Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Wish I did . . . but . . . nope.

"Ugh! I'm so tired, Riku! How much longer until we reach the top?" Risa leaned against the rock wall and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "It'sreally hot out here."

". . . Um . . . well we should be half way there."

"Half way?" Risa moaned. "But we've been walking for hours!"

" . . . it's only been about forty-five minutes, Risa." Riku said over her shoulder. "Come on, you can make it."

"But Riku!" She started. "It's too hot!"

"No it isn't! It's just humid, that's all, and there's a nice breeze blowing. You're just being a baby."

"No, I'm not! And I'm getting a headache!"

"Ugh. Risa, stop trying to get out of hiking. No one is going to carry you, if that's what you're thinking."
"No! That's not it at all! I was just thinking that maybe we should take a break. Please? Just for a minute?"

"You heard what the guide said. It'll just make you more tired."

"Riku!" She was on the verge of tears, but she kept following them. A little bit farther up the trail, she stumbled over a loose rock. Satoshi caught her arm and kept her from falling. Then leaned down so his face was close to hers.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She replied.

"No I mean . . . are you feeling alright?"

"Wha- why?"

"Your face is flushed." Without another word he put his hand to her forehead. "Harada-san!" He called over his shoulder. "I think we should stop."

"What?" Riku turned around. "Risa! What's wrong?" She cried when she saw Risa sitting down.

"I think she's getting too hot. Risa, why did you wear black?"

"What?"

"Black conducts and retains heat worse than white."

". . . Oh . . ." She muttered. "But it's just a tank top."

"It doesn't matter." He said,. "You should always wear light colors when you're hiking." For some reason, he felt slightly angry with himself. He should've thought to tell her not to wear black . . . but instead he had focused on now . . . nice she looked.

"Here!" Daisuke said, handing Satoshi a water bottle. "It had ice in it . . . I'm sure it's melted by now, but it's still pretty cool"

'Thank you." Satoshi murmured. He gently pressed the bottle to her forehead. "Does that help?"

" . . . Yeah . . . it does." She said, closing her eyes.

"Is she okay, Hiwatari-kun?" Riku asked. There was worry in her eyes. Satoshi looked over his shoulder and nodded to her.

"Here." He said and pressed it against the side of Risa's neck. She sighed, her eyes still closed and leaned against him. He blushed slightly, then smirked. Daisuke was right about her being high maintenance.

"I'm tired." She murmured against him. He moved away from her and handed her the water.

"Drink, then we need to get up. The longer we stay the hotter it's going to get." He took her arm, and when she was done he helped her to her feet. "Steady?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you, Satoshi-kun." Risa said softly. He nodded, unsmiling, but she could tell he wasn't angry. She started to hand him the bottle, but he shook his head.

"Keep it, in case you need it again."

"Oh . . . thank you."

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Risa could tell - just by the little things - that she and Satoshi were growing closer. She could tell by the way he walked beside her even though she was lagging behind the group, and by the way he would grab her arm to steady her every time she stumbled - which was often. Twice she caught him watching her out of the corner of his eye, but he seemed embarrassed so she didn't want to say anything about it.

He would even talk to her. Like, actually talk to her . . . as in . . . startingconversations. At one point he grabbed her elbow. "Risa . . . look." They were rounding the corner of the mountain , and she could see off of the side. At first the only thing she noticed was how high up hey had gotten - the tree tops looked like green shag carpeting from this high up. She gasped and felt the world tilt as vertigo set in. Satoshi put his hands on her shoulders. "Look." He repeated in a whisper. His breath tickled her ear, and she could see what he was indicating. From their altitude they had a full view of the double rainbow Hawaii was famous for.

". . . Wow . . ." she whispered in amazement. "Satoshi-kun it's . . . it's . . ." Beautiful didn't seem like a strong enough word to describe it.

"Aren't you glad you made yourself come to the top?" He asked. She turned to look at him.

"What?"

He nodded over to the mouth of a cave where the trail led into. "After that we should be at the top. . . . well . . . aren't you going to take a picture? This is probably the best spot."

"Oh . . . Right." She smiled and took the camera from her bag. His hands were still on her shoulders, and she was thankful for that.- she'd always experienced vertigo when she was up too high. Having his hands there reminded her of how solid the ground was. She snapped three pictures then put her camera back in her bag, afraid that at any moment it would slip from her hands and go tumbling into the abyss below.

"Wow, it's so . . . ugh. Ewe." She said as she turned and looked at her sister and Daisuke. "They've got that look on their faces." She nudged Satoshi and said rather loudly. "Maybe we should go and let them have their alone time."

"Shut up. We weren't going to kiss." Riku muttered, but she looked a bit disappointed. Risa grinned knowingly at her sister but said nothing more. Riku gave her a glare before grabbing Daisuke's hand and nearly dragging him up the slope toward the cave. Ooh. She wasn't very happy that Risa had interrupted . . .

"Um . . . do we really have to go in here?" Risa asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. It can't be much farther." Daisuke smiled at her before descending into the darkness. Risa sighed nervously - she couldn't see how far back the cave extended. There was, however, a handrail to keep them from running into anything.

"Are we going in?" Satoshi murmured from behind her.

"Um . . . uh . . . O-Of course."

"If you're scared . . ."

She turned and wrinkled her nose at him. "I chased Dark under worse circumstances, remember?" She quoted him. This earned her a smile, but it quickly disappeared once he saw that Daisuke and Riku were watching.

"Ahem. Let's go." He said.

They walked in a silent, single-file line, their hands holding on to the rail for guidance.

"It can't be much farther." Riku said. She was leading them, followed closely by Daisuke . Risa was next. Behind her was Satoshi.

"Good, because my feet hurt." She said. "Will we be able to sit down once we reach the top?"

"I'm sure they'll have a place for us to rest."

They rounded a corner. "Hey! Look! There's the end!" Sure enough, there was a dim light shining at the top of a stairwell. Relief filled Risa. Soon she would be able to rest. With renewed energy the group made their way toward the exit.

The sunlight was too bright after being in the cave. Risa covered her eyes and looked around. They had indeed made it to the top of the volcano. They were standing on a flat, grassy precipice. A fence blocked off the edge. Risa shuddered. That was a long way down.

Up ahead there was a viewing platform. It was shaded and had benches to sit down. They all gladly took a seat, and Risa stared in wonder at the beautiful island. They were so high that she could see the beach. She took a picture of it, then one of Satoshi when he wasn't looking. He turned and gave her an irritated look, but she just laughed and snapped another picture.

"Ooh! That was a good one!" She laughed. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're mad." Whoa Risa. Down girl. She realized with a start that she was making her flirting terribly noticeable. She swallowed and looked at him, but he didn't seem to notice. She supposed he was used to girls telling him he was cute. It certainly was true . . .

" . . . What?" He asked, and she realized she had been staring.

"Ah . . . I . . . uhm . . . n-nothing." She said, embarrassed. "I was just . . . you know . . . thinking."

"Oh." He said softly.

"Um . . . Satoshi-kun?"

"Hmm?"

" . . . You were right . . . it was worth it." She looked at the view, a soft smile on her face.

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Jeeze Galinda01! Corny much?

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All good things must come to an end eventually, and it was only a matter of time before Saehara showed up, his camera flashing non-stop.

"Well well well! Look at what we have here! The two love birds sitting side by side! Hiwatari, your girls will love this!" He gasped. While Satoshi fought back the urge to throw Saehara off of the mountain, Riku stood up.

"Well, that was fun and all, but it's getting a little crowded up here." She cast an evil glare at Saehara. "Let's go get a snow cone."

"Oh yay!" Risa jumped to her feet, suddenly not tired anymore. "Cherry snow cone, here I come!"

Truthfully, the climb back down was easier than the climb up. Much easier. They made it in nearly half the time, but it was mostly due to Risa's newfound motivation. She only complained a few times, and she didn't even ask to stop once. She was rather proud of herself when she reached the bottom.

Her day was even brighter when it was Satoshi who paid for her snow cone. He had bought her ice cream the night before, but that didn't count because they had been alone and she had been upset.

She looked up at him shyly. "I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it." He said, trying his snow cone. (He'd gotten blue raspberry.) She smiled and looked away, certain she was blushing. She wished she didn't blush around him so much - he must already know that she liked him. Good God . . . she was barely getting over Dark! And she already was falling for another guy? And not just any guy!Satoshi Hiwatari!

Satoshi Hiwatari . . . the boy with his very own fanclub. The 15-year-old middle school student with a college degree. The chief commander of the police force and the last living Hikari. He ignored every girl in school, had turned down every girl in his fanclub . . . what made her so different.?

Of all the people . . . why Satoshi?!

Then again, did she really have a choice in the matter? It wasn't like she had wantedto like him! Quite the opposite, actually. Just a few days ago she hadn't even liked him as a friend! And now? Now she found herself thinking about him even when he wasn't around! Oh yeah . . . it was true. She totally had a crush on Satoshi Hiwatari. She couldn't figure out which was worse - falling for a guy you used to dislike after only a few days. . . or falling for a guy you know would never like you back.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah . . . I'm just a little tired. That was a long hike."

"Hmm . . ." He looked away. "Have you . . . have you told your sister about . . . you know . . . last night."

"No! And you had better not say a word, Satoshi Hiwatari!" She hissed, then realized both Riku and Daisuke were MIA. "Ugh. I wish they would quit doing that."

". . . Doing what?' Satoshi asked. He really could be oblivious sometimes.

"Um . . . well, it's mostly Riku's idea. She thinks that if she leaves us alone for long enough . . ."

"Oh . . . that . . ." He rolled his eyes. "Well . . . if I were going to ask you out, I wouldn't do it just because she left us alone. I would do it when I felt like it."

"Really?" She asked. He smirked.

"Yeah, but of course that's a big if."

"Oh, right. Of course I wasn't being serious." She laughed. "And if you were to ask me out, who's to say I would say yes? I mean, really, Riku doesn't know everything about me."

"So you don't have the whole twin mind power thing?" he smirked.

"Nope! She has no idea what I'm thinking!" She smiled brightly. He felt vaguely aware that he enjoyed seeing her smile. It was . . . nice. She had a very nice smile. He added that to the growing list of things he liked about her. Her hair . . . her smile . . . her voice . . . and then . . . those eyes, so full of feeling that it seemed impossible someone could carry so much emotion in their eyes. She couldn't keep a secret - those chestnut eyes always gave her away. So why was it that he suddenly couldn't tell what she was thinking? He couldn't understand why her eyes had suddenly become so guarded when she was around him.

The truth was, it was the honesty in her eyes that had first attracted him to her. He had liked her for some time now. No . . . liked wasn't the word . . . he had been . . . slightly infatuated with her. It wasn't that he liked her as a person . . . at least, not at first . . . but he had always thought she was pretty. Very pretty. The most feminine looking girl in school. Of course, he had never liked her attitude enough to take her seriously. For a long time she was only a pretty face. And anyway, he'd been too busy dealing with Krad to think about any type of romantic relationship.

Krad. Krad didn't like her eyes. Of course. That made sense. Anything Satoshi cared about Krad hated. That was just his way. He wanted to destroy everything that Satoshi loved. Jealous homicidal bastard . . .

"What are you thinking about, Satoshi-kun?" Risa asked curiously. He realized he had been silent for a long time.

"Nothing really." He murmured. "At least . . . nothing of any importance."

"Hmm . . . do you remember the time during the production of Ice and Snow that that girl freaked out because she found out she was going to get to put makeup on you?"

"Um . . . yes. Why?"

"That's what Iwas thinking about. It was funny, because you didn't seem at all happy about it." She put her and over her mouth and giggled. "All of your fan girls were freaking out because you were wearing makeup . . . but I'm the only one who has seen you in full out drag."

"Ah, do we have to bring that up again?" He asked, his voice hinting at humor. She laughed aloud this time, and his heart skipped a beat. He enjoyed making her laugh . . .

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They spent the rest of the day together. Shameless flirting ensued - completely on Risa's part, of course - but Satoshi didn't seem to mind. Either that, or he just didn't get it. This was the way girls normally treated him, after all. Maybe he just thought it was the way girls were.

"Satoshi-kun! Satoshi-kun! I think I found a shark's tooth!" She ran to him and held up the object she had found in the sand. They were walking along the shore of the public beach, Risa wearing yet another summer dress, and Satoshi in khaki pants and a dark shirt. He took the object and observed it closely.

"It's a rock, Risa-san." He said. She looked disappointed for a moment, but then smiled up at him.

"Okay! Well, I'll keep it anyway."

"A . . . rock?" He smirked. She grabbed it out of his hand.

"Yes!" She said defensively. "So what if it's just a rock? It's pretty and I like it?"

"Hmm." He bent down. "How about this instead?"

She gasped. How could she have missed such a beautiful conch? Oh . . . because it had been buried halfway in the sand. It was about as long as her ring finger - small compared to some of the ones she had seen for sale in the hotel - but that didn't matter because it was absolutely the most beautiful shell she had seen in her entire life. It was coral-pink and white on the outside, and the inside glistened like a rainbow.

"It's . . . Satoshi-kun, it's beautiful." She said. He handed it to her, and their fingers touched briefly. Risa was suddenly reminded of that incident on the beach a few days before, when Daisuke had given her sister a shell. He obviously remembered too because . . . was he . . . blushing?

Their eyes met. God . . . his eyes were so . . . blue! Risa felt a blush spread across her face, but she didn't care. He was blushing too. That must mean . . . that must mean something!

He raised his hand and hesitantly touched her hair. She remembered, vaguely, a time a while back, on a completely different beach, when he had touched her hair. She had almost drowned, and had awoken to find him on the beach with her. How had she forgotten that?

"Risa-san . . ." He said gently. "We should go. It's starting to rain."

Ah . . . predictable Hawaii weather - always ruins the best moments . . . Reluctantly they made their way back to the hotel. She paused at the door when he dropped her off at her room. He looked down at her, smiling slightly.

"So . . . Daisuke and I will meet you and your sister here at seven?"

"Yeah . . ." She said. She was looking forward to dinner tonight.

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Well . . . I'll update as soon as possible. I don't really have much to say about this chapter. Just please review. It makes my day every time I get a new review.

P.S. Sorry Abby. I lied. This chapter didn't turn out the way I thought it would. Still friends?