Chapter 2
"We'll talk to him eventually, right now let's go have some fun." Daphne says.
"OK Daphne, what would you like to do?" Fred asked.
"Hey cutie, you want to come to the rock climbing wall with me?" the redhead asked Naruto.
"Sure, let's go."
Daphne steps next to Naruto, then after linking arms with her the blonde. Daphne and Naruto headed over to the rock climbing wall.
Fred watched Daphne and Naruto's departure, utterly speechless.
"What in the world is going on with Daphne?" Fred said before walking over to on deck bar.
Shaggy and Scooby quickly found Zara's state room and knocked on the door.
"Yes, who is it?"
"Shaggy and Scooby, Zara." Shaggy said.
Zara flings the door open and pulled Shaggy inside.
"I was so worried about you and Scooby, are you two all right?" Zara asked worriedly.
"We're both fine, Zara. Can we go and have some fun?"
"OK, care to learn racquetball?" Zara asked.
"Like yeah, I've always wanted to learn. Lead the way, Zara." Shaggy said.
The masked man snuck over to the rock climbing wall and made several minor cuts in one of the safety harnesses and lines before disappearing.
Naruto and Daphne go to the rock climbing wall, Daphne puts on the second harness, while Naruto dons the first one before beginning to climb the wall. Daphne is unaware that she is using the sabotaged equipment, then about three quarters of the way up Daphne's safety harness and safety line began to unravel.
When Daphne realized what was happening she looks over at Naruto, her eyes full of fear. Suddenly, the line snapped and Daphne fell.
"Daphne!" Naruto screams before jumping off the wall and swung out and caught the redhead.
"You're okay Daphne, I have you." Naruto whispers before lowering the two of them safely to the ground.
The masked man watched from the shadows with malice in his eyes.
Once they were out of the gear Naruto helped Daphne over to a nearby bench.
Daphne wrapped her arms around Naruto and held on to her new friend for dear life as tears began flowing from the redhead's eyes.
"I was so scared, Naruto." Daphne said as the tears she cried began to make her mascara run a little, Velma reached into her left pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped Daphne's tears away.
"It's all right Daphne, it's over and we're both safe." Naruto reassures Daphne.
"What happened here?" Jonathon said, seemingly out of nowhere.
"We were nearly killed, if it's any of your business, Mr. Goodman." Daphne snapped angrily.
"Humph." He said before walking away.
"So Zara, what do you do?" Shaggy asked.
"Actress, nothing big yet though." Zara says.
"Well you'll get it, you're too beautiful not to get a leading role." Shaggy says.
"Thank you, Shaggy." Zara said, blushing slightly.
"That guy is really annoying." Daphne says.
"You're telling me." Naruto replied with a smile."
Daphne places her right hand on top of Velma's left hand and strokes it gently.
"Naruto, I- I'm scared, this is the worst mystery that we've ever tackled. I want you to know that I love you, you know just... in case one or both of us don't survive this." Daphne said softly.
"Daphne I... I love you too, and don't worry we're both going to make it through this just fine." Naruto says, relishing Daphne's delicate touch.
Jim Drexler is watching Naruto and Daphne with Jonathon.
"So, you're looking at the redhead?" Jim inquired.
"Yeah, see what you can dig up on her... And just to be safe all her friends too." Jonathon said.
After checking her equipment one last time, Naruto looks at Daphne and gives her a thumbs up before diving beneath the waves.
Naruto swam down to a waiting shark cage, once inside, the Instructor Gwen Blackwood closes the cage door.
He looked around the area, everything looked so beautiful. Back up on the deck, Daphne is waiting for Naruto to return when Jonathon walked up to the redhead.
"Hey there, cutie." he says.
"Buzz off, loser." Daphne hissed.
Jonathon cut his eyes at Daphne before walking away from her.
Hitomi is on the Observation Deck snapping photos of seals playing in the water.
Jonathon goes to his state room and dons his mask and gloves before grabbing a bucket full of chum.
"Once her friends are dead, that redhead will be mine for the taking." Jonathon said arrogantly.
Just then Jonathon hears a knock on his room's door.
"Jonathon, it's Hitomi Tanaka."
No answer.
"Jonathon, are you in here? Your Agent is looking for you." Hitomi says, a little louder.
Still, no answer, so Hitomi pushes the door open and steps inside the state room.
"Jonathon, it's Hitomi, are you here?-."
Suddenly Jonathon grabs Hitomi from behind and stabs her in the back, then Jonathon callously slits the young photographer's throat.
After killing Hitomi Jonathon picks up the chum bucket and carries it out onto the now empty deck and dumps the contents overboard.
Naruto and Gwen are enjoying taking pictures of the variety of sea life that pass by the shark cage, even a few Tiger Sharks and Great Whites that pass by the structure. Then suddenly something hit the water, the substance turned the water blood red and Gwen could plainly see the chopped up fish parts as they rained down in front of the water.
Naruto looks at Velma and points up, signaling that they had to return to the ship as fast as they could.
He nods, meanwhile, Daphne sees a large group of sharks gathering around the cage. Her heart is instantly filled with dread.
'Please be all right, Naruto.' Daphne prayed silently.
Naruto and Gwen were swimming for their lives, a pair of ten foot long Tiger Sharks were quickly closing the distance between them and the two terrified humans. Gwen points to a kelp bed and signaled for Naruto to head for it, Naruto nods and swims to the kelp bed. Naruto reached the safety of the kelp bed and realizes that Gwen hasn't joined him.
Naruto looks up and is horrified to see Gwen being savagely torn apart by four massive Tiger Sharks, using the kelp bed as cover Naruto reluctantly swam back to the ship and with the last vestiges of his strength climbed out of the water and collapsed on the deck. Daphne, Shaggy, Zara, and Fred all rushed over to Naruto.
"Naruto, are you all right?" Daphne asked, her face twisted with pain and worry.
Naruto removed his dive mask, still gasping for air.
"I'm... o-okay now, but Gwen... She's dead." Naruto says.
"What? What happened?" Jim Drexler said as he and several exotic women walked up to the group.
"The Scuba Diving Instructor was killed when she and I were attacked by Sharks and it was no accident." Naruto says.
"What does that mean?" Jim asked defensively.
"That someone tried to kill me along with Gwen Blackwood." Naruto snapped.
Daphne helped Naruto to his feet and hugged the blonde tightly.
"Come on, let's go to my state room." Daphne says gently.
Naruto nods wordlessly before leaving the deck with Daphne.
(With Shaggy, Zara, Scooby, and Asha)
Shaggy and Zara are sitting in Zara's suite.
"So Shaggy, how long have you been solving mysteries?" Zara asks.
"Like 20 years off and on, right buddy?"
"Reah." Scooby says.
He then giggles when Asha gently licks his nose, making him blush.
"Would you stop if someone you cared about asked you to stop?" inquired Zara.
"Well..." Shaggy begins thinking, then he smiles. "Yes, I would, why do you ask?" Shaggy asks.
In an instant, Shaggy was kissed intensely by Zara, in that moment of the kiss our chemistry becomes an ever-bright flame.
Shaggy was stunned as Zara pressed the advantage, deepening the kiss for a moment, before breaking the kiss and taking a seat on Shaggy's lap.
"Please stop Shaggy, for me. I-I can't understand these feelings that I am having about you right now, but I do know that I would be devastated if anything bad happened to you or Scooby-Doo."
Asha whined in agreement.
Shaggy pulled Zara close to him and kissed her passionately, Zara felt her heart explode with joy when she felt Shaggy's hot kiss, it seared her soul and burned away all of her doubts and fears, the only thing that matters right now is Shaggy and her right here and now.