Introduction (26 February 2023)
After some more 'diversions' into writing other stuff (including an alternate ending for "Love Flops" and creating a short story for Takagi-san series) I am finally back to writing for Tonikaku Kawaii.
Update 18 March 2023: Or at least I thought, when I wrote the first few lines of this introduction. But then I watched the "Weathering with You" movie, and ended up writing a short story for that, called "Ray of Light", before returning again to working on this new "To the Moon" chapter…
By the way, there will be a poll/question at the end of this chapter, I hope you will be able to provide some input on that.
Note: If you want to comment on this story, or any of my other stories, please do leave a review. This also applies if you have a question for me, or something else. Even just a few commenting words will already be really appreciated. So, don't be shy, feel free to comment, like, criticize. Your feedback is extremely useful to correct errors, and even can be inspiring. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Chapter Intro:
After having tried one more time to unravel the mystery of the strange light that had been visible during the past nights, a new situation had suddenly arisen, as it seemed our heroes were getting some visitors now. Would these newcomers be here to help, or…?
Chapter 26 – Found
"We have found them!" a man with a rough appearance said into the microphone of his headset…
"It seems like the waters are pretty shallow near the shore!" a more smooth looking sailor shouted back, in order to be heard over the noise of the breakers.
"We'll prepare the 'X2' for launch as soon as possible! These poor guys must be in a lot of distress being trapped on this island for so long," the first sailor commented.
"Yeah, kids these days, if they have to go without fast WiFi for an hour, they already think it's the end of the world and all life upon it," the second sailor chuckled.
"You hit the nail there," his bearded colleague replied, as both burst out into laughter.
"When you two are done with that 'Waldorf and Statler act', maybe you would be inclined to get that rescue party going?"
"Yes captain!" both sailors replied instantly, as they rushed towards the crane on the port side that kept a smaller boat, with 'X-plorer 2' written on the sides, hanging suspended above the deck.
Soon the 'X2', a so called 'RIB', a boat with a partially rigid hull and inflatable sides to ensure enough buoyancy, hit the water and the two sailors quickly climbed down the side of the ship, to board the vessel. After firing up the outboard engines, they sped towards the coastline. Even though it was still dark outside, the experienced sailors had no trouble at all navigating the breaking waves, and soon beached the 'X2' on the sandy shore.
"Welcome!" a young person suddenly greeted the two sailors, with a friendly voice.
"Eh, thanks…" both men replied, looking at each other while feeling a bit confused; They had been expecting some panicking castaways instead of this well composed reception.
Their surprise grew even bigger when their 'host' invited them to come along to a primitive but still comfortable looking camping site and offered them some coconut juice as refreshment!
"What are these people?" the sailor with the beard whispered to his companion.
"I don't know, these conditions usually turn youngsters like them into helpless kids, but these guys are something different; It almost looks like they're on a planned holiday, for crying out loud," the smoother looking sailor whispered back.
"Oh, dear sirs, if you don't mind me giving a suggestion, I think for the return trip it would be better to initially keep heading towards the small reef close to where you beached the RIB, and then after about hundred meters make a ninety degree turn to starboard. The currents are considerably more favorable there, which will save you some fuel and should make for a more comfortable ride," Nasa commented.
"Okay… thanks for the advice son…" the sailor with the clean look replied.
"Seriously, who, or perhaps what are these people?" his colleague said on a whispering tone, as he nervously started fidgeting with his beard.
"It's pretty sus, I think for now it's best we do as they say…" the other sailor whispered back.
Nasa carefully checked if he had put everything in his backpack, then walked toward Kaguya-hime's improvised hut, and carefully knocked on one of the wooden beams that were part of the structure of the shelter.
"Your highness, are you ready to come with us?" Nasa inquired.
There was no reply, but merely a few seconds later, the curtain of the princess' shelter was moved aside, and she gracefully walked through.
"Woah! That looks like some alien queen…" the younger looking sailor whispered to his mate.
"Y-You are right…" was the short reply of the bearded sailor.
"I need a picture of this, they will never believe me otherwise!" the other sailor remarked, as he took out his smartphone and instantly executed his plan.
A bright light lit up the area, coming from the phone camera's flash as the sailor took a picture. But immediately, a different, much brighter glow appeared; It was the Moon-princess who had stepped forward, positioning herself between both sailors and the young couple.
"These humans are my friends, and you shall not bring them any harm!" Kaguya-hime spoke with a loud voice, as an ominous aura formed around her.
The sailor initially took a few more shots with the phone's camera, being intrigued by this strange phenomenon, until he realized the potential danger, and quickly took a few steps back.
"Oh no, there is no need to defend us against anything, Princess!" Nasa quickly intervened; "All they did was take a quick picture," he added, while smiling friendly.
"These people have no paint or canvas with them, how can they take a picture with that shiny tool that looks much more like weapon?" the Moon-princess wondered, as she returned back to her normal state.
"The device they used, has some sort of electronic 'eye' in it, which captures the image of something it gets pointed at," Nasa tried to explain in terms that would likely be the best to convey the purpose of a digital camera to someone not used to this technology.
"Capture? So it is dangerous!"
"It's totally harmless, it just records the light that is reflected from objects and people and turns that into a picture," Nasa further elaborated; "Though it could cause issues if any others would get to see these images, so I am going to have to ask you to remove these picture again," he added, addressing the two sailors.
"S-S-Sure, anything you ask, mister!" the youngest sailor stammered, meanwhile hastily swiping a few images to the trashcan icon on the screen.
"With that all cleared up, shall we get moving, dear?" Tsukasa suggested; "While you've done a great job making our stay here quite comfortable, I must admit the thought of going back to the civilized world again and being able to take a warm bath, does sound very appealing."
"Ehhh… a warm bath? You m-mean…?" Nasa now was the one to stutter, as he imagined his cute wife gently washing his back and him returning the favor.
"W-We'll see about that when we get there…" Tsukasa replied, a bit flustered.
The now even more unusually looking group of 'explorers' walked back to the beach, and one by one boarded the vessel. Following Nasa's earlier directions about the suggested best possible route back through the breakers, they soon arrived back at the main ship, and just a little while later, they found themselves in the captain's quarters, to be welcomed aboard.
While Nasa and Tsukasa humbly thanked everyone for their rescue efforts, and the captain was also surprised hearing how well the castaways had handled being stranded for a while, most of the crew's attention went to their extra-terrestrial guest instead.
Nasa had taken care to inform the captain that no pictures were to be taken of the Moon princess, to avoid a repeat of the situation they had earlier, when still on the island. Soon after, Kaguya-hime had indicated being somewhat fatigued, and retired to the one of the cabins the captain had assigned to his guests.
As the sun was starting to slowly rise on this new day, Tsukasa found Nasa standing by the ship's railing, looking at the horizon.
"What are you thinking of, husband?" Tsukasa asked, as she positioned herself close to him.
"Oh, that it's good to be back again, and that we're still together," her significant other replied.
"I see. It sure is nice to be going home, after all that we've been through," Tsukasa agreed with her usual disarming smile, before her face changed to a more serious expression again; "But that isn't all there is to it, right?"
"I still have a few theories I need to take a closer look at, yes…" Nasa admitted.
'I am convinced it must have been the Princess who was responsible for the strange light, as it was very different from the rescue ship's searchlights…' Nasa pondered in silence. 'But did she try to help getting us found, and just being modest about it, or was she trying to draw the attention of someone else to our location…?'
"I am sure whatever is on your mind, you will figure it out sooner or later, dear," his wife said, as her gentle smile had once again returned to her face; "And if there is anything I can help you with, just let me know, okay?"
Nasa nodded agreeingly, then remained silent again for a while. He frowned a little, as if he was in deep thought, then suddenly turned towards Tsukasa, with a tense look on his face.
"Tsukasa-chan? There is actually something you can help me with…" he stated.
"Oh, and that is?" Tsukasa asked, as her eyes grew a little bigger, being all ears to hear his request.
"I-I am not sure if I could ask this from you n-now..." Nasa replied, hesitatingly.
"Don't hold back, if there is something I can do, I will help in whatever way I can!" Tsukasa assured him, with a fired up look upon her face.
"Well… eh… a kiss would be nice…" Nasa suggested.
"Husband, honestly? On a time and place like this?" was her initial reaction, before Tsukasa started blushing; "Okay, a little one then, I must admit I've missed it too, a bit…" she added, before briefly pressing her lips on his mouth.
"You're so cute, Tsukasa-chan," Nasa started, as he hugged his wife and started kissing her back.
"H-Hold on… what if someone sees us like this?" Tsukasa reacted, all flustered; "Besides, I think you are now no longer focused on solving the problems you were thinking about."
"B-But… not having spent nearly enough time together is actually one of the issues I was trying to find a solution for…" Nasa commented, as he started blushing profusely now too.
"Sheesh!" was all Tsukasa could say, as they hugged for a little longer.
As the ship moved towards the horizon, taking its crew and passengers towards their destination, it was clear there was one thing Tsukasa and Nasa no longer needed looking for, as it was something they had already clearly found with each other: The unconditional and deep love they treasured day in, day out, forever…
(To be continued…)
Chapter Afterthoughts (18 March 2023)
I guess this chapter concludes the "Desert Island Arc", even though some questions still remain, as we could read from Nasa's thoughts when on the ship.
But first another question, from me to you, the readers. Do you think I should continue this story for a fair bit longer, or wrap it up as soon as possible? I still have plenty of ideas left, including for how this story will eventually end, but with the limited feedback on the recent chapters, it becomes harder to determine if people are looking forward to the next chapters or are more like 'whatever' about it. So perhaps you can shed some light (pun intended) here.
Disclaimer
Please let me know what you think of this chapter and leave some feedback in the form of a review. If you have/create an account on this fanfiction website, and post a review when logged in, I can even reply to your comments. It would be nice to be able to interact with the people who read my stories!
Btw, since I am not a native speaker, there might be some silly mistakes in this story, like for instance in grammar and/or in punctuation. I hope you can bear with me and see through that. Naturally any helpful tips and suggestions are welcome.
Stay safe, and maybe until soon!