Swimming With Sea Cucumbers Kaorin lay in a heap on the floor, shivering. " . . . and then, when she answered my question, she turned around to look at me!" She pulled her knees up to her chest, then wrapped her arms tightly around them. "If that bridge hadn't had guardrails . . ." She pressed her forehead to her knees and whimpered. Chiyo looked out the window at Osaka's car, with a fresh dent in the fender and a long scrape along the door. She now understood exactly why Sakaki had pushed her to Yomi's car. She should have gotten the clue when Sakaki sent Maya with her, but it didn't sink in until she saw Osaka's car drifting between lanes. She would have imagined that having experienced Yukari's driving firsthand, Osaka would not want to replicate it. But then again, Osaka's attention did tend to wander at times. Yomi crouched beside Kaorin. "Would a cup of water help with your carsickness?" Kaorin shook her head. Tomo, sitting on the couch, held up her bag of snacks. "How about squid jerky? Nice and salty." Covering her mouth, Kaorin scrambled to the restroom. Yomi glared at Tomo. "What? It's good." Tomo tossed the last handful into her mouth. Then she dropped the bag onto the table and whipped off her shirt, revealing a bright red bikini top. "Are you in grade school?" Yomi shouted. "Are you ever going to stop wearing your swimsuit under your clothes?" "This gets me to the water that much faster!" She stood and headed for the door. "Ah!" Chiyo jumped up to block her path. "You shouldn't go swimming right after eating!" Tomo backed off. "Okay, I'll wait." Chiyo's eyes widened. Tomo was being rational. The world must be ending. As soon as Chiyo stepped out of the way, Tomo ran past her. Chiyo pursued her onto the balcony, but Yomi's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Let her learn her lesson the hard way, Chiyo-chan." "But she never learns any lessons. That's the problem." "I've been saying that for years." Chiyo sighed. "Well, we should put on our bathing suits and go down there. So when she gets into trouble, we'll be there to get her out of it." "Do we have to?" ----- Chiyo and Yomi stood thigh deep in water, watching as Sakaki dragged Tomo out of the ocean. Tomo wailed loudly about her stomach cramps. "You should have listened to Chiyo-chan," Yomi grumbled as they passed. Sakaki carried the still whining Tomo away from the shore, then dumped her on the beach blanket beside Kaorin, who had lingering nausea issues. Then she turned to walk away. "Sakaki-san," Kaorin's voice quavered. Sakaki glanced over her shoulder. "Hmm?" "Um, nothing. Nevermind." Sakaki headed back to the water. Behind her, she heard a wail of, "Waaa! I forgot the watermelon! Noooooooo!" Maya scampered along the wet sand, running back when the waves came in and forward when they went out. Sakaki smiled, then joined Yomi and Chiyo. She and Chiyo gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Yomi cleared her throat, waded to deeper water, then swam away. Osaka drifted by on an inner tube. "Whoa! Chiyo-chan, you're not in my group anymore!" "Huh?" She stared at Chiyo's breasts for a moment, then slowly turned to look at Sakaki's. "But you didn't quite make it to Sakaki's group." Sakaki felt her cheeks grow warm, and she sat down, submerging all but her shoulders and head. As Osaka floated away, Sakaki looked up at Chiyo. She wore a cute pink one-piece with a rose petal pattern. Sakaki sighed, then flopped over on her side. The cool water felt good on her face. After a moment, hands closed around her arm and pulled her above the surface. Chiyo sat next to her. "Why did you go underwater like that?" Sakaki looked away. Maya batted at a bit of seaweed that had washed ashore. "Hmm." "That wasn't an answer." Sakaki remained silent. Chiyo sighed. "Shall we swim?" Sakaki nodded. They soon caught up to Yomi, who had stopped to float on her back. Yomi closed her eyes and smiled. "This is bliss. I haven't done anything like this for a long time." "Neither have I." Chiyo rolled onto her back and drifted beside her. "I was in the very center of the United States, more than a thousand miles away from either ocean." "What was that like?" Sakaki floated closer to Chiyo to listen. Chiyo sighed. "Really flat and empty. Even the largest city in Nebraska wouldn't qualify as a Tokyo suburb." Yomi turned her head slightly to look at her. "So what did you do for fun?" "A friend took me out to her family farm and taught me how to ride a horse. It was a really pretty type of horse called a 'paint.' She was white with brown spots. One of the spots on her neck was shaped exactly like a butterfly." The image that formed in Sakaki's mind was so cute she started to shiver. "I never realized how big horses were until I was right next to one. I didn't even come up to her shoulder. It was kind of scary at first. I thought she might step on me and I'd die. But she was really gentle. After a while I would feed her carrots and apples right out of my hand." "That sounds nice." Sakaki sighed. Chiyo glanced at Sakaki with a wide-eyed, innocent smile. "And then I joined a motorcycle gang and learned to fire a gun." Sakaki choked and sank beneath the surface. A moment later, thin arms hooked under her own and pulled her up. She opened her eyes to see a smirking Yomi, still floating on her back. Chiyo whispered in Sakaki's ear, "I was only teasing." Sakaki exhaled slowly. "No motorcycle gang?" Chiyo released Sakaki, then swam around in front of her. "None." "No guns?" "Only once. It was too loud, and hurt my ears. And the recoil made my wrists sore." They treaded water, staring into each other's eyes. After a long pause, Sakaki asked, "Aren't you going to say that was a joke?" Chiyo rolled over and did the backstroke, zipping away. Yomi's smirk vanished. "Hey! Was that part true?" She looked at Sakaki. "I think America was bad for her." Sakaki nodded. "Hmm." A loud splash behind them announced Tomo's return to the water. She flailed around in something more or less resembling a breaststroke and slowly moved toward them. They felt the spray of the water she was kicking up well before she was within speaking distance. When she got close enough, she floated the rest of the way, panting for breath and occasionally spitting out water. As soon as she was in range, Tomo poked Yomi's belly. "Whoa! Look at that tummy sticking out of the water!" Yomi clubbed Tomo on the head with her foot. A moment later, Tomo bobbed to the surface again, unfazed. "It's probably because when Chiyo took you out the other day, you had such a huge piece of cake!" Sakaki blinked. "Chiyo took you out?" "We had lunch on Wednesday." Yomi's voice carried a slight hesitation. "I see. She took me out for dinner yesterday." "Really?" Tomo splashed around. "I wonder when I get my free meal?" Abruptly, Sakaki turned and swam full speed to deeper water. Was Chiyo taking everyone out, one at a time? So last night hadn't been special after all. Not slowing her pace, she closed her eyes, feeling her tears seep out to mix with the sea water. When she finally looked forward, Sakaki realized she was about to collide with Osaka. She dove and zipped underneath, turning around as she came up on the other side. Osaka giggled as her inner tube rose and fell in Sakaki's wake. "That was fun. Do it again!" "Ah . . ." Sakaki glanced toward the sinking sun, then toward the beach. It seemed like a thin strip in the distance. She hadn't realized she'd gone so far. "That's right, it's almost night. Would you please tow me to shore?" Sakaki nodded and hooked her fingers through the tube's handle. She couldn't swim as fast this way, but hopefully they'd beat the darkness. "Heh heh. That cloud over there looks like a big sea cucumber. And because it's sunset, it looks like it's on fire." Sakaki didn't answer. Osaka continued, "Did you know that a lot of people think sea cucumbers and sea slugs are the same thing? But they're not. Sea slugs are related to marine snails. Sea cucumbers are related to sea urchins and starfish." "Ah." "I've never eaten a sea slug, but I think sea cucumbers are delicious. Do you like them?" "Sure." Actually, she was largely indifferent to the taste, but she was trying to find the shortest way to the end of this conversation. "Did you know that there are more than a thousand different kinds of sea cucumber?" "Ah." "I haven't tasted that many." Sakaki remained silent. She wondered if she'd strain her muscles if she tried to increase her speed. "Some species of sea cucumber will turn inside out and dump their guts on you if you scare them. I've never seen that." Sakaki ducked her head under water for as long as she could. Eventually she had to come up for air. " . . . grow back in just a week. Wouldn't that be convenient if a person's internal organs could grow back like that? It would make surgery really easy." The sky and sea continued to darken. The shoreline grew steadily more indistinct, even as they got closer. Sakaki shivered, partially from the cooling water and partially from fear. Suddenly a light appeared ahead of them. A feeble beam swept erratically over the surface of the water. Sakaki swam in that direction. "Maybe a lighthouse?" Osaka mused. "We might be heading toward sharp rocks." Sakaki thought it seemed too small for that. It was probably a flashlight. "Or maybe it's a will-o'-the-wisp, leading us to our deaths. That's a western monster. Maybe it followed Chiyo-chan back from America." Sakaki continued toward it. She heard Yomi shout, "There!" The beam shone in Sakaki's eyes. She stopped swimming and covered her face with her free arm. The beam quickly moved to a spot a meter or so in front of her. She swam forward, and the beam moved ahead of her. Finally, she reached down and touched sand with her toes. She walked the rest of the way, dragging the inner tube. Osaka stood up and raised her arm. "We have returned safely." "I'm glad. We were worried." Chiyo adjusted her lantern from a spotlight to a floodlight. Tomo, Yomi, and Kaorin all stood behind her. Maya put one paw on Sakaki's foot and meowed loudly. Sakaki crouched to stroke the top of his head. Tomo jumped, kicking up a lot of sand, then gave the thumbs up as she landed. "All right, since we're all back, it's time for the drinking and the dirty stories! Yeah!" She ran toward the house. After everyone had cleaned up and gotten dressed, Tomo produced two large bottles of sake from her bag. "No Yukari-chan or Nyamo-chan to stop us this time." "Well, we're all adults now, so there's no reason to stop you anyway." Yomi folded her arms. "Hmm. But don't you think it feels kind of strange to be here without any teachers?" Tomo cocked her head. Osaka raised her hand. "I'm a teacher." "Oh, yeah." Tomo started filling glasses. When Tomo got to her, Sakaki held up her hand. "Only half, please." She didn't really care much for it, but she didn't want to be rude and refuse altogether. Tomo filled her glass completely anyway. "You can't have just half. It's not right." Then Tomo turned to Chiyo. Chiyo held up both hands. "Um, I'm still nineteen, remember?" "So?" "I don't want to break the law." She went to the kitchen and returned with a can of juice. "I'll drink this, okay?" Sakaki smiled a little. Despite having grown up to be a little strange, Chiyo remained good and law-abiding. That was a promising sign. Tomo shrugged. "Suit yourself." Tomo, Yomi, Kaorin, and Osaka were well into the second bottle by the time Sakaki had finished half of her glass. Chiyo leaned against the wall, quietly listening to the wild stories, the vast majority of which came from Tomo. Sakaki suspected that fewer than half of them were true. Or at least she hoped so. Every so often, Chiyo would look at Sakaki and smile. Sakaki smiled back, feeling her face grow very warm. Kaorin came over and leaned on Sakaki, looking into her glass. "You don't need a refill yet?" Sakaki shook her head. "I probably won't finish this much." Kaorin sighed, snuggling close and resting her chin on Sakaki's shoulder. Sakaki glanced at Chiyo, who stared intently at something outside the window. Yomi burst into song. Tomo and Osaka covered their ears, but Chiyo didn't even flinch. Sakaki set her glass on the table and extricated herself from Kaorin's grasp. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She stood and headed up the stairs. "Take me with you?" Kaorin asked very softly. Her face was blazing red. Chiyo bit her lip and gazed at the floor. Sakaki looked at Kaorin again and said firmly, "Good night." Then she patted her leg. "Maya!" The cat came out from underneath the sofa and bounded to her. She scooped him up and cuddled him against her chest. Behind her, she heard Yomi call, "Kaorin, come sing with me!" After some muffled words, both voices launched into a tune about rejection and unrequited love. Sakaki clenched her jaw. Kaorin was apparently every bit as tone deaf as Yomi. ----- Sakaki couldn't sleep. Listening to the commotion below, she couldn't make out any words, so she just lay there, petting Maya. She could feel his rumbly purr shake her chest. After everything had finally grown still and silent, she slipped out of the futon and crept downstairs. She glanced around the moonlit room. At least no one was sleeping on the floor here. They must have all made it to appropriate places. Sakaki went outside and sat on the balcony. As she gazed at the dark ocean, the sound of the waves soothed her. Maya curled up on her lap and went to sleep. She stroked him idly, thinking about Chiyo. She had to figure out how she felt about the young woman. In high school, she'd grown to think of her as the cute younger sister she'd always wished she'd had. Now, however, she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. Behind her, she heard the door slide, and then soft footsteps. "Sakaki-san?" She turned to look at Kaorin. "Hmm?" Kaorin sat beside her, only a few inches away. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to embarrass you. You don't like being touched, do you?" "Hmm." Sakaki thought of Chiyo's fingers, interlaced behind her neck. The soft brush of her lips. "I just get excited sometimes. Ever since the first moment I saw you, on the first day of high school . . . I never could work up the courage to actually say something to you back then, but now, I . . ." I already know. I figured it out a long time ago. Please don't say it. Sakaki met her gaze. She kept her voice even, offering neither pity nor hope. "I'm sorry." "S-s-sorry?" Kaorin looked away. "Ah. I understand." She stood up. Her voice cracked. "It's okay, really. Good night." She ran inside. Sakaki leaned her forehead against the railing and sighed. ----- "Sakaki-san! Sakaki-san!" Sakaki awoke to Chiyo's voice. She sounded alarmed. The air was cool, but Chiyo's hands on her shoulders were warm. Sakaki opened her eyes and saw that the sky was light. "Is it dawn?" The raspiness of her voice surprised her. She rubbed her sore throat with one hand. The instant she moved, a band of pain tightened behind her eyes. Chiyo leaned close. "You weren't out here all night, were you?" "Umn." "Ah! You're damp! You've got dew on your hair!" Sakaki coughed, and her headache spiked. "Oh, this is not good. You need to get inside and get warm." Chiyo tugged on Sakaki's sleeve. Sakaki placed her hands on the wooden planks to push herself up. As she glanced down, she discovered a dead bird beside her. Suppressing a scream, she turned away quickly. "Huh?" Chiyo looked. "Waugh!" She leaned against Sakaki, cheek to cheek. "I think Maya brought you breakfast. Yuck." Chiyo stood and pulled Sakaki up. Sakaki felt rather unsteady. Chiyo slipped her arm around her waist, and Sakaki gratefully leaned on her. The house was still quiet. Sakaki whispered hoarsely, "What are you doing up so early?" "I was going to do my calisthenics. Then I found you." She looked up into Sakaki's eyes. "Why were you outside?" "I was thinking . . . and then I fell asleep." "Thinking about what?" Chiyo helped her up the stairs. You. But she said nothing out loud. Chiyo put Sakaki in a room by herself and helped her into a futon. "Do you want anything? Something to drink or eat maybe?" "Hot tea would be nice." "Your poor voice. Your throat must hurt a lot." "Um." "I'll be back soon." She tucked the cover a little closer around Sakaki's neck, then stood and backed out of the room. ----- Chiyo had finished making the tea before she heard stirrings elsewhere in the house. Yomi wandered into the kitchen, covering her yawn with the back of her hand. "Good morning." "Good morning." Chiyo poured tea into a cup, hesitated, then offered it to Yomi. "Thanks." Chiyo filled a second cup, then set it on a tray to take upstairs. "Sakaki-san is sick. I think she caught a cold." "Really?" Chiyo nodded, then picked up the tea tray. "Are you taking that to her?" "Yes." "Let me come along. I have some medicines in my purse. Maybe one of them will be useful." "Good idea!" They went up to Sakaki's room. Her cheeks were red, and her breathing a bit labored. Chiyo knelt beside her. "I brought your tea." Sakaki cracked her eyelids. "Thank you." Yomi knelt on her other side. "What are your symptoms?" "Sore throat and headache." "Is that all?" Sakaki sniffed, then coughed. "Ah. I'll be right back." Sakaki sat up and sipped at her tea. Chiyo rubbed her back, hoping Sakaki didn't mind. She'd been a little surprised by the forcefulness in Sakaki's voice when she'd turned Kaorin down last night. Now Chiyo wasn't sure if Sakaki just wasn't interested in Kaorin, or if she didn't like women that way at all. She worried that she might have offended Sakaki horribly with the stealth date and unasked-for kiss. What if she'd damaged their friendship? What if the long looks and blushes she'd gotten from Sakaki since then weren't really interest but actually embarrassment, or worse? Hesitantly, she began, "Sakaki-san . . ." Yomi returned and pressed three pills into Sakaki's hand. "Decongestant, pain reliever, and a throat drop." Chiyo stared at them, wondering if they were regular over-the-counter or something stronger. Yomi winked. "Trust the pharmacist." "Thank you." Sakaki washed the first two down with tea, then sucked on the latter. "I'll check back on you later. Ask if you need anything." Yomi left them. Chiyo continued to massage Sakaki's neck and shoulders until she finished her throat drop and tea. Sakaki lay down, and Chiyo tucked her in again. Chiyo set the cup on the tray, then stood to go. "Chiyo-chan?" "Yes?" "Would you please sit with me a little longer?" Chiyo smiled, relieved. "Yes!" ----- Much later, Chiyo came downstairs. Everyone was up and gathered in the kitchen. Yomi stood at the stove, breaking eggs into a frying pan. "How is she?" "Asleep now." "Guess she won't need breakfast then." "Maybe later." Kaorin looked up from her plate. "Sakaki-san?" "She's sick today." "Oh." The corner of her mouth twitched. "What do you want in your omelet, Chiyo-chan?" Yomi called. "Whatever you like in yours. Let me taste your favorite." "All right!" "Would everyone please speak more quietly?" Tomo mumbled. She lay face down on the table. "What was that?" Yomi shouted. "Waa," Tomo winced. "Why am I the only one with a hangover?" "You drank almost as much as all of the rest of us put together, for starters." Yomi banged the frying pan extra loudly against the stove. Osaka stared blankly into space. Chiyo waved her fingers in front of Osaka's face. Either she was thinking very intently, or she was sleeping with her eyes open. Whatever the case, her breakfast was getting cold. ----- Sakaki awoke to a clatter. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then looked out the window. A familiar pair of ears and a thick, spotted tail waved back at her. From the rattling of the panes, she guessed that Maya was pawing at the frame from outside. Coughing, she crawled across the floor. When she got close, his head popped up. A limp bird dangled from his mouth -- a different bird from earlier. She turned away for a moment, nauseous. She had to forcibly remind herself that this was just his way of telling her he loved her. Swallowing hard, she opened the window, but blocked his entry. She forced her best praise-voice. "What a mighty hunter you are, Maya. Good boy." He purred and bobbed his head. "Thank you for the gift. I'm not hungry. Please go ahead and enjoy it." He swished his tail, then bounded away with his treasure, looking quite pleased with himself. Sakaki closed the window and crawled back into the futon. Not two minutes later, Kaorin came into the room. Sakaki pretended to be asleep. At least three minutes of silence passed, then she heard Kaorin leave. As the morning wore on, she listened to the muted sounds of what was probably a game of beach volleyball. Eventually, she fell asleep again. ----- In the middle of the night, Sakaki stared at the shifting patterns of darkness on the ceiling. Having slept off and on all day, her body was now done resting. Her headache was gone, and her throat felt fine. She was also quite hungry. She hadn't had anything since lunch, when Chiyo had brought her some chicken soup. Apparently that was what Americans ate when they were sick, and having lived there for six years, Chiyo had acquired the custom. It was pleasant enough, although Sakaki didn't quite understand why it was so special. However, Maya had thoroughly enjoyed the chicken bits she had passed his way. Sakaki went to the window and looked at the dark vastness of the ocean. A sliver of moon hung above, with faint glimmers reflecting on the water. In the middle of the beach, a dark shape stood out against the pale sand. Sakaki stared until the figure resolved into a person crouched beside what Sakaki guessed might be a telescope. If she had identified the object correctly, that made Kaorin the likely suspect, since she was an astronomer. From outside, but very near the house, Sakaki heard Yomi's voice softly call, "Where are you?" A small, red light appeared in Kaorin's hand. A tall shadow moved across the beach to join her. The light went out as soon as Yomi reached the telescope. Her stomach rumbled, so Sakaki left the window and crept downstairs to the kitchen. She didn't want to wake anyone up, so she decided not to do any actual cooking. Scrounging for whatever she could find that required no preparation left her with a cup of instant miso soup, a piece of melon bread, and a leftover rice ball. While she ate, it occurred to her to look at a clock. Since it was already four in the morning, there didn't seem to be much point to going back to bed. She decided to take a nice, long bath, since she hadn't done so last night. Afterwards, she went back to her room and dressed. The first blush of dawn slowly painted everything with dim light and faint colors. She glanced out the window and saw that Kaorin, Yomi, and the telescope were gone. However, Chiyo was headed up to the lookout point with a portable stereo in her hand. Sakaki ran out to join her. ----- Chiyo had just started her audio tape and taken her stance when Sakaki appeared at her side. "Ah! Good morning! Are you feeling better?" Sakaki nodded. "Hmm." She stood beside Chiyo, and they started into the calisthenics routine, following along with the cheerful music. In unison, they moved through the long-memorized pattern, repeating, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." After a while, Sakaki said, "It's been a long time. I feel out of shape." Her words fell exactly on the beats, flowing with the exercise. "You sure don't look it." Sakaki blushed. "Do you do this every morning?" "Three or four times a week. My American host family teased me at first. Then later they all started doing it with me." "Mmm." Minutes passed. The music ended and the tape clunked to a stop. "Sakaki-san?" Sakaki stood very still, gazing into the distance. "Are you okay?" Chiyo waved her fingers in front of Sakaki's eyes. Sakaki sighed, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. "Why did you take me out on a date?" Her flat tone of voice was difficult to read. It was not encouraging, though. Her ears burning, Chiyo stepped back. "I . . . I like you." She braced herself for rejection. "Did you take Yomi on a date, too?" "What?" Chiyo couldn't even imagine where that had come from. "You bought her dinner." "I bought her lunch. But it wasn't a date." After a long pause, Sakaki, still looking out over the sea, quietly asked, "How do you tell the difference?" "Intention." Sakaki's voice grew even softer. "Intention?" "With Yomi, I was just having a meal and a conversation with a friend. With you . . . I was . . . I wanted . . . hoped . . . it's just different." Chiyo swallowed hard. "You're the only one who . . ." The big hands closed on Chiyo's shoulders. She looked up into Sakaki's dark eyes. They faced one another, unmoving, for a long time. ----- From an upstairs window, Kaorin saw Sakaki stoop and press her lips to Chiyo's. Tears stung her eyes as she ran out. She bumped into Yomi on the staircase. As she reached the ground floor, she heard Yomi calling after her, but she didn't stop. Outside, Kaorin stopped on the balcony. Over on the lookout point, she could see Sakaki and Chiyo sitting on the ground, very close together, apparently taking no notice of her as they talked. Kaorin wanted to go over there and push them apart, throw Chiyo into the ocean, anything. But she knew it wouldn't do any good. Sakaki had already told her no. She made her way out behind the house, where hopefully no one would look for her. Here it was shaded and cool, almost cold. She leaned against the wall, then slid down until she sat on the ground. She rested her forehead on her knees and felt the moisture drip from her lashes onto her thighs, soaking through her cotton pants. "Kaorin? Are you all right?" She looked up to see Yomi at the corner, the sunlight illuminating her from behind, casting her face in shadow. Kaorin just lay her face back down and sobbed again. Yomi crouched beside her and put her hand on her shoulder. "Should I go away?" Kaorin leaned over and slumped into Yomi's embrace. ----- Tomo and Osaka met in the kitchen. Tomo planted her hands on her hips. "Where is everyone?" "Maybe they already went down?" "Without us? That's not fair!" Tomo ran out to the balcony and scanned the empty beach and ocean. "Well, I don't see them." Then she noticed Sakaki and Chiyo on the lookout. They just seemed to be talking. How boring. She returned to the kitchen, where Osaka crouched by an open cabinet, staring at something inside. "I saw Sakaki-chan and Chiyo-chan out there, but they're not even in swimsuits. No sign of Yomi or Kaorin. Damn it. We need to find Yomi so she can cook breakfast." Osaka slowly turned her face toward Tomo, that spooky glint in her eyes. Then she smiled. "Why don't we cook breakfast ourselves?" "Huh? Well, okay." ----- Sakaki and Chiyo heard frantic screams from the house. As they looked, the glass door slid open and smoke poured out. They scrambled to their feet and ran in that direction. Chiyo couldn't keep up, and the distance between them widened as they crossed the beach. Then a frying pan sailed out over the balcony, flames trailing behind it like the tail of a comet. It hit the ground between them, knocking plumes of sand into the air. Chiyo cried out and put up her arms to shield her face. Sakaki skidded to a stop and glanced back. Chiyo circled the crater, kicking sand onto the little fires. She waved Sakaki on. When all the visible flames had been extinguished, Chiyo looked up. Sakaki was halfway up the stairs, and Yomi and Kaorin were coming out of the wooded area behind the house. The three of them made it to the door about the same time, then disappeared inside. Chiyo rushed to join them. As she climbed the steps, she saw the windows slide open one by one. Smoke wafted out. Tomo met her on the balcony. She grinned and scratched the back of her head. "Heh heh, sorry 'bout that." Yomi came outside, a fire extinguisher dangling from one hand. Light glinted off her glasses, obscuring her eyes as she stomped up behind Tomo. The corner of her mouth twitched. Then Yomi dropped the fire extinguisher and grabbed Tomo around the waist, hoisting her off the ground. A scowling Kaorin emerged from the smoke to grab Tomo's kicking feet. "Come on!" Yomi shouted. "Let's throw her in the ocean!" "Right!" Kaorin returned, and they hauled her down the steps. "Wait!" Tomo called, "I don't have my swimsuit on!" Chiyo crept inside. The living room seemed to be okay. She headed into the kitchen. The stove and the wall behind it were blackened. Sakaki inspected them closely. "The actual damage seems minimal. I think the fire was only in the pan." Chiyo fanned her face. "That's a relief." She coughed, and they both looked up at the dark spot on the ceiling. Osaka gaped at the stove, her eyes blank and her grin wide. "That was . . ." Chiyo and Sakaki glanced at each other, then headed outside, away from the smoke. Behind them, they heard " . . . unexpected." ----- Chiyo sat on the balcony, dangling her legs over the edge and resting her chin on one of the lower railings. "My heart is still pounding. I'm not sure what I'm going to tell my parents." Sakaki knelt beside her and put a hand on the top of her head. "It's all right. No one was injured. Once the smoke clears out, we can try to scrub away the black. It might only need cleaning." Sighing, Chiyo gazed at Yomi and Kaorin, waist deep in the ocean and pushing Tomo underwater. Tomo popped back up, then they pushed her down again. "They won't really hurt her, will they?" "Maybe we should go down there." "What a nice boat." Chiyo and Sakaki turned around to look at Osaka. "Huh?" Osaka pointed at a large, white yacht anchored a short distance out. Chiyo guessed that it was probably as close to shore as was legally allowed and safely possible. Something much smaller cut through the waves, about halfway between the yacht and the water's edge and heading closer at a fairly fast pace. "What is that?" Sakaki stood. "A shark." Osaka offered. Chiyo shaded her eyes as she peered at what seemed to be a small platform with something green sitting on top. The spray of water in front obscured whatever was towing it. "It looks like a tiny raft." "Pulled by a shark." Osaka grinned, then headed down the stairs. Sakaki helped Chiyo to her feet, and they followed her. The three of them gathered at the water's edge. Kaorin and Yomi let go of Tomo and looked at them. Osaka pointed at the raft, and they turned to see. Tomo stood, backed up to ankle deep water, then leapt onto Yomi's back and held on with both arms and both legs. Yomi didn't react visibly. By now, Chiyo could see that the raft was being towed by a person, but she couldn't imagine who. Suddenly the person dove underwater, and the raft, cut loose, continued to drift slowly toward them. Kaorin waded out a little deeper and caught the platform when it got close enough. She looked back toward the group, a bemused expression on her face. "Watermelons?" A woman with short hair and a deep tan burst through the surface of the water just in front of Tomo and Yomi. She wore a sea green bikini. "Yo!" Tomo leaned forward, toppling Yomi. She jumped from Yomi's back into Kagura's arms. "Hey! The superstar made it after all! Yay! Hooray!" Kagura laughed. "Sorry I'm so late. But I couldn't miss all the fun. I figured a couple hours would be better than nothing." "Welcome!" Chiyo called. Sakaki waved. Osaka stared. "You're so tan . . . and you don't have a swimsuit line this time." Kaorin hauled the raft to shore. "It's nice to see you again." Yomi stood up and picked some seaweed off the front of her shirt. "I'm amazed that you were able to come." Kagura looked at each of them in turn. Then she plucked a small crab off Tomo's arm and tossed it over her shoulder. She cleared her throat. "Um, why are you all dressed? Some of you in pajamas, no less?" Tomo pointed at Yomi. "She's evil!" Yomi pointed at Tomo. "She tried to burn down Chiyo-chan's summer house!" "It was an accident!" Kagura stepped between them. "Whoa, whoa. I seem to have missed quite a bit. You'll have to fill me in." "Yeah. First, let's get in our swimsuits, then we'll come back out to play!" Tomo held up both arms and gyrated her hips. "We still haven't had breakfast yet." Osaka looked into the sky. "Too bad we don't have a stove to cook with anymore!" Yomi growled. Osaka slowly turned her gaze toward the watermelons. Kagura scratched the back of her head. "Well, I brought them to smash. But I guess we can eat them, instead." Tomo clenched both fists and crouched. "We have to save at least one to smash." Kagura mirrored her pose. "Maybe two." Then she bounded out of the water. She slipped one arm around Chiyo's shoulders and the other around Sakaki's waist. "I've missed everyone so much. I don't have much time for fun anymore." They walked toward the house. "So, what's this about a fire?" ----- After protests from Chiyo that Kagura shouldn't waste her rare and precious fun time doing work, Kagura helped Chiyo, Sakaki, and Yomi clean the aftermath of Tomo and Osaka's kitchen adventure. Much to everyone's relief, nothing had been ruined except the frying pan. Only faint stains remained on the wall and ceiling. Then, with swimsuits donned, the first wave of watermelons devoured, and the second wave smashed, the group played beach volleyball -- Sakaki and Kagura against everyone else. To no one's surprise, Kagura and Sakaki won. Maya emerged from the wooded area to bring Sakaki a snake. After Osaka buried the snake and conducted a mini-funeral, the group finally went into the water. They played until late afternoon, Kaorin sticking fairly close to Yomi and not speaking to Sakaki or Chiyo. Osaka just drifted around in her inner tube, the blank smile never leaving her face. Chiyo and Sakaki acted mostly normal, although they did exchange what seemed to be an excessive number of silent glances. Kagura got the feeling there was something no one was telling her, but putting the pieces together, it seemed fairly obvious. She decided not to bother asking. Although she did wonder how Tomo felt about Kaorin clinging to Yomi. Jealousy seemed warranted. Ah well, it wasn't her deal to worry about. As evening drew near, the time to say goodbye arrived. The others had a long drive back to Tokyo, and Kagura still needed to swim back to the yacht. The group gathered in a circle, ankle deep in water. Kagura grinned. "Anyone want to give me a really showy goodbye kiss?" Osaka angled her head. "Huh? I didn't think Kagura-chan was that sort of girl." "Actually, I'm not. But my manager thinks I am, and I like to mess with his head." She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "I just know he's standing on deck with a pair of binoculars, watching every move we make." Kaorin's eyes widened. "Is your manager Kimura-sensei?" After everyone finished laughing, Kagura shook her head. "Actually, though, he is a Kimura. They're cousins." After everyone finished recoiling in shock and horror, Kagura winked. "How about that kiss, Sakaki?" "Uh . . . well . . ." Sakaki blushed brightly, hunched her shoulders, and took a step back. "A!" Kagura was startled to realize that Osaka had snuck up beside her. Osaka grinned, then pressed her lips to Kagura's. She lingered for a moment, then stepped back and cocked her head. "Interesting." Kagura felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "You surprised me." Osaka giggled. "I thought it would be funny if the only two straight women here kissed." "What!" Tomo shouted. She grabbed Osaka by the shoulders. "What do you mean 'the only two'? I'm straight! There aren't any lesbians here!" She glanced aside. "Well, I've sometimes wondered about Kaorin." Kaorin scowled. Yomi coughed. Sakaki and Chiyo looked at each other, then looked away, both staring into the sky. Osaka furrowed her brow. "Huh? But I thought that you and Yomi were . . ." "No way in hell!" Tomo and Yomi screamed in unison. Kagura coughed. "I thought so, too. Even in the first year of high school, when I wasn't in your class and only saw you occasionally." Yomi and Tomo gaped silently. Yomi whirled to face Kaorin. "Did you think so, too?" "I did. I thought, even though you seemed to fight a lot, it was nice to see a couple stay together for so long . . ." Yomi screeched, clutching the sides of her head. Then she turned around and swung her fist at Tomo. Tomo ducked, then ran over to Sakaki and Chiyo. "And did you think that?" Sakaki nodded. Chiyo stepped a little behind Sakaki. "Not in high school. But I wasn't thinking about things like that back then. But later, after I started dating . . . I thought about you two. I . . . kind of thought of you as role models, in a way. I did wonder a little when you mentioned dating other people, but then I thought maybe you had one of those open relationships . . ." Tomo held up her hands, her fingers twitching. Then she collapsed to her knees, hanging her head. "Stupid . . . stupid . . . no wonder neither of us have ever managed to get a boyfriend." She glared at Yomi. "Or do you even want one?" "Huh?" Her face reddening, Yomi stepped back. "Yeah. Maybe. I . . . could go either way." Splashing to her feet, Tomo pointed at her. "So, when we were living together, did you look at me?" "No!" Yomi howled. She folded her arms and huffed. "I assure you, you have never been the target of my interest! Never!" Tomo stamped her foot. "Well, why not?" "What the hell?" Yomi backhanded Tomo. Kagura cleared her throat. "I, uh, think I'd better be going." Osaka waved. "Bye!" Kagura winked. "By the way, Osaka. You're a damn good kisser. Your boyfriend's really lucky." "I'll tell him you said so." "Uh . . . please don't." Kagura waded into deeper water. She waved back at Chiyo. "Keep the raft." "Thank you! I'm really glad you came today!" "Me too! It's the most fun I've had in quite a while. Thanks, everyone. Take care of yourselves." Everyone waved, except Tomo and Yomi, who were wrestling with teeth bared and bloodlust in their eyes. Kagura swam away. She heard frantic splashing behind her, so she paused and looked back. Tomo grabbed her, looking very serious. "Since I'm straight, I need to kiss you too." "That doesn't even make sense." Tomo planted her lips on Kagura's. Kagura thought, Jeez, no wonder Yomi didn't want her. As Tomo dog paddled back toward shore, Kagura headed toward the yacht. She would feel cheated if her manager hadn't been spying on them.
Back to Azumanga Daioh Plus Six Index - Back to Azumanga Daioh Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction