Hey everyone~ So glad you like the story so far! Just a warning, there's going to be a little plot between the juicier bits, but I'll try to keep things interesting! Still so inexperienced at this. :P Anyway, enjoy!

When we returned to our rooms, it was about three in the morning. I slipped into a pair of yellow flannel pajamas, perfect for the winter, and started unpacking. Not a minute later, Utau came in, boyfriend in hand, and shut them both in the bathroom. I wasn't sure if I had it in me to wait out what was sure to be some very loud sex, and decided to relocate to Yaya and Rima's room for the next twenty minutes. Yaya had already passed out, but Rima was more than happy to talk with me.

We sit down on a couch on the opposite side of the room from them bed as to not wake Yaya. I relax into the big, floral-print chair across from her. "So, what exactly happened in the hot tub with you and Tadase?" I ask, too tired to care about being nervous or coy. I can't help but be a little curious, though.

Her expression doesn't change in the slightest. "I got between his legs before he stopped me. He didn't seem uncomfortable, though. Think it was more of a politeness thing."

My head tilts quizzically. "Politeness? Like, to Nagihiko?"

Her eyes widen a bit. "No! Why would that be polite to him? It's not like we're, you know, doing anything."

I can't help but smile at her. This girl is absolutely ridiculous. "If you say so," I tease.

"I mean it. And I think it was out of politeness to you, I mean."

Politeness to me? What does that even mean? Did he not want my roommate, someone who I spend a lot of time with, touching his dick, or did he not want anyone touching it except-

No. I'm just not even going to think that way right now. "Guess we can't really know for sure. I should probably get to bed for now, though," I say, politely excusing myself.

She nods sleepily. "I should too. We have a big day tomorrow, after all."

I stand up, stretching out. "That's for sure. See you then!"

I pass Kukai on my way back, and he looks absolutely exhausted. It's hard to feel extremely sorry for him, considering who's wearing him out all the time. I open the door and flop onto the bed. Utau is already lying next to me, wearing a cute silk nightgown. I scoot under the covers as she reaches over toward the end table. "May I turn out the light?" I mutter an affirmative response as I curl up under the covers, my eyes closing in an exhausted sleep.

The schedule for today is pretty much the definition of tourism: breakfast at the hotel, visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo for a couple hours, lunch at the Hard Rock Café, and then spending some time in a sculpture garden. At least it sounds somewhat entertaining. I gaze out the window as the bus pulls up to the zoo gates. The doors open, and we all empty out.

As we file out one by one, Nikaidou hands us each a sheet of paper. I glance down at mine. We have to write down English that we see in the zoo? Well, I guess that we have to justify our tourism somehow. It shouldn't be too hard.

We head into the exhibits, and I notice a tall figure standing behind me. I turn around, seeing Ikuto also looking over his sheet. I wonder if he'd be opposed to doing the assignment together? "Hey, Ikuto?" He looks up briefly from his paper. "Would you want to explore the zoo with me?"

He smiles, shrugging. "Sure, I guess."

We head through the gates and into the zoo, my gloved hands shivering a bit as I clutch the paper. I knew it would be snowing here, but I wasn't expecting it to be this...well, cold. Even a lot of the animals are hiding inside their caves and enclosures. There's a few heated indoor areas and a souvenir shop, but we decide to save those for last. We head over to the jungle animals to start.

A lion and his mate lay snuggled close behind thick glass walls in their area, under a man-made rock cave. The lioness lovingly rubs her head against him as they enjoy a nap together. I look over and see Ikuto reading the information panel, decorated with colorful pictures of the big cats in their natural habitat. His pencil moves deftly over his paper, jotting down the required notes.

I walk over, glancing at the paper. "It's called a 'lion' here? That's really close to our word for it."

He nods, looking at me. "They're actually pretty interesting. Just like huge cats, really."

My gaze shifts to the informational panel, and I try to piece together some of the English. It's surprisingly easy, save for some Latin words. "Inactive for twenty hours a day? Now, who does that remind me of?"

He smirks at my teasing. "Are you saying I remind you of an animal that can mate with its partner up to forty times a day?"

I feel the blood rush to my face. How is it that I'm always the one at the butt of every joke? I'm supposed to be teasing him! "Ah, I didn't mean...that wasn't-"

He smiles, shaking his head as he finishes up his notes. "I'm not confirming or denying anything, Amu. Just something you'll have to figure out for yourself." With that, he puts his pencil in his pocket, walking away to the next exhibit.

I stand there embarrassed for a second until I realize he's planning on leaving without me. "W-wait for me, you perverted cat guy!"

After eventually catching up to him, we explored the rest of the zoo together before stopping in the gift shop. I look around, finally removing my gloves in the warm air of the store. It's very well-lit, and there's a large variety of souvenirs: cute bead necklaces, little mood rings, board games, post cards, and a plethora of stuffed animals. I can't help but admire the huge stuffed jungle animals, especially a giant white tiger that sits proudly atop of one of the displays.

I notice Ikuto behind me, his piercing blue gaze mirroring the tiger's. "Are you thinking of buying anything?" he asks.

"Well, I haven't exactly looked around too much," I admit, not having strayed far from the stuffed animal display. I'm just glad no one else is here right now; somehow, I don't want everyone finding out about my little soft spot for cute plushies.

His fingers slip between mine, making me jump a bit at the sudden contact. "Let's go check out the other displays, then," he suggests, his eyes meeting mine as he squeezes my hand.

My heart starts pounding in my chest. It's been a while since I've held hands with anyone. Soon, we're standing in front of a little jewelry. Earrings and necklaces hang off a swiveling display, though they all seem to be a bit low-grade. I suppose these are more about the sentimental value, though. Ikuto lets go of my hand, off to wander somewhere else. The display of cheap, cutely-shaped mood rings catches my eye. I have to say, they are kind of pretty; the stones are all wrapped in silver-colored metal, forming heart, spade, clover, and diamond shapes, among others. They're all a deep onyx black, and I can't help but rest my fingertip on one. When I pull away, the gem turns a pretty blue color before fading into green.

Ikuto notices my interest and looks away from the shirt rack he had been occupying himself with. "Thinking of getting one?"

I quickly turn away, feigning disinterest. "No way! I mean, only little kids wear those."

He smiles, shrugging. "Suit yourself."

After another brief observation of the stuffed animals, I exit the store and hurry over to the bus. The warm air covers me like a blanket as I take a seat next to the window. Ikuto is quick to follow, and takes the seat next to mine. The bus engine purrs as we move on to our next destination.

After a quick lunch at the Hard Rock Café – or, as I'd accidentally said and everyone kept reminding me, the "Rock Hard" Café – we headed to the sculpture park nearby, the boys donning their new black t-shirts from the Café gift shop. The bus slowed to a stop and opened its doors to the cold, crisp air, inviting us to step off. Despite the cold, the view is already fantastic – everything is covered with a thin blanket of pure white snow, sparkling in the sunlight. It's easy to see the majesty of the buildings from here, too. Sunlight reflects off the dark panels of glass decorating the skyscrapers, brightening the day even further.

A dazzled Yaya hurries ahead, dragging poor Kairi with her. The others are quick to follow as I button up my coat. I step into the snow, following the fresh footsteps in an effort to catch up to Utau and Kukai. I start running ahead, my feet sinking into the snow with every step. Suddenly, my foot hits something and I feel myself falling forward. I cry out as my body flies forward, and again as it's halted just a foot off the ground. Big, strong arms scoop me up, and I find myself being carried princess-style, looking up into Ikuto's face. We lock eyes, and I can feel my face turning red.

"You really shouldn't be left unsupervised, you know," he says.

I squirm in his arms, but his strong arms keep me still. "I just tripped! Put me down, perv," I protest.

He smirks, shaking his head as if scolding a naughty child. "Nope. Not unless you answer my question."

"Fine, just put me down!"

With that, he lowers me feet first down onto the ground. I cross my arms in exasperation as he reaches behind himself, digging around in his back pocket. He takes it back out, and my face flushes in realization as he lowers himself onto one knee. I'm completely speechless as he produces a small, heart-shaped mood ring from his hand, its gem purple from his body heat. "Amu," he starts, "would you explore the sculpture park with me?"

I hear myself stuttering out surprised sounds, but words don't seem to form. He smirks back up at me, and I can only hope we're not attracting too much attention. Much to my dismay, I hear a shutter click from behind me, and hear Utau giggling. I whirl around, seeing Kukai raising his camera again to get a better shot. I quickly turn back, grabbing Ikuto by the arm. "Okay, okay! Y-You didn't have to ask like that!"

He chuckles as he stands up and takes my hand, warming it even through my glove. He won this time, and he knows it. "Where to first, koneko-chan?"

The rest of the trip was pretty touristy; people flocked to the bean sculpture to take pictures of their distorted reflections, and around the giant fountain, its water just barely above freezing temperature. I can't help but close my eyes on the bus ride back. My head rests against Ikuto, who seems to be just as jet-lagged as I am. As the bus pulls to a stop, I awaken from my nap, and nudge the shoulder of the man sleeping next to me. When he does nothing but mutter sleepy nonsense, I grab his hand and pull him up, following the others off the bus and into the hotel.

After an early, American style dinner in the hotel's dining room, I start towards the elevator. A broad hand on my shoulder stops me. I whirl around to see a tall, dark-haired man smiling down at me. My heart leaps a bit, most likely just out of surprise, I tell myself. We had a lot of fun at the sculpture park, but I'm not letting him off so easily after that stunt he pulled with the ring. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" I ask with all the playfulness I can muster.

He shrugs. "Well, I was going to ask what your plans for tonight were, but if you're not interested..." he replies, returning my levity.

I can't help but smile. It would be easy to mistake his frivolity for seriousness, if you didn't know him well enough. "Oh fine, I'm listening. I was just headed up to my room to relax and warm up for a while."

"That's all? If I didn't know any better, I might mistake you for an old woman."

I give him a light punch on the arm, which he completely ignores.

"But, if you're willing to stay up past your bedtime, my room's always open."

The idea sinks in a bit. He isn't going to try anything funny, is he? Would I mind? I quickly dismiss the thought. I'm not sure that I should be considering anything romantic right now. "I think I could make an exception, depending on your intentions."

We enter the elevator, and the doors slide closed. "No funny business," he promises as it whisks us up to our floor.

He fumbles with his keys a bit as we head down the hallway, deftly unlocking the door as we arrive. He flips on the lights, revealing a hotel room fit for a couple of college boys. The dimensions and layout mirror my room, save for the unmade beds and clothes covering the floor. At least they don't need to share a queen mattress like Utau and me. A console is plugged into the TV across from the bed, and the controllers sit at the foot of each bed.

I look up at him, unimpressed. "Don't tell me this is how you usually impress women?"

He smirks from the other side of the room, digging through his semi-unpacked suitcase on the floor next to his bed. "No, I know better than that. That's usually when I break out the pinot grigio," he says, holding up an unopened bottle of white wine.

My head cocks to the side in confusion. "Wait, where did you get that? Isn't that-"

The door opens behind us, cutting me off mid-sentence. In a familiar scene, a giggling Utau and Kukai step into the room, their faces falling just a bit when they see that they have company. Kukai is the first to speak up. "Ah, Ikuto! I wasn't expecting that you'd be here right now...Hey, Amu..."

I wave shyly at him as Utau pipes in. "You know Kukai, maybe we should just take this back to my room."

Ikuto looks her dead in the eye. He holds up the bottle and shakes it a bit, letting the liquid slosh around in the container. "Are you sure, Utau? We were just getting started, after all."

Her whole face visibly lights up. "You got wine? Where? How?"

"Just something from the airport. Nothing too fancy, but you know how it is," putting on a falsely humble attitude.

She runs over, grabbing and inspecting it. "Not bad, actually. Hey Kukai, wanna grab those glasses on the table?" Somehow, I'm not surprised by how easily wooed she is with alcohol.

He looks somewhat disappointed at his girlfriend's choice. "You know, your room isn't all that far from here. We could just..."

Her amethyst eyes bore into his. "It's just for a little while. Be a dear, won't you?" she says, gesturing at the crystal glasses on the table.

As he somewhat begrudgingly goes to retrieve them, I consider the idea. Despite the fact that the drinking age back at home is lower than it is here, I've never gotten drunk before. Actually, I've never even had any alcohol. Should I really be starting this right now? What if I get addicted and wind up homeless and begging on the street, saving up every penny I get for some cheap, bottom-shelf bottle of-

Kukai pushes a glass filled with pale wine into my hand, mercifully stopping that train of thought short. I look back up to Ikuto, who is already returning my gaze. He raises his glass towards me, and I tap mine against his, letting a pronounced clink resound across the hotel room. "To Chicago," he says before taking a sip.

"And rock-hard cafés," I joke. My gaze falls to the forbidden liquid in front of me. I hesitantly lift the glass up to my lips, letting the wine glide past my tongue before spilling down my throat. It burns a bit going down, and the delicate flavor remains in my mouth as I lower the cup. I take a seat on the bed next to Ikuto, who has finished his already.

"How is it?" he asks.

"I've swallowed worse," I reply as nonchalantly as I can. I take another sip as he chuckles at my little joke. It burns throughout my body, and I can just barely feel its effects starting to take hold of me.

I glance back over at Utau and Kukai, who are occupying the other bed. Kukai has already turned on the TV and console, grabbing the controller as Utau climbs all over him. "Alright!" he exclaims, fumbling with a gaming headset, "Time to show some twelve year olds what's what!" The screen flashes on, and he makes quick work of turning on a zombie killing game.

"But Kuuukaaaii," Utau moans, her second glass half empty already, "wouldn't you rather be doing something else?"

Well, those roles reversed quickly enough. "Geez, doesn't take much to get her going, does it?" I remark. I can't blame her too much, though; my head already feels a bit hot and fuzzy, among other areas. Is this really the effect alcohol has on me? I'm going to get myself in a lot of trouble if I get horny every time I have a drink.

He chuckles at me again. "Speak for yourself. Though, it's never taken much with her," he comments. He takes another sip, enjoying it down to the last drop, before looking back over at me. "Seems like you really enjoyed that," he says, gesturing at my empty glass. "Should I get you another?"

I look down, confirming his observation. Guess I didn't really realize how fast I was going. "Sure, why not," I say, handing it back to him. I watch the couple across from me as Ikuto goes to pour me another drink. Utau mewls her desire to Kukai, who seems not to notice at all. She hugs him from behind on the bed, unzipping his jeans as his fingers furiously mash the buttons of the controller. He looks to be getting increasingly agitated, cursing under his breath into the mic.

Ikuto hands me a second glass, and I very intentionally take a small sip. I need to slow down a little. "I think this is definitely heading where I think it is," I tell him, glancing at the couple.

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "Think about what you just said for a second."

"What?" I stop for a moment, processing it."Oh," I say with realization. My words are taking the brunt of the alcohol. Maybe I should just be done drinking for the night. I set down my glass on the nightstand next to me as Utau and Kukai become increasingly agitated. It suddenly hits me that I don't want to stick around to see whatever is bound to come next. I tug on Ikuto's sleeve as he downs another drink. "Hey, will you take me back to my room?"

He looks me in the eye as he sets down his glass. He smiles, standing up and taking my hand. "Of course, koneko-chan."

Of course he's going to get all mushy when he's drunk. What was I really expecting, though? I grab my coat from off his bed as he leads me out of the room, stepping past the screen to avoid blocking Kukai's view for too long. The door closes behind us as we step outside into the hallway. We can still hear them, shouting in an increasingly drunken stupor at each other.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY MOTHER, YOU LITTLE SHIT?"

"Kukai, just hurry up and do me! Fucking fuck me already!"

I can't help but giggle as I overhear them, and before I know it, I'm cracking up in the hall. I feel Ikuto's hand on my shoulder as if I'm dreaming, patting me and telling me to calm down. Soon my door is open and I'm on my soft bed. Ah, my bed...I roll around a bit, enjoying the feel of the fabric against my skin.

"They don't wash the duvets, you know. You'll get an STD if you keep doing that," Ikuto remarks, surprisingly calm and collected.

I stop rolling, looking up at him dizzily. He stands tall at the foot of the bed, looking down at me. "But it's so much fun! Come on," I invite, offering him my hand. He takes it, smiling, and climbs onto the bed with me. We lay still, though; my head is spinning now, and my stomach is turning a little. Maybe that wasn't one of my better ideas. I turn on my side, facing him. "Where will you stay tonight?" I ask.

He shrugs, looking up at the ceiling. "Dunno. I'll figure something out. Just a chair in the lobby if nothing else." His gaze shifts to me, a smirk forming on his lips. "Unless there was someone willing to let me stay with them."

There's certainly no way he can return to his room with Kukai and Utau doing...whatever it is they do in there. But if someone let him stay over...? Hey, I know!, I think excitedly. "I could do that! I mean, if that's okay with me...er, you. I mean, Utau," I say, struggling to string my words together.

He chuckles at my clumsiness. "I doubt she'll mind much, the way things are looking," he remarks.

I giggle again, trying hard to keep my laughter contained this time. "If you say so. Mind if I hit the light?"

"Go right ahead."

I reach over him, climbing almost on top of him as I flip the desk lamp's switch. I roll back over, my pounding head relieved by the darkness. My body flinches as he pulls the covers out from underneath me, then buries us both with them. Comforted by the warmth of his body under the soft sheets and drowsy from the alcohol, I feel my eyes starting to close.

His soft voice pierces the silence of the dark room, a comforting beacon of light that soothes me as I drift off to sleep. "Good night, koneko-chan."

Eep! Sorry about the long wait! College really eats up all of my free time. Especially finals. OTL
Hope you enjoyed it, though! I'm on winter break at the moment, so I might get another chapter done before I head back to school for J-term. Hopefully. Sorry this chapter wasn't as juicy or exciting as the last one; honestly, I added that last scene to kind of make up for how boring the day was otherwise. I promise the next chapter will be even better than the hot tub scene!

Amu: Better? You and I usually disagree over the definition of the word 'better.'
Ikuto: What could be better than skinny dipping with Amu, though?
Honey: A secret! Well, I hope it's better. There might be a sexy scene next chapter, but it also might not fit. :P
Amu: W-What's not going to fit?
Honey: Heheh, don't worry about it!

So, stay tuned! Lots of juicy stuff coming up next. Remember to review, and thanks so much for reading (and dealing with my lateness)! Love you guys. :)