She went back into Chase's house silently, unable to hide her crestfallen demeanor. "I have to go back to the mainland. My dad's doing worse." Her voice was barely loud enough for Chase to catch.

Chase stood from his chair, walking over to her and reaching to hold her upper arms. "Are you okay?" He spoke softly to her, rubbing her arms to try and comfort her. She cradled her arms over her stomach, chewing on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "They said he only has about a month to live." She found herself leaning closer to the comforting voice and warmth.

"He might not be able to see his grandson." She looked up to Chase, shuddering as a cold feeling creeped up her spine.

Chase frowned, his thumbs circling against her shoulders. "It's okay to cry." He reached his hand up to pull her forwards by the back of her head. When her face was tucked against his chest, she felt her tears bubbling up. She fought it hard. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She wanted to be strong. Despite these thoughts, her tears began to flow, and following them were poorly contained sobs.

He refrained himself from enveloping her in his arms. He didn't want to have her running off on him just yet. He didn't know what to say to her, but he didn't want to freeze up like he had last time. He could just hug her like this and she'd be okay, right?

Hikari pressed her cheek to his chest, all too aware that his shirt was being soaked with the tears she shed. It was so much harder to compress her emotions in front of Chase, and even more so when her frayed hormones fought against her. Everything was such a mess.

Chase stood, his fingers gliding down the back of her neck through her mussed chestnut hair. His fingers trailed to her cheek, rubbing away the sorrows that spilled from her. He had no words to comfort her, and could only watch as she fell apart against his chest. Finally, his sympathy pushed him to envelope her fragile form in his arms.

It was like a cold bucket of ice thrown onto Hikari. She couldn't let her emotions control her to the point that she fell for the man holding her. When she stepped away, his disapproving frown told her that he wanted for her to stay there, but she couldn't let this continue. This… whatever this was. This flutter in her chest, this warmth his touch brought, this silent pleading his eyes gave her now, as if asking her to return to his arms and let herself go.

Hikari bit her tongue, rubbing the tears from her eyes and cheeks. "I really need to get going. I have to make sure I catch a train before they close." She said, peeking up at him only once. The glimmer in Chase's eyes had dulled again, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yeah," he sighed, looking as if he was holding back, "I'll get Pascal to take you back to the mainland."

Chase didn't push a conversation as they walked, instead he let her process whatever it was she seemed to be thinking so hard about. She seemed determined to keep things platonic between them, and it irritated him. She seemed so set on believing that things wouldn't work between them that she wasn't giving it a chance.

Last night she had agreed to start over with him, but she was fighting his advances at trying to get to know her. She would allow him normal conversations, or discussions about their baby, but hardly anything outside of those boundaries.

He was a man, too, and his patience was wearing out with her. He could only be so nice. They had seriously clicked that night, better than anyone he had met. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he thought that they could work well together, especially now that they had been tied together by the baby. He wanted to try, but she… she'd rather stay on the mainland with her stable job. And who was he to blame her?

He was basically asking her to uproot her entire life to move to the island with him.

But he'd regret it forever if he didn't try his hardest to convince her to at least try being with him.

In Harmonica Town, Hikari's weariness showed on her face. It took a heavy toll on her to walk such long distances with her infant inside her. They neared the fishing store on the pier, and Hikari turned to thank Chase for walking her so far.

She was startled by the frustration in his eyes as he practically glared down the ship she would leave on. "Hikari," Chase's eyes softened as he looked back to her, his lips tugging down into a frown. He opened his mouth to say more, but his mouth formed a firm line the next moment. Hikari quizzically searched his face, trying to read his conflicted expression.

A moment of silence passed before he let out a sigh, giving her a small smile. "Let's get your boat ticket." He walked past her, heading into the shop. He was mentally cursing himself. He didn't want to rush her into anything. He had a couple of months to convince her that being with him wasn't so bad, there was no need to force her into making a decision now.

Hikari followed behind slowly, observing how the muscles in his back were tensed from whatever was upsetting him. She felt like it would be better if she left him to his thoughts. There was no reason for them to possibly have an argument right as she was about to leave the island.

Pascal agreed without hesitation upon hearing Hikari's situation, and left to prepare his ship for the journey. Hikari and Chase stood on the deck, waiting for the captain to be done readying his ship. Chase had his hands stuffed into his pockets as per usual, his hair being tousled by the ocean wind. Hikari found herself staring at his profile, his eyes locked onto the rolling waves of the ocean.

He truly was gorgeous, even if his eyes were lackluster compared to when they had first met.

A coy grin spread across his face when he caught Hikari staring from his peripheral view. He reached his hand out to her, placing it on the small of her back. He leaned in close to her ear, whispering, "Hey, kitten, want to share a drink?"

Hikari's face lit in flames as she gasped, tucking her head away from him as he blew gently on her ear. He did that on purpose, repeating the exact words he had greeted her with at the bar! She reached out and swatted his arm, then covered her warm cheek with it to hide her blush. She glared at him when he laughed at her, his eyes giving a hint of a sparkle again. Two could play at that game. She smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in pretty boys." She turned her nose up as she looked away from him, faking a snobbish attitude. Chase scoffed, "You were already tipsy by the time I talked to you, and you practically attacked me after I offered." He jabbed a finger into her arm. Hikari giggled, glancing up at him in embarrassment. "It was your eyes." She admitted as they locked eyes.

Chase gave her a warm smile, rubbing his thumb across her back. She found her heart nervously thumping under his intense gaze. Look away. Look away before you get caught up in your feelings, she thought, but the moment of worry was drowned out by the thudding in her chest that only grew louder. His fingers were stilled on her back, and his eyes searched her cautiously as he inched closer to her.

Hikari's mind was screaming at her to stop, that she didn't need to start something that would never work out anyways. Why couldn't she free herself from those paralyzing purple hues that sent her heart sprinting? His lips were soft as a whisper on hers, his fingers slightly digging into her back in restraint.

The whisper became stronger, so much so that it overwhelmed her. Her instincts demanded her to grip tightly onto that button down shirt, that she let go and remember just what it felt like to be with him.

She gasped when his kiss became bruising, his body turning towards her as he gripped onto her, a rough pant leaving him as he forced their lips to move in sync. All too soon he tore himself from her, being interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the boat. Pascal returned from the wheel of the ship, much to Hikari's fortune. She was dumbfounded that she let herself get so carried away.

Why couldn't she stop staring at those lips, then?

Chase gave her a cocky smirk, his eyes lit in amusement as he dropped his hands to his side. His tongue trailed out over his bottom lip, a chuckle escaping him as he caught how her eyes followed the movement. Now she had done it. She had just complicated a matter that she had been trying to keep simple. "We're ready to sail!" Pascal announced once he was on the deck.

Hikari stiffened, finally drawing her eyes off of Chase. "Let's go, then. Now." She said in a rush, fleeing from the knowing grin Chase was giving her.

"Be sure to let me know when you're home." Chase called, his expression teasing but his voice serious. Hikari cast a glance back at him, wide eyed and still flushed with color. "Yeah." Her voice came out a pitch higher than she had intended it to be, and she swallowed thickly before looking away once more.

When the boat left the dock, Chase stood at the edge, watching after them with a smile. When she could no longer see him, she held her hands over her now fluttering stomach, heaving a sigh as she slid down into a bench.

Shit.