Chapter 75

Hitomi awoke with a groan as she felt something hit her face and, as she slowly opened her eyes, found that it was the hand of her girlfriend. And now that she was awake she also felt one of the knees that she had kissed the night before buried into her back. Was it kind of sad that this wasn't exactly a rarity for them to awake this way?

Moving her head to the side the hand dropped down just above her chest and she glanced over to the watch, then remembered that it was nearly time for her and Mila to meet up for some morning training.

God she wanted to stay in bed for some more hours. Yesterday hadn't exactly been the most restful of nights. But she definitely didn't complain and twisted around to see Leifang lying there, completely bare and felt even more that she just wanted to stay in bed.

But she had made a promise.

So she tried to get out of bed as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake the older girl, but as soon as she got off the mattress she heard Leifang, who slowly cocked open an eye and turned around, moan out.

"Hitomi?" she asked, tiredness evident in her voice. "Come back to bed."

She patted the space where the German had been lying just a moment ago. Smiling slightly Hitomi sat down on the bed and leaned over her girlfriend.

"Sorry, but I wanted to do some training and I promised Mila that I'd spar with her. Just go back to sleep, alright sweetie?"

"Alright."

Seeing her like that Hitomi couldn't help herself and leaned further down, kissing Leifang on the lips, who responded as eager as she could right now.

After they parted once more Leifang grimaced for a moment and turned around, grabbing the covers as she did so, and said "Brush your teeth, you got a serious case of morning breath."

"You know what they say about the pot and the kettle, right?" Hitomi joked and walked over to the wardrobe to get herself a towel, a fresh set of training clothes and, when she was absolutely sure that Leifang wasn't watching, the other bikini she had bought that she was sure would definitely be to Leifang's liking. She then headed off towards the bathroom, chuckling when the only response she got was a huff.

She took a quick shower and of course brushed her teeth, then started to put on the pink bikini, which looked a little like it was made out of leaves, tying up the straps of the bottom around her waist first then moving on to the top that left a few parts of interest on her breasts exposed, especially the lower side.

Let's see what you think about a bit of underboob, sweetie. Hitomi thought and resisted the urge to laugh. Like usual these days she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put on the green track suit that she had chosen. She still had a little time left so she could do a little jog to warm up.

Slapping both of her cheeks slightly to really wake up she left the room and looked at Leifang, who appeared to be sleeping again, then walked over to their shared wardrobe again and pulled out her trainers, making a mental note of pulling them off before stepping on the sand. There was nothing worse than sand in the shoes.

Well actually she could think of a few things, like the smell of wet fur, but nevermind that.

Once she was ready she gave Leifang one last look and headed out. Stretching herself once to loosen all the kinks she bounced on her toes a few times before following the wooden pathway that lead to their lodge, then later took a turn at Niki Beach Road and headed towards the dead volcano.

It should be doable for her to run to the bicycle rental and back here before they were supposed to meet up. "Osu!" she fired herself up and started running in that direction.

While jogging she deeply inhaled the fresh air, a stark contrast to the air back home, even though Freiburg was far in the countryside and next to one of the largest forests of Europe. Here there were no cars that could pollute the air. She didn't know about the others, but she definitely noticed the difference and felt much more invigorated. It really was the perfect place to relax one's body and soul.

When she arrived at the bicycle rental she stopped to rest up for a short moment and catch her breath before turning around and heading back towards Niki Beach at the same pace, only stopping one last time at one of the vendors to get herself something to drink. Once there she stepped out of her shoes and carried them as she walked over the sand.

It didn't take long for her to find the younger girl, already deeply engrossed in a little bit of shadow boxing and wearing a pair biker shorts plus a red tank top.

"Morning!" Hitomi called out, startling Mila a little bit and causing her to turn around.

"Ah! Morning, I didn't hear you arrive." Mila greeted her sheepishly.

"I see you're already working out hard. So you ready, or do you want some more time?"

"No no I'm good." Mila said but looked at her strangely. At first Hitomi didn't give it any mind and un-zipped her top, laying it down on the sand and placing her shoes on top of it as well as her bottle of water, but then she noticed how the other girl started to avoid looking at her directly.

"Hmm? Something the matter?"

"No! I -uh- mean, not really." Mila returned her gaze to the German, her eyes shifting in an attempt to think of something to say. It seemed as if she-

Aaaah and in an instant it dawned to her what this was about. "This is about me being in a relationship with another girl, right? If I make you uncomfortable I can leave."

Mila shook her head. "No it's not that. Well not entirely. I'm cool with you and Leifang being together it's just...odd? It's one thing always hearing about these sort of persons and another to actually know one, you know what I'm saying."

"In a way, yeah. I mean I realized it last year, but I've quickly gotten used to it even though it changed a pretty big part of my life. But in the end it doesn't change who I am. Still the cheery Karateka and all that."

"Yeah, you're right. I probably shouldn't think too hard on it."

"That's right. Besides while you certainly are pretty you aren't exactly my type, so don't worry about me becoming touchy feely here." she winked playfully. "Inherited the interest in asian women from my father I guess."

A moment of silence passed between them and Hitomi was about to apologize for that one when Mila suddenly burst into laughter, soon joined by the German.

"You know, for the first few seconds I thought you found my bikini weird." Hitomi said in between laughter.

"It's very pink, I'll give you that."

"So, we still gonna do this?" Hitomi asked after their laughter subsided.

Mila nodded. "Definitely."

They both moved where they had enough space to not fly right into one of the palm trees around here and got into position.

"Don't you hold back on me." Hitomi said.

"I won't."

And with one final look into the other's eyes began their sparring match.

Back in the lodge Leifang was lying on the bed, trying to get back to sleep since Hitomi had gone to the bathroom. But now that Hitomi had been long gone to her training she gave up that fruitless endeavor and sat up, letting her legs hang down the side of the bed, covers dropping from her bare torso.

"Oh well, better get ready for the day then." she told herself. She slowly gathered up the nightdress as well as the stockings from last night's activity, putting everything into the bag that they had brought for their laundry to be put in.

Afterward she took a much longer shower than Hitomi had, intent on enjoying herself without a girlfriend telling her that she takes way too long in the bathroom, taking her sweet time doing her hair by pulling it into her elaborate pigtails, which she hadn't done in a while now, and after she was done with that she spent a good while on her nails.

Since she didn't have that much money to rely on she had stopped frequenting the manicurist and started to do her nails on her own. She had to admit it really looked easier than done and she made a lot of mistakes at first, causing her to clip off her nails because they were unevenly filed, until she had finally gotten it right. Hitomi had a few good laughs back then.

Pretty good work, if I do say so myself she thought and inspected her fingernails. Debating if she should put nail polish on them she got an idea and jumped over to the wardrobe, rummaging through her things and pulling out the new dark-purple bikini she had bought. The top looked a little bit like a very lacy bra while the bottom looked more bikini-like and attached to it was a cute, flowery patterned see-through mini wrap.

She put it on, already picturing the look on the German's face, and went back to the bed where she had all her nail utensils, taking the purple nail polish and painting her fingernails.

There! Perfect. She inspected her nails one final time and looked at the watch. Hitomi had been gone for a while now. Maybe she should go and look for her.

Putting a pair of white heeled sandals she left their shared lodge and headed towards the pool area, since she didn't know where Hitomi would be training and also didn't want to search aimlessly. Arriving there she looked around for people to ask, but it was still pretty empty at this time of day.

Well, aside from a certain blonde American who was currently sitting under a parasol, wearing a pair of large shades over her eyes and holding her head like it could fall off any minute while resting her elbows on the table in front of her.

"Hey Tina." She called out as she approached her, only to get hissed at by the ex-Wrestler.

"Not so loud." she shushed her.

Leifang pulled one of the chairs back to sit down opposite of Tina and got a good look at her. She looked terrible and she suspected that she hid bloodshot eyes under those shades. A hangover.

"Looks like someone had too much of a party last night."

"You know me, always the party girl. Oooh." she moaned and rubbed her temples. "Too bad I always regret it the next mornin'."

"You look terrible."

"Yeah, screw you too, hun. Or better let Hitomi do it for you, I bet she'd jump at the chance." Leifang knew that Tina didn't mean it to be offensive so she just ignored it and leaned back in her chair.

"Speaking of Hitomi, did you see her around here?" she asked. "I'm looking for her."

"Not since yesterday really, ah wait, I saw her joggin' towards the bike rental. Maybe she's around there."

"Thanks, I'll take a look." Leifang got back up from the chair. "Maybe you should go back to your room and lie down."

"You bet your sweet behind I will, just figured that a little bit of fresh air might do me good but," she pointed to the loudspeakers from where the music came that Zack was deejaying almost all day. "Wasn't that great of an idea."

"Should I accompany you?" Leifang asked but was waved off by Tina.

"Nah, this isn't my first hangover and it probably won't be my last one either. I'll be fine on my own, you just go look for that girlfriend of yours."

"Alright. I guess I see you later?"

"Yeah, later."

Leifang left Tina where she was and headed into the direction where Hitomi was supposed to be when she stumbled upon a commotion coming from Niki Beach. Her curiosity getting the better of her she walked over there and overheard some of the other people talking amongst each other.

"Wow those two are pretty amazing aren't they?"

"They sure are, but I tell you I once witnessed Ms. Douglas fighting and that was a sight let me tell you."

"How long have they been going at it now?"

"Dunno, but I know I would've quit a long time ago."

The closer she got the clearer she could hear the sounds of fighting and she eventually recognized one of the voices as Hitomi's, which made her start walking faster.

"Excuse me." she said as she moved through the group of people. Once she passed them she saw her girlfriend and Mila in a heated sparring match. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the pink bikini that Hitomi was wearing and she bit her lower lip. Nice.

Leifang watched as the two traded punches and kicks tirelessly while the women around them were chattering, making small casual bets on who might come out on top by the end.

But the Chinese already knew. The way Mila moved showed that she was starting to get a little lax on her feet, and of course Hitomi knew too, if she gauged the look in the Karateka's eyes right. It would only take one small mistake on the Spanish girl's part.

And after a few more minutes of going back and forth she did as she kicked out her leg in a high arc right into the waiting hand of Hitomi, who grabbed hold of it, spun a little and kicked out Mila's other leg from under her, making her fall onto her back. Hitomi in turn let go of her leg and threw a punch towards her face, stopping only inches from it.

"Osu!" she let out, breathing heavily.

"Guess...you beat me again." Mila said sheepishly, or at least as much as she could right now and let herself being helped back onto her legs by the German.

Leifang smiled to herself and slowly started to clap her hands, not taking long to get all the other ladies around here to join in and make Hitomi and Mila turn towards them. Hitomi instantly noticed her girlfriend and eyed her up a down, whistling through her teeth when she saw what the older girl was wearing. Wow.

"Thanks, but this was nothing. You should've seen her in the tournament." Mila told the crowd with a grin on her face.

"Oh come on, you were great too."

The Chinese walked over to them. "You were both great." she told them, then turned to Mila. "Mind if I take my girlfriend off your back now?"

Mila looked between them, grin still in place. "Sure go ahead, she's all yours now."

"Glad to see I've got a say in this." Hitomi joked and all three girls laughed. The crowd dispersed slowly, leaving only the three of them and eventually even Mila, taking a look at her wristwatch, told them that she would be heading out too.

"See you guys later." she said as she jogged off.

"And there she goes." Hitomi said, watching the younger girl for a moment longer before turning to Leifang and taking another good look at her new bikini. "You look great."

"So do you. So that was what you were hiding the whole time."

"Guess I can say the same about you." Hitomi grinned cheekily as Leifang circled her arms around her waist, pulling herself close. "Wait, I'm all drenched in sweat."

"So? The water's just over there." leaning forward she placed a small kiss on the side of the brunette's lips. "So how about a little swim?"

She pulled herself away from Hitomi and walked towards the water, swaying her hips purposefully, smiling to herself when she heard her girlfriend following her.

The water was perfect and the couple spend a while in the water, swimming, playing around and of course flirting all the time with the occasional kiss here and there, yet refraining from openly making out. That was something that they would take somewhere else later where no one would see.

"Let's go grab something to eat, I'm hungry." Hitomi said as they got out, walking over to her discarded jogging suit and shoes and picking them up.

"I'd like that." Leifang said and looped an arm around Hitomi's as they left the beach.

"Whew, I'm stuffed." Hitomi said as they walked along the pool area. "Too bad I couldn't get the recipe."

"More like good thing you didn't or we'd be eating that food for a while and I don't think that we'd be able to train enough for us not to gain any weight. I like my body just like it is right now." Leifang placed a hand on her flat stomach. "Besides, remember how you had to train because of all the cake you ate?"

"Jeez don't remind me. But yeah you're right." she leaned into her to whisper the next part. "And I like your body the way it is too."

She playfully blew into her ear, making Leifang giggle. The Chinese looked around a little for something to do until she got an idea. "Hey, let's go there for a ride." she said and pointed towards the Ferris wheel.

Hitomi contemplated it for a second then nodded. "Sure."

They headed there, hand in hand, fingers intertwined and Hitomi listened to Leifang while she hummed a melody to herself. There wasn't much in terms of customers so they didn't have to wait and got in. Inside they sat side by side and the Chinese leaned her head against the German's shoulder, sitting in comfortable silence and enjoying the view until Hitomi broke it.

"Only a week left. Ah, I'm gonna miss this place so much when we head back home." she looked at Leifang and caught the look in her eyes that was only there for a split second.

"Yeah. Back to the daily grind." the older girl said and looked out of the window, her mind going to far places and Hitomi knew what she was thinking about. As much as she said she was okay Hitomi knew that what happened between Leifang and her father was still eating away at her. She needed to think of something...

But for now the only thing she could do was being there for her...

"Hey look," she pointed towards one of the clouds. "That looks like a teddy bear, don't you think?"

"Hmm? Where?" Leifang turned her eyes first to Hitomi and then where she pointed. "Are you kidding me? No way does that looks like one."

"But it does. There, you see that? That's the ears."

"No it's not."

"I'm telling you."

They glared at one another for a moment as the Ferris wheel came to a stop right when they were at the top, but soon the corners of their lips turned upward and they started to laugh. Hitomi kept her eyes on her as they did so.

...And right now simply being there was exactly what Leifang needed.

All things must come to an end. I'm afraid this was the last Zack Island chapter for this little story. Next week it's back to Germany. Well I hope you all liked this little vacation and we'll see each other next week!