Chapter 34: Resignation
The next day, Diddy and Dixie each woke up at their hammocks. At first, they didn't know where they were, although soon they remembered that they were in that room they had been assigned to sleep. Unlike previous days, this time they felt that they had rested better and more comfortably.
Both, from their respective hammocks greeted each other and smiled at a distance, before commenting on how they had rested. After getting up, they went to get ready to start the day.
Mr. Pinky, on the other hand, was walking from the kitchen of his house to one of the terraces, carrying a table and a few chairs. Even those areas of his house were elegantly themed as in any corner of the entire residence in the tree.
Suddenly, the pair of little kongs had also arrived on the scene, since he had called them earlier so they could eat.
"Hi, Mr. Pinky!" said the two at the same time.
"Oh, how are you, Mr. Diddy and Miss Dixie? Did you sleep well this first night?"
"Of course," replied Diddy. "Do we help you with anything?"
"Just bring your own plate," said the professor. "It's almost all set."
"Okay, mister," Dixie replied smiling, before going with Diddy to take their respective dishes.
"Uhh... kids," the teacher later called them. "And I also want to apologize again for... last night's arguing and-"
"Ah, don't worry anymore, Mr. Pinky," Dixie interrupted calmly. "At least you saved our lives."
"That's true," Diddy added.
Diddy and Dixie each brought their dishes to the table, and then Mr. Pinky joined them. The two looked somewhat happy and relaxed compared to the previous day, which Mr. Pinky could notice and even looked at them with some strangeness. It even seemed as if they hadn't had that disagreement with the teacher.
"Hey, kids, I wanted to ask you a question," said the professor, looking at them with some suspicion as they began to eat. "Where did you go last night? I didn't see you after I talked to you."
Diddy and Dixie stood still at the question, looked at each other, and then looked at Mr. Pinky, trying to hide their expression.
"Uhh, we just went for a walk," Diddy replied, trying not to laugh.
"You went for a walk, huh?" Mr. Pinky said, gazing up and crossing his arms. "You went to that lake that changes color, right?"
The two of them froze and opened their eyes to the fullest, internally begging that the teacher hadn't been watching them the entire time they were there.
"And how do you know we went there?" Dixie asked, smiling with some nerves.
"I wanted to make sure you didn't try to sail again and I went to follow you two. But I only saw you running and playing near that lake, so I assumed there was nothing to worry about and I went back to sleep. I just hope you didn't swim in that lake; that water is harmful.
"Ah, yeah, yeah, that happened," Diddy said with a forced smile. "And... don't worry, mister, we didn't go into the water."
Diddy and Dixie felt a relief, looked at each other, and then shrugged, both trying not to laugh as they remembered their moments from the night before.
"Hey, Mr. Pinky," Dixie said after a while. "And what could we do during these three months?"
"Well, you can go for a walk in places near here, there are many interesting places. You can also go visit your circus friends if you want. I'm not going to stop you if that's what you think, although yes: if you are going out, just don't forget to tell me where you will be in case an emergency arises, and also be careful with strange animals and places far from this area."
"Sounds easy," Diddy replied as he continued eating.
"Oh, and don't forget to clean and tidy your room every week," added the teacher, "just as you can help me water the plants for food."
"Okay, mister," Dixie replied.
"And by the way, guys... Do you remember that last night I mentioned some mail services that are here?" asked the teacher, to which they both nodded. "See, maybe from the last weeks of the hurricane season they'll be available, in case you want to send messages to your relatives on DK Island."
"Really?" Dixie exclaimed intently along with Diddy. "But now it can't be done?"
"No, the hurricanes just started; at this time, they don't send messages anywhere. But as the phenomenon progresses, it'll be enabled... And you know that DK Island is too far away."
"Oh," Diddy said with some disappointment. "Mr. Pinky, and how long have you lived here?" he asked her after a while."
"In this house, for barely a year," Mr. Pinky replied. "Every so often I have been changing residence... In fact, I may leave this house in a few months."
"Wow, you have a lot of houses," Dixie exclaimed in amazement. "That sounds great."
"Oh, no, I always have only one house at a time," the teacher clarified with small laughs, before getting serious again. "And no, it's not... as cool as it could be thought."
"Really?" Diddy asked with a look of strangeness. "How can that not be great?"
"No, it's not," Mr. Pinky reaffirmed. "It's... Well, it's for work matters, you wouldn't understand."
Diddy and Dixie looked at him with some strangeness, but then shrugged. Later, the three of them finished eating, and then left everything tidy.
After that moment, Diddy and Dixie went back down to the level where their room was. The two still wanted to try to return to DK Island, but they were trying to resign themselves to the fact that they could no longer do anything for the time being and that they would assume to stay on that island for three months... even though they would still be just as concerned about the kongs of DK Island. Still, despite the odds, Diddy and Dixie maintained a smile that had lasted since the night before; after all the heavy situation, something good would have to come out, and that is that now the two had made the agreement to become what could be considered a couple. Finally... at least one of their biggest wishes had come true for both of them.
"Hey, Dixie," Diddy said somewhat shyly. "Uhh... don't you want to... go somewhere now?"
"Why not? Where are we going?" Dixie asked with a little laugh.
"How about going to the beach? Obviously, we won't be so out to sea, of course."
"Okay. Let's go," Dixie replied before giving him a kiss on the cheek that made him blush instantly.
The pair of kongs went to inform Mr. Pinky that they would go out and said goodbye to him. Then, they climbed down the tree and ran their way to the beach, competing for who came first, as they used to do when they were on DK Island.
They went to the beach, the same one where they had been when they arrived on that island. The day, although it was somewhat cloudy and cold, felt too calm to enjoy a moment in company; even the sea water was calm on the shores. The two thought again about the idea of trying to search for DK Island at that very moment, but at the same time... they didn't want to get into more trouble or put their lives at risk like they had the night before, in addition to remembering how terrible the storm that had brought them to that island had been.
The two, after so much running, sat on the sand to rest.
"Consider this as... our first date," Diddy said, smiling and trying to stay sure.
"Oh, okay," Dixie replied, smiling back and somewhat blushing. "But what is supposed to be done on a first date?"
"Uhh... I don't know either," Diddy said, shrugging and adopting a confused expression. "Well, I've heard that they just know each other and that's it."
"It sounds very simple, but... we were not friends before?" Dixie questioned with a few small laughs.
"You're right," he replied in kind. "So, what would you like to do?"
"Well... what if you hug me for a while or something?" Dixie replied, holding his hand. Diddy was somewhat shy about affectionate gestures, which Dixie noticed and gave small laughs, as he seemed not to be used to such demonstrative gestures. "Hey, don't be nervous, just do it."
Diddy, still trying to control his nerves of happiness so that he could now express himself affectionately towards Dixie, smiled and tried to show himself more confidently. Then, he hugged her tenderly and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Dixie was smiling as she blushed and, seconds later, also kissed him back on the cheek.
"Hey! But what do we have here?!"
Diddy and Dixie were startled to hear a deep voice that came from neither of them. They turned to look and it was none other than Mr. Pinky, who was staring at them.
"Uhh, M-Mr. Pinky... It's not what you think," Diddy stammered, not knowing how to react to his unexpected presence.
"I must have suspected it, are you two... in love?" the professor asked them, crossing his arms.
"N-no, mister, nothing to see," Dixie replied with a forced smile. "We were just... Ah, giving us a friendly hug."
"Hmm, and with little kisses included?" the professor added, with his eyebrows raised. "Wow, a pair of friends like that you don't see every day."
"Uhh... No, I was just watching... if Dixie had something in her eye, that's all," Diddy added with another forced smile. "It's not what you think."
"And why were you following us?" Dixie asked, looking at him seriously.
"I just wanted to make sure one last time you weren't out to sea again," the teacher said, smiling calmly. "Well, I don't interrupt you anymore, keep up with your... friendly hugs."
Without saying more, Mr. Pinky withdrew and left Diddy and Dixie alone again. Both made sure the professor was no longer in sight a few seconds later.
"Has he already left?" Diddy asked, watching in the distance.
"Apparently yes," Dixie replied. "Can you imagine what it would be like if we told him?"
"Don't even tell me, maybe he'd be like Cranky or come out with a speech," Diddy joked, which made Dixie laugh a little. "By the way, Dix, don't think I meant to hide it and-"
"Ah, don't worry, Diddy," Dixie said, smiling. "Anyways, this is just between the two of us, we won't be bragging about it so soon, right?"
"That's right. We must keep a low profile, especially about Mr. Pinky because of how overbearing he usually is."
Then, the two settled back into the sand while looking at the horizon together.
"Hey, Diddy," Dixie said before pausing. "Do you think we will survive three months here on this island?"
"We'll try... I hope it won't be that difficult. The good thing is that there is enough food on this island and Mr. Pinky let us stay in the tree of his house with greater comfort. At least we'll be fine," Diddy replied before sighing earnestly. "And of course... let's just hope everyone is well there on DK Island."
"And at least we won't see those fools from school... and they won't know about Jemky's matter either."
"It's true, they may even be searching for us, and they'll never find us here," Diddy added, feeling somewhat relieved. "Hey, I hadn't thought of it that way."
"Well, so, I hope we're okay and no one bothers us," Dixie replied in kind, before smiling. "And we can also spend time together."
"Oh, yes... Of course, Dixie," Diddy said, blushing at that. "Wow, are we... dating now?" he added with a few small laughs and was not yet so accustomed to the new terms. "I mean... I've never had a girlfriend, and I don't know that much about what it's like to be a boyfriend."
"Hey, I haven't had a boyfriend either," Dixie replied in kind. "This is also new to me."
"I guess now we just have to... love each other?" added Diddy, laughing a little shyly. "Well, what were we up to?"
"Ah, yes, I had told you to hug me, but... what if now we kiss?"
"Well... if you want, Dix," Diddy replied, blushing much more, but at the same time, trying to feel confident.
Diddy settled in front of her and took her hands, although then he was shy again, to which Dixie laughed a little and decided to go ahead to kiss him first, being reciprocated later by him. Both shared another tender kiss; every time that happened, they had a feeling that made their hearts beat at an accelerated rate, but at the same time... it made them feel so good, as if they wanted that moment to last forever... As soon as they parted, they couldn't stop smiling at each other and feeling so excited to be together.
"So, how about now we play on the beach?" Diddy asked after a while, to which Dixie nodded in the affirmative.
Later, both continued with their "first date", although neither of them considered it so much like that. As they did on DK Island, they started playing in the sand and then in the sea, obviously not far from the shore due to the danger that was there. This time, they were feeling calmer about being on that island; between moments, they got the feeling that they were on the same DK Island and that later they would return to their respective homes.
The following days had been very quiet after so much hustle and bustle. Everything was going normally while Diddy and Dixie fulfilled the period of time they would have to be on Hurricane Island until the heavy weather passed. At first it was somewhat complicated, since they had to adapt to the lifestyle they had to lead for the moment, and each one had to take responsibility for themselves. The hardest thing for the two of them was that they missed DK Island too much, and much more so the kongs there. But at the same time, they tried to get the idea that all their family and friends would be fine, and they couldn't wait to see their faces again when they met again.
Mr. Pinky also used to cheer them both up when they got sad about DK Island, so Diddy and Dixie began to get along better with him and even began to lose their fear about him. He had behaved very well with them, and they had no further disagreement. From time to time, the teacher would spend time with them and teach them various things as if they were still his students or sometimes tell them stories. The image of an arrogant teacher they had about Mr. Pinky was slowly disappearing, and he no longer seemed to be as overbearing as they once thought.
Sometimes, the two little kongs also visited the circus animals in that shelter, since they had established good friendships with them. These animals were gradually healing their wounds received in the circus, and began to see themselves with a better countenance, which also made Diddy and Dixie happy.
In the same way, Diddy and Dixie had enough time to spend together. Although ending up on a distant island was not something they expected, they had finally managed to confess to each other what they had long felt for each other; it was something that excited them too much and, therefore, lifted their spirits a little in the middle of that situation. After several things, they had gone from being best friends to becoming a couple; it was such a wonderful thing that the two of them sometimes couldn't believe it was true.
Diddy and Dixie already felt more confident about walking around the places on the island, so they often went to explore together as they used to on DK Island. In fact, Hurricane Island had several nice and interesting places to visit that they hadn't seen before on DK Island. On several occasions, and hidden from Mr. Pinky, they planned their romantic dates in those places of the island... Although actually, they were always normal dates as they had done before, only this time, between their games, laughter and jokes of always, now they also included signs of affection such as kisses, hugs and loving gestures, something that increasingly reinforced their affection for each other. Diddy and Dixie weren't having such a bad time after all.
Diddy felt that one of his wishes had finally come true. Being reciprocated by Dixie, made him feel great. When before he could only look at her, play and hang out with her, now he could also hug her, kiss her and tell her everything he felt for her, even though sometimes shyness or his difficulty of loving demonstration invaded him. He regretted not telling her his feelings when they were still on DK Island; they would have saved a lot of events, but at the same time, he tried to assimilate how everything had been, and at least he had managed to take the first step with Dixie.
On the other hand, Dixie also felt so excited for Diddy. She was no longer thinking about how to let him know about her feelings; now they were together and she could fearlessly express all her affection to him. Even though he wasn't as expressive or loving as Donkey and Candy were, that didn't matter much to Dixie anymore, and she even started trying to accept him as he was; as long as she spent wonderful moments by his side, she was quite happy.
Both had always thought that if they became something more, their dates would perhaps be more sophisticated and even better planned, but just a walk along the shores of the sea, swimming in the lakes, playing in the rain, going out at night to look at the sky or just look at each other and pass hugging anywhere without doing anything, made them feel their best and excited them.
Each day, Diddy and Dixie felt their loving affection for each other grow and grow stronger. During those days, they enjoyed their new love bond that they now had. They felt as if the universe had been in their favor for bringing them together. The special moments they spent together made time pass slowly and, at the same time, calmed them for a while the frustration of not being able to return to DK Island during that weather season.
A/N: The next chapters will be quiet :)... And enjoy as long as it is.