Chapter 8

Well, I'm sitting in the library at school, and I feel so smart because I brought a pair of headphones. Another reason I love my laptop: it has all my favorite CDs are in it's library, so I don't even have to carry them around I can just select a CD from it's memory and viola! As long as I'm the only one who can hear it, I can listen to whatever I want! The current CD of choice? Phantom of the Opera - the original cast. ; )

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

His glasses were off in a flash. Without hesitation Hiwatrari dove off of the pier into the churning black water. He broke surface as quickly as possible to avoid getting hit in the face by a one of the jellyfish. The waves were fighting against him, and his clothing was weighing him down. He struggled toward the direction he thought she might be, when suddenly her cries ceased. Oh, shit.

He swam harder, fighting against the urge to panic. "Harada-san!" He screamed. "Harada-san! Where are you?!" He felt something brush up against his leg, but it couldn't reach him through his clothing. He tried again. "Risa! Answer me!"

Finally, he saw where she was struggling to swim. He fought his way against the waves and numerous jellyfish toward her. She went under again before he could reach her, but now he knew her location. At one point, he felt a sharp sting on his hand, but it must have been a baby, because the pain he felt was nothing compared to what she must have been experiencing.

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The pain was unlike any she had before experienced. It was surreal, what she was feeling. She didn't even know pain like this could exist. She was paralyzed by the intensity of the stings. They shut down her mind and body, blocking out everything except the icy fire spreading through her body.

And yet, even through all the pain and all her screaming, her mind was perfectly clear. Or at least, clear enough for her to realize that she was drowning. And somewhere in the back of her mind, a small part of her thought "Oh shit. Riku's going to be so upset."

That was the last thing that came to mind before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso and pulled her to the surface. She gasped for air, only to waste it on a scream, for she had been stung on her stomach, and Hiwatari was tugging her to shore by her abdomen. She screamed and screamed. And screamed. Even when he pulled her ashore and laid her down in the sand she kept screaming. She screamed until finally his hand covered her mouth and muffled her shrieks.

"Harada-san." He said sternly. "I need you to stop screaming now." She squealed underneath his hand, sobbing. Couldn't he see how much pain she was in?! "I know it hurts, but I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?" She shook her head, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Yes, you can." He said, and removed his hand from her mouth. She cried out, but this time words were discernable and her voice wasn't as shrill.

"It hurts!"

"I know. I know it does." He looked down at her, his eyes cold and calculating. "Do you know what happened?" She didn't answer. "You were stung by a jellyfish. That's why there's no one here - this area is infested . . ." he shook his head, disgusted. "You'd think they would have that sign fixed." He sighed, still shaking his head. "Fortunately, it wasn't a box jellyfish."

"How do you know it wasn't?" She asked, crying.

"You would be dead by now." He said. This made her cry even harder. He sighed and leaned over her. "Risa-san." He whispered. She opened her eyes and stared into his deep blue gaze. For a moment, the pain was forgotten. His face was literally centimeters from hers. When he spoke, she could feel his breath against her lips. "You've been stung very badly. I have to get you back to the hotel."

She whimpered as carefully put her shirt and skirt back on her. That was the great thing about Hiwatari, though. He saved her the embarrassment of being in a skimpy red bikini in public. He tried to be as careful as possible when he picked her up, but she still cried in pain. "H-Hiwatari, it hurts!" He didn't bother mentioning that she forgot to add an honorific. At the moment, it didn't seem important.

"I know it does." He adjusted her in his arms so that he was carrying her like he would a child. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun." She murmured, her voice quivering. She sounded so much like a child at that moment. He sighed.

"Don't apologize Harada-san. It's not your fault . . . it's the fault of whoever knocked down that sign. We should sue . . ." She sniffled, and he sighed, wishing he could make her feel better. "We need vodka." He muttered. She looked up at him.

"What?"

"Nothing . . . that was . . . a joke because . . . you know. Vodka can be used to treat . . . never mind." He sighed.

She giggled. "Did you really just try to make a joke, Hiwatari-kun?"

"Maybe." He said with a smirk. She giggled again. His fan girls would die to be in her situation right now.

"Ah!" She cried, and he shifted his arms again so he wouldn't touch her stings.

"We have to go in here, first." He murmured.

"Wh-where?" She looked up to see they were entering an ABC store.

"Do you have a place where I could set her? And also, I'm going to need some vinegar and aloe."

"Jellyfish sting?" The saleswoman asked, bringing over a collapsible chair..

"What do you think?" He sat Risa down in the chair. "I'll be right back. Don't move." As if she could. He walked to the counter and paid for the items. He stuck his right arm through the loops on the plastic back and picked Risa back up. "Thank you." He murmured to the saleslady and was out the door in a flash.

"H-Hiwatari-kun . . . I'm not too heavy?" Ah. Leave it to Risa Harada to worry about her weight while in immense pain.

"No, Harada-san. You're not too heavy." Anyway, I've carried you before . . .but she didn't know that, of course, and he wasn't about to say it aloud.

In ten minutes the reached the hotel, but the moment Hiwatari walked in carrying Risa there was a blinding flash. It took him a second to get his bearings, but when the spots disappeared he saw Saehara grinning up at him, holding a camera. "Wow! Now this is suspicious! You two are walking in just like newly-weds!"

"Harada-san is hurt." He said, striding past him toward the elevators. As he walked, carrying the injured girl, all eyes followed. Saehara caught up to him.

"Hey! What happened? Was there a shark attack?!"

"Jellyfish." He said, punching the button for the seventh floor.

"Jellyfish?" Saehara scoffed. "That's boring! Now a shark attack, that would be- hey!"

But the elevator doors had already closed. "Are you okay?" Hiwatari asked.

"I think so. It just hurts." Her voice was tired. Silence fell between them, but this time there was no awkwardness.

"712, right?' He asked when they finally reached her floor.

"Yeah." She said. Her eyes closed. She was content for a moment, then . . . "Hiwatari-kun . . . what are you doing?" He had placed is knee against the wall and was using his leg and the wall to help support her. She felt his right hand slip into the pocket of her skirt. She gasped and slapped him hard across the face, surprised at how much strength she had, considering. "PERVERT!" She screamed, then braced herself, sure that Hiwatari would drop her.
He just looked with those icy blue eyes and held up a plastic card he had taken from her pocket. "I needed your room key." He said gently. She gasped and he slid the card in the door, unlocking it. He pushed his way into the room and gently kicked the door shut.

"Which bed is yours?"

"The one by the bathroom." She said. He laid her on the bed opposite to it and began stripping her bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure we don't ruin your sheets." His voices was calm and calculating, and his hands moved methodically, as if this was something he did all the time. He scooped her back up and laid her on the bed, which only had the bottom sheet left.

"Your bed is probably going to smell like vinegar for a while." He murmured. "And before you say anything, I'm sorry about this."

"Sorry about what? Hey!" She gasped as he began unzipping her skirt. "What are you doing?"

"You had another wound on your upper thigh that I need to take care of. If you're embarrassed, remember I've already seen you in your bathing suit."

"I know, but I don't particularly like it that you're undressing me! I can do that much myself!"

"Can you now?" He asked and stepped back. She tried to sit up, but the jellyfish sting on her stomach prevented it. She grunted and cried out in pain, and he crossed his arms. "Now, may I please tend to your wounds before they get worse?"

She glared at him, but permitted him to continue with his work. "And like I said . . . I apologize. I know this is probably highly embarrassing for you."

"Oh, and it isn't for you?!"

He shrugged. "I studied a little bit of medicine in college. I'm certified for this type of thing." She glared at him, but noticed his face did seem tinged with a hint of pink as he slipped her shirt over her head. However, his calculating look returned when he saw the red slashes that had appeared across her stomach.

"Hmm . . . we need to get this cleaned. The venom isn't toxic, but the pain is going to continue if we don't get the stingers out . . . This is going to hurt." He took a deep breath. "A lot." She watched him pour vinegar on one of the hotel's washcloths.

"H-Hiwatari . . . do you know what you're doing?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, then looked at her. "I'm about to begin . . . are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be . . ." she murmured, closing her eyes. He sighed and touched the washcloth to her stomach. It stung a little, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be.

"Feel okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm about to start scrubbing. Please . . . don't scream." He applied pressure to the rag and ran it across her stomach. She couldn't stop herself - she screamed.

He jumped up and covered her mouth with his hand. His skin tasted like vinegar. "Shhh!"

"That hurt!"

"I said it would! Now calm down."

"Why are you doing this, Hiwatari-kun?" She asked, glaring.

"Because it's the best way to treat a jellyfish sting."

"No I mean, why are you helping me?"

He looked confused for a second. "What do you mean?"

"You hate me! Why would you bother helping me when I've been nothing but a nuisance to you."

" . . . Harada-san . . . I don't hate you." he said softly.

"You . . . don't?"

"No. Where did you get an idea like that?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Well, you're always so cold toward me, and I know I'm really annoying and not very smart."

"That's . . . not true, Harada-san. You can be very intelligent when you want to be." He looked uncomfortable. "And . . . yes, you can be very . . . very annoying at times, but that doesn't make me hate you. I'm cold toward you because that's the way I treat everyone." She realized this was true and smiled slightly. "Now, may I please continue?"

" . . . Yes, Hiwatari-kun." She said softly. When he began cleaning again, she did her best not to scream. She cried and covered her face with a pillow, but she didn't scream. Hiwatari's work was finished with ten minutes. It was the longest ten minutes of her life.

"Okay . . ." He sighed, trying to think of a way to put this. "There is another sting on your . . . inner thigh." He said. His voice seemed somewhat edgy.

"Okay." Risa didn't really understand what he was trying to say. "Yeah, my leg was hurting."

"It's . . . very high up . . . on your inner thigh."

"What?" She strained to sit up and gasped, seeing the red stripe . It was half way between her knee and her . . . er . . . self. Now she understood why he looked so uncomfortable.

"Do you know when your sister will be back?"

"No . . . knowing her it will be a while."

" . . . I could . . . go get someone else . . . to take care of this . . . if you're uncomfortable with me-"

"No!" She cried. "Please don't leave!" She was afraid if he left, he wouldn't come back, and he had saved her life. At the moment he was the only person she wanted to be around. "Please, you . . . you saved me. You know more about health than our own nurse does!"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would!" She said. "Please! I . . . I trust you . . . and I know you wouldn't do this . . . if you didn't have to."

He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Okay. Okay I need you to . . ." Oh . . . this was going to sound awful. "Spread your . . . legs. Don't give me that look! You know what I mean!" She did as she was told, and he dutifully scrubbed the area she had been stung. She noticed that he wasn't blushing - he had turned off all emotion and was looking at this as simply a job to do.

Hiwatari . . . would make a good doctor . . . she noted. He had everything it required: Patience, dexterity, a strong stomach, and the ability to turn off all feeling in order to get the job done . . .

Of course, she was thinking this as he scrubbed the sting on her leg, so it was in the back of her mind. There were more important thoughts swirling around in her head, like "OW! THAT HURTS!" And "This is so embarrassing!"

"Now, for the aloe." He said, stepping away from her. "This will help with the pain." He squeezed a small amount of green gel onto his hand and smoothed it over her abdomen. She gasped at the contact. Satoshi Hiwatari was touching her stomach!

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no. It's just . . . cold." She said quickly. He nodded and continued his work, spreading the gel until it covered ever part of the wound. And it did help. She was still in pain, but the aloe helped immensely. She closed her eyes, content, but when he proceeded to move to her leg she gasped and moved away from him

"I apologize." He said, proper as usual. "Is this making you uncomfortable?"

"No, no it's okay. Just . . . warn me next time." She said, settling back into her spot. He nodded and squeezed more gel into his hand.

"Don't worry, it will be over soon." He murmured. His hand touched her inner thigh, and she felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine. He glanced up at her, but didn't say anything. It was embarrassing enough for the both of them.

"What is going on?!" Both their heads turned as Riku entered the room. Neither of them moved for a moment, then Hiwatari quickly drew his hand away from her thigh. His face was impassive. "H-He . . . you-you-you . . .!" She spluttered, pointing at Hiwatari. "Get away from my sister!"

"No, Riku! It's nothing like that!" Risa said as Hiwatari stood.

"Oh really?!" She stared at her sister in disbelief. "Risa, how could you?!"

"Harada-san, I was merely -"

"You stay out of this, pervert!" Riku shouted. Ouch. That was the second time he'd been called a pervert in the past thirty minutes.

"Riku, he saved my life!" Risa said, trying to sit up. She groaned and fell back. Hiwatari quickly strode back to her side.

"She was stung by a jellyfish." He said calmly. "Possibly more than one. There was a warning sign, but it had been knocked down."

"Oh, Risa!" Riku said, instantly abashed. "I'm so sorry! If I had been there . . ."

"Well, I'm just lucky Hiwatari-kun was with me . . ." She looked meaningfully at her sister. "I think you owe him an apology."

"Oh . . . right . . . I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun. It's just that . . . well . . . when I walked in and saw you . . . hey, what were you doing, exactly?"

He nodded for her to join him next to Risa and pointed out the wounds on her body. "She's been stung here and here. Her stomach got the worst of it, but as you can see she's been stung on her leg as well. I was doctoring her wounds when you entered."

"Wow, Hiwatari-kun. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips and smiled at him. He merely shrugged. Risa gave her sister a look, and Riku cleared her throat. "Well, um . . . we're out of ice. I'm just gonna . . . you know . . . go get some more." She said. Her feeble excuse to get out of the room fooled no one, but they let her go.

"Well, I should be getting to my room. I'm really not supposed to be here."

"Okay . . ." She said softly. He stood to leave, and her heart started drumming. He was at the door before she finally worked up her courage. "H-Hiwatari-kun?"

"Yes?" He paused, looking back at her. Even from across the room she could see how blue his eyes were. She swallowed.

"Um . . . well . . . you know tomorrow is our free day . . . so we can do whatever we want." He merely nodded, and she took a deep breath. "Riku and Daisuke are going to want to spend all day together. I was wondering . . . would you like to go somewhere with me? You know . . . just the two of us?"

He was silent for a moment, then he smiled. Yes, smiled. Satoshi Hiwatari smiled at her. It was small, barely discernable, but it was there, and it was still there as he replied "I would . . . like that very much . . . Risa-san."

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Hiwatari's smile faded as soon as he exited her room, but the warm feeling in his chest remained. Tomorrow, he was spending the day with Risa Harada. Just a few hours ago, that thought would've made him shudder, but after spending the first day of their trip with her and saving her life, he found himself growing fond of the girl. He was almost fond enough to call her . . . a friend.

Strange, wasn't it, how quickly your opinion can change of someone? He pondered this on the elevator ride to his floor, and on the walk to his room. She hadn't changed at all . . . she was still annoying as hell . . . but for some reason he didn't mind.

He entered the room and found Daisuke sitting on the couch. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. His usual smile was missing, and his eyes looked bleak. He was wringing his hands nervously.

"Daisuke?" He asked, approaching him. "Daisuke, what's the matter"

"Eh . . . S-Satoshi?" He swallowed, not meeting his eyes. "Um . . . I think . . . I think we need to talk . . ."

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My chapters just keep getting longer and longer. I don't know if that's good or bad . . .

Okay, guess what? Monday was me and David (my boyfriend)'s one year anniversary! He's attending college in Florida, and today I got a package in the mail from him. Inside was a rose with a black ribbon tied around it. Ooh! Phantom of the Opera! Ah . . . romantic . . . sorry, I just HAD to brag!

Anyway, review and I'll update!!!