe we should just get Skye-san's belongings," she suggested, pulling Mitsuru inside the ferry's lounge area.

"I feel kind of bad."

Akihiko grunted out an incomprehensible reply as he did his stretches. He had clearly made up his mind that he was going to do several laps for training before he had any fun with the rest of his friends on the beach. "Now that's strange. You never displayed sadness when we first set foot on this island."

"Yeah I know," Junpei replied, sinking his bare feet into the sand. "But after seeing Skye-sensei that sick looking and opting to stay at Mitsuru-senpai's mansion instead of coming down to the beach with us is just a really sobering thought." They had all witnessed the jade-eyed woman retching over the railing of the ship and had to help her off when they had docked.

"I wonder if she's alright?" Fuuka wondered aloud as she sipped her cold drink. "Senpai's maids had to practically carry Skye-san to her room." She hid an amused smile as she and her other friends remembered how the pale and slightly sweaty professor was at the brink of collapsing in the mansion lobby as she struggled to contain her roiling stomach.

Koromaru barked and pranced excitedly as Ken waved a stick in the air. "That's the worst case of seasickness that I have ever seen!" the boy shared, finally throwing the stick into the sea. "Are there cures for seasickness?" Ken watched as Koromaru raced into the water to retrieve the stick.

"Nausea specifically caused by motion sickness over water is quite common," Aigis informed them, the robotic tone now barely noticeable in her voice. "Some people are very vulnerable and 

experience seasickness as soon as they step foot on the boat. Common cures for this ailment are Dimenhydrinate pills and Scopolamine patches," she explained, gingerly sitting on a mat spread out on the sand. "My database tells me that these can be purchased in drug stores, but may need prescriptions. Otherwise there are other medicines for motion sickness that can be purchased as over-the-counter items."

"I do wonder if Mitsuru-senpai has those kinds of medication so readily available," Minato told his group of friends. He was wading into the sea, the blue waters reaching to his knees as the wind wove through his blue hair.

"Speaking of senpai," Junpei said, tossing his inflatable tube aside. "She and Yuka-tan have been at the mansion for over an hour already. Is Skye-sensei's condition that bad?"

"Maybe…" Akihiko replied. "Perhaps they're just trying to get some alone time before they head down here," he guessed, snickering at the sudden blush that appeared on Junpei's cheeks.

"They have a lot of time for that!" Junpei retorted, looking away from the amused stares of his friends. "They've probably done a lot of stuff already," he muttered as he struggled to hide his embarrassment.

"Not very likely," Akihiko replied. "It's just been around four months since the two of them got together and I highly doubt they've taken their relationship to another level." The boxer slipped off his sandals and tested the water with his feet. "They may be lovers, but you have to remember that Mitsuru is a very busy woman, being the heir of the Kirijo group after all."

Fuuka chirped in her agreement as she allowed Aigis permission to rub sun-tanning lotion onto her back. "Senpai's so busy that she and Yukari-chan rarely have time to see each other. Just leave them be for the meantime."

She must have looked like a sorry mess. It was embarrassing enough already that she had made a scene with her seasickness on the ferry, but she had to get through having Mitsuru's maids half-carrying her up to her assigned room and fawning over her. It may have been for good reasons, but it made the blue-haired professor deeply embarrassed. "I'm really fine Mitsuru," she murmured. Skye sat on the edge of her bed with her face buried in her hands.

"I'm doubtful about that claim, Skye-san," Mitsuru replied, looking worriedly at her professor. She oversaw the work of the maids who had wiped Skye's face with a cold and damp towel and made sure that the former heiress had taken her medicine for motion sickness. "You still don't look so good," she pointed out.

"She's right," Yukari agreed, walking over to the seated Skye and bended over to get a closer look at blue-haired woman's face. "You're still quite pale."

"Perhaps the both of you are right," Skye agreed, tilting her head up to gaze at the pair with weary jade-green eyes. "But it doesn't mean that the two of you should stay in here until I get better," she told them. "Just give me a few hours of rest and I'll be good to go." She waved them off and motioned for them to get out of the room.

Mitsuru frowned and opened her mouth to protest but those jade-green eyes glared hard at her. She instead let out a sigh and latched onto Yukari's hand. "Come on Yukari. There's nothing else to do, but let Skye-san rest for now." She opened the door, waited for Yukari to step outside and glanced over her shoulder to regard Skye with her deep crimson orbs. "If you need anything just use the intercom to call the maids."

Skye shuddered as she lay back on the bed. "I'd rather not," she muttered, raising her arm in the air and waving it. "Go along now," she told the redhead without looking at her. "You should seize this opportunity to get some time together with your girlfriend."

Ignoring the fierce blush that spread across her face, Mitsuru shook her head once and bade goodbye to the former heiress. "We'll see you later then." She stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She raised an eyebrow at the hazel-haired girl who was casually leaning against the wall adjacent to Skye's room. "Well?"

"Shall we head to the beach then?" Yukari asked.

"I was hoping you'd like to spend some time with me first," Mitsuru said, a sheepish grin forming on her face. "This may be one of the few times we could spend with each other alone."

The hazel-haired girl beamed back at her lover. "Not unless I sneak into your room late at night," she teased, winking seductively at the redhead. "What?" she pouted. "No turning red?" She stood there hands akimbo. "And I really enjoy it when I get you to blush!"

Mitsuru shook her head. "You could try getting me to blush in my room, Yukari," she suggested, this time feeling amused when it was her lover who turned red instead. "Well? Are you coming?" She walked down the hallway towards her room without looking back. Somehow, she already knew anyway that the hazel-haired girl was following closely behind her. The redhead had barely gone through the doorway of her room when her body was suddenly pinned against her door. "My! You're taking this quite seriously!" Mitsuru couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden aggressiveness of her lover.

"You were the one who suggested that we take this," she pressed her body into Mitsuru's, taking pleasure in hearing a sudden intake of breath from the older woman. "-to your room," she finished.

The redhead cleared her throat and gave Yukari a disinterested look. "By your body language alone, I can already tell that you have something else of greater magnitude on your mind." She lightly pushed her lover away, ambled towards her bed and sat on its edge. Crossing one leg over the other and bracing herself against the bed with her hands, Mitsuru eyed the younger girl carefully. "Why such a crestfallen demeanor? Don't tell me you're giving up already."

The dejected look immediately transformed into a disapproving frown. "You were just teasing?" she demanded.

Mitsuru chuckled and patted the bed space. "Do you think I'd pass up this time?" she asked in return. "It would be such a waste!" she exclaimed. "Now are you going to come here or are you just going to stand there until our friends arrive?" She continued to smile lightly as Yukari stalked over to her.

When Yukari was standing directly in front of the seated heiress of the Kirijo group, she bent down from the waist and gathered Mitsuru's face into her hands. "I just realized we haven't kissed for quite some time now," she told her lover, running her fingers through the silken auburn locks.

"Oh? It doesn't seem so long ago," Mitsuru replied, keeping a straight face as she gazed back into those soft honey-brown orbs.

"Senpai…" Yukari warned, not liking the extended teasing. "It's been almost two weeks since you last gave me a proper kiss!" She touched their foreheads together then lightly nuzzled the crown of auburn hair with the tip of her nose.

"I've always believed that fasting makes a relationship more…" Mitsuru thought for a while before giving Yukari the most suited description. "Intense," she continued. "Withholding love enables you to give tenfold."

Yukari scowled, placed her hands on Mitsuru's shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed. "That would depend on the person, senpai," she argued, positioning her knees on either side of Mitsuru's thighs. "Especially if you're the person who's being fasted on…" she whispered, leaning down and capturing the lush lips of her lover in a heated kiss.

They remained like that for a few minutes, enjoying the slow playing of their lips against each other as their hands tentatively began to explore each other's bodies. Yukari's smaller hands travelled up the slender sides of Mitsuru as she pulled her lips away before settling them on her lover's neck. "Je te désire…" Yukari said huskily as she playfully nipped at the sensitive skin at the junction of her lover's neck and shoulder.

A deep rumble reverberated from Mitsuru's throat as she chuckled in amusement. "Vraiment? Tu apprends vite," she replied then expertly flipped Yukari over onto her back while she straddled the younger girl's hips.

"You're jumping to conclusions senpai!" Yukari complained, wriggling her body to escape Mitsuru's firm hold. "You expect too much from a girl who's barely learned any French!"

The auburn-haired heiress leaned down and sweetly kissed her pinned down lover. "I apologize," she told Yukari after pulling away. "I was just taken aback when you started talking in French. It sounded… sexy." She found herself being pulled down for another kiss as her hands began to fumble at Yukari's sleeveless button-downed top. Her hands had just made contact with the smooth and taut flesh of Yukari's stomach when they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Excuse me, Mitsuru-sama," a maid called from the other side of the door. "Your friends have already gathered at the dining hall including Sagara-sama. Manners dictate that we should not serve dinner if the hostess is not around."

Mitsuru's head drooped as she let out a loud sigh. "I will be downstairs promptly," she replied, easing herself off Yukari and buttoning down the recently undone top.

"Shall I inform Takeba-sama?"

"She probably isn't in her room," Mitsuru replied, tweaking her lover's nose and getting off the bed. "I will contact her via cellphone instead."

"Will that be all, Mitsuru-sama?" the main inquired.

"Yes…" the redhead replied as she helped Yukari to her feet. When the maid's footsteps could no longer be heard, Mitsuru fixed her appearance as she talked to the hazel-haired girl before her."That was close, but it looks like we'll have to go to the dining hall separately."

Yukari sighed and lightly kissed the taller woman. "It's for the best then. If we are seen together by our friends, they'd make a big fuss," she replied. "It would be the same for the maids too if they found out that I was in your room." She took a look at herself at the large full length mirror in Mitsuru's room before making her way to the door. "I'll go first," Yukari volunteered then slipped out into the hallway.

Mitsuru waited a good five minutes before deciding to head down to the dining hall. She was just about to go out of her room when her intercom began to beep, telling her that someone was trying to contact her. Making her way to her nightstand, the heiress hastily pressed the answer button. "I'm on my way down."

"You should be since Yukari's already down here," Skye's voice drawled from the intercom speakers. "Don't worry," she assured her student, the dryness in her voice remaining. "I'm alone in the lounge beside the dining area so no one could hear what I'm saying."

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Skye-san!" Mitsuru complained.

The professor laughed. "Sorry, but I just needed to check if you were really coming down for dinner. So did you enjoy the short alone time you had with Yukari?"

"A little bit. The lack of time didn't really give us much to work with," Mitsuru admitted ruefully.

"Oh well. There will be other opportunities for the two of you take," Skye reminded her most brilliant student. "For now, come down here already! The maids won't serve the food unless you're down here with us!"

"Yes, yes…" she replied, hanging up on her professor and stalked out of the room. A content smile was evident on her face as she used her fingers to trace her still warm lips.



It took me a while to update again. Unfortunately, I'm going to be really busy in the next few weeks so I'm not so sure if I'll be able to keep up the work. Anyhow, I'd like to thank Li Senkei for volunteering to be my French guru. I decided that online translators lack accuracy so I took up the offer when I was presented with it. For the benefit of the non-French speaking readers, these are the translations of the French sentences used in this chapter:

"Je te desire." – I want you

"Vraiment? Tu apprends vite," – Is that so (Really)? You are learning fast.

Next chapter: Fun at the beach and a sudden unwanted meeting