Thankfully, their rooms had two beds. They were fairly large too with plenty of room. It was like having their own apartment.

Once they unloaded their things, Aime showed them around and gave them the grand tour all day. By the time it was over, their feet were aching. They spent so long being introduced to the resort that they hardly had any time to enjoy it.

Aime seemed fine though. The woman wasn't even out of breath, nor did she give any inclination that her feet may be hurting.

It was evening time when they finally got to rest. Aime had a campfire set up for them, complete with weenies and marshmallows to roast. She even gave them privacy and whisked off to who knows where.

The teens were gathered around the fire in silence, only the soft flickering of the flames filling the air.

Growing tired of this, Nabiki spoke first. "Guess it really is only us here."

"Such a waste of beauty if no one is around to see it." Shinobu adds.

Kuno sighed loudly, tilting his head towards the sky. "If no one is around to see the Pigtailed Girl... No one can appreciate her beauty."

Nabiki rolled her eyes, resting her head in her hands. "Enough about the Pigtailed Girl already."

"Maybe if you hadn't lied to me, you won't hear my whining." Kuno countered.

Across from them, Shuutaro stabbed a marshmallow with his skewer in quiet anger. "At least keep your pining silent like a real man." He was using himself as the prime example. He kept his monologues about how much he desired Lum to himself. If Lum were here, he'd tell her directly how much she meant to her. If only it were that easy to be that way about Shinobu.

Kuno shot Shuutaro a glare. "I don't believe I asked you."

Shuutaro simply shrugged in response. "If you don't want an answer, don't speak too loud."

Nabiki inserted herself into the situation. "Girls, girls, you're both beautiful." she stated in a teasing fashion. However they ignored her.

They stood up and butted heads.

"Silence, fiend! You know nothing about me!" Kuno retorted. Out of nowhere, his bokken was back out and jabbing into Shuutaro's abdomen. It was probably going to leave a bruise the following morning.

Shuutaro reachee for the hilt of his katana. "Fool," he said. "You're wooden sword is nothing compared to my blade."

Nabiki watched as Shinobu abruptly stood up to try and end this altercation before it even begins. "Stop!" Like a magnet she's at Shuutaro's side, placing her hand over his that's holding the hilt. She shakes her head. "We're supposed to be having fun."

"Fair brutish beauty," Kuno was referring to Shinobu as he actually hadn't caught onto her name. "This would only last a mere second before I cut down your hapless boyfriend."

The thought of Shuutaro being referred to as her boyfriend turned Shinobu into a gushing mess. Her face burned a bright pink, her hands shooting up to cover the sizes of her face.

Kuno continued talking anyway. "After I strike him down, we'll see who's more superior."

"Hah!" Shuutaro scoffed. "I'll have you crying for mercy before you could even think about hitting me with your stick."

Through half lidded eyelids, Nabiki's eyes flickered between the two arguing boys. "What is even happening anymore... Are you going to hit each other or what?"

Without looking at her, Shuutaro responds and unsheathes his katana. "I'll do better than that, I'll kill him."

Nabiki has known Kuno to survive deathly situations caused by his family or even his classmates, but she knew nothing of this stranger and what he was capable of. She did know that Kuno was at a disadvantage with his bokken. For once, she actually felt afraid. "Whoa, hold on now—"

"Look away Miss Shinobu, I don't want you to see me like this. You too Miss Nabiki."

Nabiki stamped her foot. "I said hold on!"

The two boys turned their heads to look at her. Everyone was silent once again. The moon had crept into the sky and the orange hues of the noon subsided into the violets of the night. The sounds of crickets could be heard singing their song. Nabiki calmly offers a preposition.

"At least for tonight, refrain from fighting each other. We just got here. At least wait out the week. I'm sure Shinobu doesn't want to have this hanging over her head and ruining her vacation." Nabiki motions to her with her hand. "I don't either. I'd actually like for Kuno to remain alive."

"Why... Nabiki Tendo, do you actually care about me?" Nabiki wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, or if the shadows were playings tricks on her but she could've sworn that Kuno softened his eyes just now.

"I—"

Suddenly Aime approached them, not even the sound of her sandals giving her away. "Actually, that won't be possible."

Saved from having to think about Kuno's eyes, Nabiki gratefully took the distraction. "What won't?" she asked.

"Staying a week." Aime pressed the palms of her hands together and sharply inhaled. "You're actually stuck there."

Enraged, Shuutaro pointed his blade at her. He'd never hurt a woman before but that doesn't mean he can't start now. "What do you mean?!"

Aime calmly brushed the point of the katana away with the back of her hand. "Here in Cherish Island, you can't leave until your issues are resolved."

Kuno scoffs, upturning his nose. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"None of you leaves until one of you confessed their feelings for the other."

The clattering sound of Shuutaro's katana falling onto the floor punctuated Aime's statement.

Kuno glared at the woman. "Well it certainly won't be me, I harbor no such feelings for Nabiki Tendo."

Nabiki crossed her arms. "Hear, hear."

Aime covered her mouth and giggled. "I won't be too sure about that."

In a shaky voice, Shinobu asked what would happen if none of them confessed.

"Ah well, that means you'll be stuck here forever." Aime's tone continued to be nonchalant as she gave a shrug.

The light of the fire casted long shadows. In this lighting, Aime looked more sinister than she had appeared originally.

Stuttering, Shuutaro reached down to pick up his katana. "J-just what kind of woman are you?!"

"A dream demon." Aime tilts her head in thought. "You might've heard of Mujaki."

Shinobu and Shuutaro shared a look.

"Anywho! Ta-ta now!" Aime waved at the teens and she disappeared.


The campfire was now a bust and the teens relented to hiding in their rooms for the rest of the night.

"Are you ready for bed, Miss Shinobu?"

Shinobu and Shuutaro were standing in the middle of the room in their pajamas, waiting for the other to claim a bed.

Shuutaro dips his head. He looks to be deep in thought with his head bent down. "Do you... Mind if I keep a light on?"

"Not at all."

"Good." Shuutaro goes over to his suitcase and fishes for something. He pulls out something that's very clearly octopus shaped and semi-transluscent. "Go ahead, Miss Shinobu. I'll take the bed closest to this wall." He walks over and plugs in the octopus-thing when Shinobu realizes that it was a nightlight. With all the other lights in the room on, Shuutaro's nightlight stayed off. It probably had a sensor.

Shinobu climbs into bed while Shuutaro cuts the lights.

"Goodnight Miss Shinobu."

"Goodnight Mendou."

A moment of silence and slight rustling of sheets passed.

"Um... Mendou?"

"Yes Miss Shinobu?"

"Does your nightlight have to be that bright?"

The octopus nightlight lit up half the room. Even Shinobu's eyelids couldn't block out the light. All she could see was red.

Nervously, Shuutaro responds. "Yes... I'm afraid of the dark." Admitting it was embarrassing but for right now, it was just the two of them.

"Oh I knew that." Shinobu's answer nearly put him into catatonic shock.

"What?!"

Shinobu shrugged, looking over at him in the other bed. "It's not exactly a secret. Everyone knows. All the girls in school know."

"And it doesn't... Bother you?"

"Not one bit. I mean—" Shinobu chews at the inner side of her cheek. "Except for that nightlight, it does bother me a bit. I don't think I can sleep with that on."

"Wait one moment," Shuutaro threw the blankets off of his and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He goes to his suitcase once again and takes something else out of it. "Catch." He tosses it towards her.

Shinobu clasped her hands around it, feeling something silky. Uncovering it, she reveals a sleep mask for her eyes. It was simple and white in design. It didn't make sense that Shuutaro would have this if he was afraid of the dark. "Did you bring this just for me?" she asked.

Shuutaro climbed back into bed and nodded. "You may keep it, think of it as a small gift. Now goodnight Miss Shinobu, there's a lot waiting for us in the morning."

Smiling, Shinobu put the mask over her eyes and settled into sleep. "Goodnight."


Kuno and Nabiki had been arguing over who gets what in their room until Kuno drew the line. Literally. He found some electrical tape and began putting it down to mark the room in half.

"There, that side is yours and this is mine." He crossed his arms.

Nabiki pointed to his side. "But I really wanted that bed." She was only really trying to push his buttons but it was true, she did want the other bed. It was closer to the A/C.

Kuno groaned and grabbed at his hair. He was on the verge of pulling it out. "I cannot stand you, Nabiki Tendo!"

Nabiki smirked, cocking a brow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're incorrigible."

"Hey," Nabiki said. "I let you crash in my bed at home whenever you're injured. Just let me have that one and we'll call it even. I for one, am beat. I don't know about you."

"Hmph. Fine."

"Good." Nabiki crossed over to the other side and he did the same. "And Kuno-baby," she added. "Take the stupid tape off the floor, I'm not going to do this.

Kuno's jaw dropped. It took him a few seconds to find his words. "Y-you should've said something while I was doing it—!"

"What can I say?" Nabiki falls backwards into her bed. "I like watching you make a fool of yourself. Now let's please go to bed."