Chapter 17

Excuses, excuses. Sorry about taking so long to update. I think I have a sinus infection, (audience: ewe! gross!) so my DN Angel muses are going a little crazy. My thoughts are all over the place right now. I think Abby and I need to have another DN Angel marathon.

It's not that I want to sit around all day and watch Satoshi Hiwatari in all his sexiness - that's not it at all! It's purely for writing purposes only. God, I'm selfless! Oh, and Nutella and Oreos would be required as well . . . er . . . they . . . help me think. :D

Disclaimer: No own DN Angel.

The luau was from six until nine-thirty, and would be held in the park where they had eaten lunch their first day in Hawaii - the very same park where Risa had convinced Satoshi's fan girls that he was gay. A gentle Hawaiian melody was playing from speakers someone had set up, and some couples were swaying slightly to the soft music. Lit tiki-torches provided illumination, and there was a barbecue going off to the side.

"This has "fire hazard" written all over it." Satoshi muttered as soon as they arrived.

"I don't know, I kind of like it." She said, taking his hand.

"You won't once the whole pace goes up in flames."

She frowned up at him. "Well, aren't we optimistic?"

He smiled slightly, and she couldn't stay annoyed with him. Especially when he leaned down and whispered. "By the way . . . you look very nice tonight. Green suits you well."

She looked down at her sarong - sarong, not sari, as Satoshi had corrected her - and smiled slightly. She had left her hair down, because he shad mentioned that he liked it that way, and she was wearing her white sandals.

Parent volunteers were handing out leis. Satoshi chose one with white flowers and started to put it on Risa, when a sudden flash blinded them both. They turned, blinking, to see Saehara grinning with his camera.

"Oh, I can just see the headline now: Risa Harada gets laid by Satoshi Hiwatari!"

Risa blushed crimson. "Saehara, don't you dare!"

" . . . What are you wearing?" Satoshi muttered, averting his eyes from Saehara.

"A traditional Hawaiian hula outfit, of course!" He said, and Risa knew she would never be able to erase the memory of Saehara in a grass skirt and coconut bra.

"Why?" Satoshi asked. Judging by the look on his face, he seemed just as disturbed as she was.

"Just as a joke, ya know? So, what do you think?"

" . . . It's like Ice and Snow all over again." He said under his breath. Risa giggled and took his arm.

"Come on. Let's find Riku and Daisuke."

"Hey, wait a minute! Are you two actually together?! I knew it!"

"We're nottogether." Satoshi said irritably. "It's just that neither of us had anyone to go with, so we decided to come to the luau together. As friends." Friends? Friends?! What . . . what what what? Her mind was reeling as Satoshi steered her away from Saehara. "He's too nosy for his own good." Satoshi muttered. " . . . Are you okay?"

"Um . . . yes, of course. I'm fine."

She thought back to the night before. He had kissed her hand after asking her out. It had seemed like such a romantic gesture, . . . but had he really meant anything by it? And earlier that day . . . had he held her hand because he wanted to . . . or because he felt like he had to?

"Are you sure you're alright? You look upset."

"I'm fine!" She snapped.

"You don't look fine . . ." He replied. Anger flared within her.

"So now I'm not pretty enough for you?" She asked, jerking her hand away from his. He stood there, dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, but she started to stalk off. "Risa." He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. "Do you want to go somewhere so we can talk about this?"

"No! I want you to just leave me alone!" She felt like such an idiot for think that someone like Satoshi Hiwatari could like her. Satoshi Hiwatari didn't like anyone, let alone someone as immature as she was.

But no matter how much she tried to get away from him, he wouldn't her go, and eventually they found that they had moved away from the party and were now out of hearing range of everyone else.

"Now, tell me what's wrong." He said, grabbing her shoulders. She looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes. She was afraid of what she would find there. "Risa! Look at me!"

"Just . . . tell me one thing, Hiwatari." She said. He flinched slightly at the use of his last name. "Were you really so clueless that you didn't understand what you were doing, or did you know, and you just wanted to be a complete jerk?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you kissed my hand! When you actually asked me out! When you held my hand in the mall! Did you really think this was the way "friends" acted? Or were you just leading me on because in your sick mind it seemed funny?!"

"Risa-"

"I really liked you, you know! I actually thought you were a nice guy. A gentleman! Despite my better instincts, I began to like you after only a few days, because I thought you were a gentleman! I thought you might like me back! Well apparently I was very very wrong!" She couldn't help herself. She looked up. His gaze trapped her, and her bottom lip trembled. " . . . I really liked you." She repeated, though this time her voice was full of hurt.

" . . . Risa ." Satoshi gently cupped her face in his hands. " . . . I like you too."

"Liar." She said, glaring up at him. "I don't even know what I am to you. A friend . . . a girlfriend . . . or just some annoying little girl that you've been forced to babysit through the entire trip."

" . . . I was . . . under the impression that you were my girlfriend." He said softly. "I thought you knew that."

"I thought so too . . . but why would you tell Saehara that we're friends? Are you embarrassed to be going out with me?" A new horror struck her. "That's it, isn't it?! You're embarrassed by me!"

"That's not it at all! I didn't think you wanted him to know that we were going out! The way Saehara is, he'd get it wrong and tell the entire school that we were sleeping together or something!"

She thought about it for a second. That would be very Saehara-like. ". . . Oh . . . you're - you're right." She blushed. "He probably would."

"So . . ." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped away from her. "Are you still mad a me?"
"Erm . . . n-no. I guess not. You're just so hard to read, Satoshi." She smiled slightly. "I can't understand you sometimes."

" . . . I'm weird." He said, and she giggled.

"No no! Not at all! You're just . . . different. And sometimes I don't know if you really like me or not, or if you're just doing all of this to make me feel good."

"I thought you knew me better than that." He said with a smirk. "I'm not that nice of a person. I don't go out of my way to make people's day a little brighter."

" . . . That's true." She said with a smile.

"In all honesty, I wouldn't have even come to this luau if it weren't for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah . . ." He said softly, then gave her a mischievous smirk. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"What?"

"Do you want to leave? We could check out the rest of the island if you wanted. "

"You mean like a . . . date?' She asked happily. He shrugged.

"I don't mind if you call it that." He acted nonchalant, but she could see he was struggling not to smile. However, when she gave him a happy nod and grinned joyfully at him, his smile broke through.

She glanced back at the luau. A slow song had begun to play. She had wanted to dance with him, but if he wasn't enjoying himself, she didn't want to force him to stay.

Satoshi smiled slightly. She may not be able to tell what he was thinking, but he could read her like a book. He gently placed on hand on her hip. She turned around in surprise and he took her hand and pulled her against him. She instinctively put her other hand on his shoulder as Satoshi began to sway to the music. "Just one dance?"

"O-of course." She beamed up at him and his heart melted. What he wouldn't do to protect that smile of hers . . .

She leaned into his chest and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. They closed their eyes, letting the music guide them. "Satoshi . . ." She whispered. He gently kissed the top of her head, making her smile into his shirt. Satoshi Hiwatari had to be the most romantic guy she had ever met.

At one point in the song he let go of her hand and wrapped her arms around her. She placed her hand on his shoulder. The atmosphere was calm as the two teens who, to everyone else, seemed to have nothing in common danced with their bodies pressed close together.

"Satoshi . . ." Said Risa in a soft voice "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

. . . Why do you like me?"

"Hm?"

"You're . . . you're so mature . . . and so many other girls asked you out . . . why me? Why did you pick me over them?"

" None of them were as lovely as you." He murmured. They were still dancing, but Risa opened her eyes.

"Oh . . ." She said, then smiled sadly. "Of course. You like me . . . because I'm pretty." She couldn't blame him. He was a guy, after all.

"That's not what I said at all."

"Yes it is . . . you said because I'm-"

"Lovely. It means more than just looks, though you . . . aren't lacking there either. But I was talking about your personality. I love your personality."Love? Did he just say love? "You . . . you're cute in your innocence. And you're very sweet. And somehow . . . I find myself wanting to smile when I'm around you."

Wow . . . he certainly had a way with words. She looked up at him, unable to believe what she had just heard. They had stopped dancing and were now simply holding each other. "Satoshi . . ."

" . . . Yes?"

She glanced down, then looked back into his eyes. "Would it . . . would it be okay . . . if . . ." She stopped. This was almost exactly how her kiss with Dark had gone. She had asked for him to kiss her. She had felt the need to ask permission. She didn't want that with Satoshi.

"What is it?" He whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yes . . . I'm fine . . ." She murmured, looking up at him. Without giving him much of a choice, she stood on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. There was a flash of light she saw even through her closed eyes, and she wondered to herself if that was what Riku meant by seeing fireworks when she kissed Daisuke.

Their kiss lasted for one . . . two . . . three seconds . . . not a world record at all, but still long enough for her to feel Satoshi kissing her back. Not open mouth or anything, just a simple . . . sweet kiss.

When she pulled away and looked up into his face, she couldn't help but giggle. "Satoshi! You're blushing!"

"Er . . . no I'm not." He said looking away.

"Yes you are! Your face is bright red." It was probably the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Satoshi Hiwatari . . . blushing over a small kiss. " . . . Satoshi . . ." She grinned mischievously up at him. "Was that your first kiss?"

" . . . Why? Was I that bad at it?"

"No! Kissing you felt . . . nice." She said. Now she was blushing.

"Nice." He said skeptically.

"Very nice." She said, looking up at him. He flashed her a brief smile.

"Well . . . if you're curious . . . yes. That was my first kiss."

She giggled happily. "Yay!"

"Yay?"

"I just can't believe I'm your first kiss! I feel so . . . honored."

This made him chuckle softly, then he looked at her curiously. "Well . . . I would like it if you were my second kiss as well." He said before leaning down and kissing her. When he pulled away she giggled again.

"Am I still blushing?"

"No it's just . . . you made me dizzy just now."

"I barely kissed you."

"I know." She said with a smile that he returned. He put his arm around her waist.

"So, what would you like to do now?" He asked, escorting her away from the luau. She smiled slightly.

"I'm a little hungry."

"Me too . . . what would you like."

" . . . I'm sort of craving something sweet."

"Hmmm . . . ice cream?' He suggested.

She laughed. "Yes! It's Haagen-Dazs time!" She smiled at Satoshi and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before they started making their way to the ice cream shop. Little did they know that from a nearby shrub, Takeshi Saehara was snickering as he looked at the picture he had take of the two of them.

"Oh . . . this is perfect."

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Ugh . . . I want to know . . . and be honest: Is this story really any good? I mean , really. Is it going at an okay pace, and is the plot line understandable? I want to know, because the farther along I get, the more disappointed in it I feel. Please tell me the truth, because I want to know if there is anything I need to fix.