Hey everyone~ Sorry for the long break, had fall break for a few days, and then lots of homework! College really keeps you busy. Anyway, I'm going to continue the flight scene for one more chapter (sorry!) because otherwise there would be a LOT of time skipping, and I'd have to gloss over all of this lovely Amuto-relationship-building stuff. So enjoy, I'll try to keep it interesting!

My eyes flutter open in the dark room. How long have I been asleep? I check my phone. 10:19 AM. A few hours can't hurt my sleep schedule too much, I figure. But what time would that be in Chicago? Let's see, they're nine hours ahead of us. Or was it behind? So that would be...

A stirring from beside me makes me jump. I'd almost forgotten about the man sleeping next to me. His eyes are closed contently in a peaceful nap. Could he sleep all day? Honestly, he's just like a cat. I look down at the seats in front of us. The trays have been put down, and mine held a cup of soda and a bag of pretzels and cookies. His held an empty cup and crumpled, crumby bags. I suppose a flight attendant had left them while I was asleep. Wait, are there flight attendants? Or was it Yukari, or Professor Nikaidou? The case of the mysterious snacks begins.

I take a sip of the soda, watered down by melted ice, before taking my phone back out. It's nice enough, one of the older models of what they called "smartphones" in Chicago. I'm about to go online when I remember that I'd turned it to airplane mode for the flight. Damn. Well, at least I could keep busy with a sudoku or something. The app just begins to open as Ikuto's sleepy moans distract me. "Amu..."

I turn towards him, a confused look on my face. "Yes?"

He stretches out, his eyes squeezed shut as his arms extend. His whole body relaxes into the seat as he shakes his head, ruffling his hair. A smirk crosses his face as he turns towards me. "Mornin'."

I can't help but roll my eyes. This man is absolutely ridiculous. Well, still better than sitting next to Tadase for the next nearly ten hours. What are we even going to do for that long? Chat about the weather? Or, as he seems to prefer, my sex life? I don't mind talking about it too much, but I can't say I'm used to it. I never really talked with anyone back home about what me and Tadase got up to, and it's not like I've done anything with anyone since then. Even so, I might as well try to make some conversation. "How was your nap?"

He smiles at the question. "Not too bad. Good dreams always help pass the time."

"I suppose that's why you're asleep all the time, then."

"Hey, not always. I'm just more nocturnal," he explains. I can't help but think that's more typical among college seniors.

"So you'll be pretty well-adjusted when we get there, right?"

He shrugs. "I guess. But with the way our schedule looks, I don't know."

I look at him quizzically. "Schedule? What schedule?"

He smiles, as if he's in on some personal joke. "The one that they passed out to everyone in the class before break."

I vaguely recall receiving such a piece of paper and sleepily looking it over. I also remember watching a superhero movie in English with my roommates in the dorm, supposedly for English immersion, and holding a sheet of paper of the same color where I may or may not have doodled a picture of me and Chris Hemsworth. "Yeah, I totally have that. Do you mind if I see yours?"

He reached down and produced a pale blue sheet of paper. "Chicago Schedule" read the title in English. Thankfully, the rest was in Japanese. I scanned through it quickly. There were a couple of assignments, but mostly, it was pretty touristy: visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Navy Pier, seeing the bean, going to the top of the Willis tower, which was supposedly the tallest building in the nation. And shopping on the Magnificent Mile! I can only imagine all the awesome stores they have there. It's a good thing my parents gave me plenty of spending money, along with a good chunk that I'd brought from my savings from my part time job during high school.

"Anything look interesting?" he asked, his expression noncommittal.

My expression mirrors his to the best of my ability. "Not really. I mean, it's all so touristy." Damn, I said I'd try to drop my cool and spicy demeanor. Old habits die hard, I guess.

He smiles, looking somewhat amused. "I don't know. I'm looking forward to the trip to the Chicago Theatre."

I glance back at the schedule. "It's just some female singer on a Christmas tour, though. Why would you want to see that?"

"I know someone who's a little more excited about it than I am," he explains.

Utau burst through the curtains, Kukai quickly following behind her. They were smiling and giggling at each other flirtatiously. Utau grabbed onto his hand, leading them a bit further down the aisle. She spoke to him in a hushed, flirty tone. "You have no idea what I'm going to do to- oh. Hey Amu. Hey Ikuto. I totally forgot you guys were back here."

"Hey, Utau. What's up?" I asked, happy to have a little more company.

"Bathroom's vacant. We won't tell," Ikuto's voice came from beside me. Wait...tell who what, exactly?

Kukai's eyes widened in surprise, but Utau kept her devious smirk. "Thanksies~" she said in an uncharacteristically girly tone. Her grip tightened on his hand, leading him down the aisle and into the tiny bathroom on the end. Wait, those can fit two people? Since when? From what I saw of the airplane bathrooms, you'd have to be...

Oh. Okay, then.

I sat awkwardly, a deep red flush coming over my face at the realization. Ikuto nonchalantly took out his book, opening it up and reading in the dim light. How could he be so calm and uncaring about this? "Ikuto, are they really-"

Quiet moans, muffled by the door of the bathroom, were just audible from behind us. He flipped a page as he responded, not even looking up. "Yep."

I look at him, shocked. He doesn't even care! "Wait, they're in there joining the mile-high club and you can just stay completely unfazed?" I have no idea if this is just something the seniors are more used to, or if he's just got something going on in the head. Probably something hard to pronounce.

He shrugs, his gaze still glued to his book. "Knowing those two, 'joining' probably isn't the right word. More like renewing their membership."

The soft, feminine mewls grew louder, and were joined by a muffled, rhythmic slapping sound. Their boldness is something to be admired, at least. "But you act like this is just some casual thing that happens all the time!" I say over their sounds of pure delight.

He smiles, glancing over at me. "Ah, you freshmen can be so cute sometimes. Of course I'm used to this stuff. You can't tell me you've never been sexiled before."

"S-Sexiled? You mean like...exiled, but for..."

"Exactly."

"No, I haven't! I didn't even know that was a thing!" It's not like I was in the dorm much, anyway. I always study in the lounge or the huge library across campus. Besides, it's not like there was anything happening between Yaya and Kairi or Rima and Nagihiko...right? Oh god...what if there was? What if they used my bed? I can't even bear to think about it...

"You'll learn," he said, going back to his book. I suppose he did have a point about the campus being very sex-positive. Everyone seemed pretty open about it, not to mention the abundance of free condoms almost everywhere. But even so, is this really something I'm just going to get used to? Well, I will be sharing a room with Utau for the trip. I can only hope they won't have the nerve to try anything in front of me.

Awkward pauses in conversation are much harder to deal with when the silence is filled with two horny college students banging in the bathroom, I learn quickly. Might as well try to keep the conversation going. "Have you, then? Been sexiled, I mean. Or are you typically the one...sexiling?"

An amused smile crosses his lips. "I can't say that I've ever gone past second in my own dorm. That's what parties are for." He looks away, as if remembering something. "I've only been kept out a couple of times, when my roommate has his girlfriend over."

Girlfriend, huh? I can't help but think it might be nice to have a relationship like that, one where you could just call someone over when you needed them. Though, that would be more of a friends-with-benefits deal, right? It really would be nice to be held and cuddled afterward...

Utau's voice becomes a bit more audible as they near the end. "Oh, Kukai, I'm gonna- ah! Fuck, yes!" Well, I can now I say know what my temporary roommate's orgasmic screams sound like. Seems like I'm not even close to being the only one, with the way Ikuto talks. A few seconds and a few low grunts later, the noise stops. I feel myself blushing crimson again. Something about listening to that almost felt...dirty. Is this really what college is like?

A minute or so later, they both emerged, Utau's clothes and hair a bit rumpled. She walked in front of Kukai, then sat down in one of the seats across from us. Something about the afterglow makes her look even prettier than usual. Kukai takes the seat next to her, still looking a bit dazed. His girlfriend turns to us, her eyes twinkling. She gave a big smile as she spoke to us, completely out of breath. "So...what's up with you two?"

Nine and a half hours of small talk, naps, and games of "would you rather" with Utau and Kukai later, our plane finally touches the ground. I glance out the window, the entire scape dark yet illuminated, lit up by moonlight and the sparkling lights of the airport. I check my watch, completely out of synch with the local time. My phone, however, displays 1:06 AM. It's highly doubtful that I'll be getting any sleep tonight.

After what seems like eternity, we're finally clear to leave the plane. I grab my bag, stepping into the aisle ahead of the others, and through the curtain dividing the cabins. The others are clearing out too, probably just as excited as I am to be off this damned plane. As luxurious as it is, it's tough not to feel cooped up. I wonder how the flight went for everyone else?

I stick with Rima and Yaya as we all breeze through the terminal, grab our luggage, and load everything onto the bus. Poor Rima didn't even get to sleep, as Yaya's constant whining kept her up. I felt bad for her; planes are kinda scary, and I doubt Yaya was able to handle it very well. Though I will say that the occasional shouts of "shut that kid up!" were somewhat amusing, even from the other cabin.

I sit next to them on the bus ride to the hotel, which is supposed to take about a half an hour. Yaya is out like a light, probably from not sleeping at all on the plane. Rima, too, is fighting to stay awake while we chat on the ride over. It's going to be a little weird not rooming with them, even if it's just for a week. Besides, we can still hang out around the city.

It's nearly 2 AM when we finally arrive at the hotel. It's nothing too special from the outside. It is pretty tall, and a thin layer of snow coats the wilted flora around it. We all quickly unload our luggage from the bus and head inside, chilled by the winter air.

When the elevator doors open in front of us, a sigh of disappointment rings out. We're definitely going to have to take turns using the tiny elevator. Utau, Kukai, and Ikuto all squeeze in, all cramped by Utau's numerous suitcases. I guess she needs somewhere to keep all her fabulous clothes. Yaya, Rima and I are next. We load into the elevator, and the doors slide shut as Yaya insists on being the one to push the floor button. Doesn't really make a difference to me.

We're all on the 12th floor, and the ride up is somewhat dizzying. Yaya and Rima will room together, next to Utau and me. I know Tadase, Kairi, and Nagihiko, all of the freshmen boys, will share a room, and Kukai and Ikuto will be together. I guess that Yukari and Professor Nikaidou are sharing, too? Weird.

Once we arrive at our floor, Yaya bounces out. Her energy levels are the very definition of unpredictable. Rima follows her, giving me a quick wave goodbye as they enter their room. I fumble with my card key a bit until Utau opens the door. "Hey, Amu. Need any help with your bags?"

I don't have nearly as many as she does, but the offer is nice. "I guess you could take my carry-on, if you'd like." She quickly takes it from my hand, and I roll my suitcase into the room. Wow, American hotel rooms are so much bigger than Japanese ones. Even the bed seems giant compared to the ones back at home. I lay my suitcase on the floor, intent on unpacking everything before I go to bed. Utau starts unzipping one of her bags, too. However, instead of beginning to unpack, she pulls out a cute little bikini. "Hey, me and the guys are going down to the hot tub. Wanna come?"

Hot tubbing at two in the morning? This girl is something special. "Like, now? It's super late."

She shrugs, smiling as she lifts her shirt over her head. "Yeah. I can text the others, too. We can make it a party."

Well, I'll admit it does sound like fun. I look down into my suitcase, spotting a white bikini with red polka dots I'd thrown in at the last minute. I can't help but smile at the idea. "Sure." I take it out, peeling off my own shirt and standing up to undo my pants.

Maybe I just won't sleep tonight.

I just have to say, of all the things I've learned in college before, the word "sexile" has proven to be not only my favorite, but also the most practical. Also, the bit about free condoms being absolutely everywhere on campus is true, at least for my (Christian :P) school.

Amu: Seriously? And people actually take condoms from public places?
Honey: Well, yeah! The bowls become noticeably emptier on weekends, especially.
Ikuto: Do you?
Honey: No, I don't really need to. My boyfriend and I buy in bulk online. :P
Amu: That explains it...
Ikuto: I'm sure I'll find someone with whom that will become necessary...ne, Amu?
Amu: Sigh...

Also, be sure to visit Mirene the Mermaid's stories and wish her a happy (belated) birthday! She's been such a help and inspiration to this story. A,nd be sure to check out her new story, Bejeweled! It's super cool. :)

So, review and stuff! The next scene will obviously be the hot tub party, but I'm entirely unsure what to do with it. :P Suggestions would be mucho appreciated (and credited, of course). :) Thanks again for reading! Ja ne, minna~