Chapter 11: A Date With the Prince
The summer break on Astraea Island had come to an end after two weeks. The students had returned to the island, and Jaden once again had the aid of Chikaru and her God Hunter Club. Two days after the return of the students, Jaden was on his way to Lilum to meet with Chikaru and her gang. On his way there through Miator grounds, after another unsuccessful search, he ran into Nagisa, who was sitting on the ground with what looked like a troubled expression on her face. Jaden decided to go over and see if he could do anything to help.
“Hey Nagisa.” Jaden greeted as he walked over to the redhead.
“Oh, hi Jaden.” Nagisa greeted back as she was snapped out of her own thoughts.
“Anything wrong?” Jaden asked he took a seat next to Nagisa.
“…Promise you won’t think I’m weird?” Nagisa asked hesitantly after a brief pause.
“Of course.” Jaden answered, wondering what the big problem was.
“…I think I’m in love with Shizuma.” Nagisa whispered after another pause.
“Told you so.” Yubel said, as she suddenly appeared standing behind Jaden.
“I see.” Jaden said to Nagisa. “Does Shizuma feel the same way?”
“Oh Shizuma defiantly has feelings for me.” Nagisa replied with a heavy blush on her face as she remembered the incident at the pool and a few steamy incidents that happened afterward. “I’m not sure if it’s love though.”
“…So have you told Shizuma how you feel?” Jaden asked, not certain if he asked the right question. He was, after all, a duelist, not a love doctor.
“I’m not really sure how I feel since I’ve never been in love before.” Nagisa replied in a slightly distressed tone. “Have you ever been in love before?”
Jaden was rather shocked by Nagisa’s question. He had never thought about being in love before, although he did feel a certain way about Alexis.
“Well… there is this one girl that I actually kinda like,” Jaden replied, “but I’m not sure if it’s love though.”
“Hmph, I honestly don’t know what you see in that Alexis girl.” Yubel said with a scowl. Jaden ignored the Duel Monster’s comment.
“What should I do Jaden?” Nagisa asked, hoping that the pro-duelist could give her some advice.
“To be honest I don’t really know.” Jaden answered. “I’ll help you in any way I can, but I think that this is something that you have to figure out for yourself.”
“I see, thanks Jaden.” Nagisa replied. “Well, I should get going. I told Tamao that I’d help her with something. See you later.”
“Later.” Jaden replied as Nagisa got up and left.
“You handled that pretty well.” Yubel said in an impressed tone.
“I wish there was something more that I could’ve done.” Jaden replied.
“You did everything you could. Like you said, Nagisa needs to figure things out on her own. She knows that she has feelings for Shizuma, now she has to figure out what those feelings are.” Yubel said reassuringly. “Now let’s get going. You don’t want to keep Chikaru and the others waiting.”
“Right.” Jaden replied, and with that he continued on his way to Lilum.
* * *
About the same time out behind the church where the Spica School Choir would practice and perform, Yaya was waiting outside for Hikari. It was Hikari’s turn to help put stuff away. Yaya was waiting around to escort Hikari back to the dorm. Ever since Jaden had told her about the incident with Kaname and Momomi, Yaya was a bit reluctant to let Hikari walk back alone. She couldn’t bare the thought of anything bad happening to Hikari. Yaya cared far too much about her to let her come to harm.
At last, Hikari came out of the church. There was a smile on the blond girl’s face that made Yaya’s heart melt. Yaya just couldn’t get enough of that smile.
“Ready to go?” Yaya asked.
“Um, actually I’d like to go spend a little time by the fountain.” Hikari answered in her usual shy manner, which Yaya always found so adorable.
“Whatever you like.” Yaya happily complied.
Out by the church was an old fountain, which was one of Hikari’s favorite spots on the island. It was a quiet, secluded spot where someone could go to think. The two girls arrived there after a short walk and sat down on one of the benches in front of the fountain.
“So, have you seen Amane since you’ve been back?” Yaya asked a little reluctantly.
“No, I haven’t.” Hikari answered back with a touch of sadness.
“You’ve really missed her though, haven’t you?” Yaya asked, knowing full well what the answer was. It was an answer that she didn’t particularly like.
“The truth is… I’ve thought about almost nothing but seeing Amane again since I’ve been back.” Hikari finally answered. Yaya was crushed by what Hikari had just told her, but she was determined to hide her feelings.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you and Amane go out on a date?” Yaya suggested with an enthusiastic smile that hid feelings of heartache.
“Go out on a date with Amane?” Hikari exclaimed in a tone that suggested that she thought the very notion of a date with Amane was completely absurd. “Yaya, I-I can’t, I mean she would never…”
“Oh, come on.” Yaya interrupted in her previous tone of false enthusiasm, “Amane obviously likes you, and you’re crazy about her. Why not take things a step further?”
“But… where would we go?” Hikari asked in an attempt to find an excuse not to try out Yaya’s suggestion.
“You could go to the town on the mainland near the resort.” Yaya answered. “There’s a boat that takes students there every weekend.”
“I don’t know…” Hikari replied sounding very unsure about the idea.
“Don’t know about what?” a voice suddenly asked. Yaya and Hikari turned to see that it was none other than Amane herself.
“Now’s your chance.” Yaya whispered to Hikari. “Well, I think I’ll leave you two alone. See you later Hikari!”
With those words, Yaya quickly but hesitantly got up and left. Yaya hated losing Hikari to Amane, but Hikari’s happiness was more important than her own.
“So what were you two talking about?” Amane asked the nervous blond.
“I…I…I was…I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me this weekend?” Hikari finally blurted out.
“Out where?” Amane asked.
“To…to the town near the summer resort. We could go have some lunch or something.” Hikari answered nervously. She was certain that Amane would decline her invitation.
“Sounds great. How about Saturday?” Amane asked, greatly surprising Hikari.
“Uh, S-Saturday’s fine.” Answered a stunned Hikari.
“Great! I’ll see you at the dock at 10:30 on Saturday.” Amane replied.
Behind the bushes nearby, a familiar dark haired tomboy and brown haired girl watched the couple. An evil smile was on both their faces.
* * *
Later that night in the Strawberry Dorms, Kaname and Momomi were plotting a new scheme as they prepared for bed. Hikari’s date with Amane had caused a problem for them, but it also provided them with an opportunity.
“It’s just as we predicted.” Momomi said, as she emerged from the bathroom in her yellow nightgown. “Amane and that girl Hikari are getting closer. If we don’t do something quick, Amane will end up entering the Etoile Tournament.”
“We probably could’ve prevented this if that Yaya girl wasn’t always sticking around Hikari.” Kaname noted as she sat on her bed.
“Don’t worry my dear, we still have chance to prevent this from getting any further.” Momomi said as she sat down next to Kaname, putting her arms around the tomboy in the process. “Hikari will be alone and vulnerable on her way to meet Amane. It’ll be the perfect chance for you to seduce her.”
“There’s still one other problem,” Kaname said with a slight scowl, “Jaden Yuki.”
“You’re not actually afraid of him, are you?” Momomi asked in a surprised tone.
“You saw those eyes of his after he beat me.” Kaname reminded. “Plus that final attack of his monster actually knocked me to the ground. I had a bruise from it afterward.”
“You’re right, that is unsettling.” Momomi agreed. “Still, he shouldn’t be a problem. Since your first attempt to steal Hikari away from Amane, Jaden has been hanging around with Chikaru and her little group, roaming the island like they’re searching for something. Whatever they’re doing, Jaden’s been too busy to come after us.”
“What if he runs across us while we’re making this attempt?” Kaname asked in a concerned tone.
“I he does, I’ll deal with him.” Momomi answered. “He may have beaten you, but there’s no way he can defeat me.”
“I don’t want you risking yourself like that.” Kaname responded. “You could get hurt.”
“Don’t worry about me my sweet. I’m tougher than I look.” Momomi said reassuringly as she started kissing Kaname’s neck. “And you know how aggressive I can be.”
“Okay then.” Kaname said as an evil smile returned to her face. “We’ll need to lure Hikari away while she’s on her way to meet Amane.”
“Leave that to me.” Momomi said just before giving Kaname a passionate kiss and pushing her down onto the bed.
* * *
Saturday finally came, and Hikari was on her way to meet Amane. She was wearing a light yellow summer dress that Yaya had picked out for her. In fact, Yaya had insisted that Hikari took two hours to get ready. Hikari was of course very nervous about her date, but she was also really looking forward to it as well. Just as Hikari was leaving the Strawberry Dorms, she stopped when she saw Momomi in her path.
“On your way to meet Amane, I take it?” Momomi asked with a smile that seemed anything but innocent.
“What do you want?” Hikari demanded with a hint of fear in her voice.
“There’s no need to be suspicious. I’m only here to tell you of a change of plans.” Momomi replied innocently.
“What kind of change?” Hikari asked suspiciously.
“Only that Amane wants to meet you somewhere else.” Momomi replied. “She sent me to get you.”
“Why would Amane send you?” Hikari asked.
“She and I are old friends.” Momomi lied. “I’m doing this as a favor to her. Now c’mon, you certainly don’t want to keep Amane waiting.”
Hikari was very suspicious of Momomi. After all, Momomi was there when Kaname attacked her and did nothing. Still, Hikari didn’t want to take the chance of keeping Amane waiting, if what Momomi was telling her was true. Against her better judgment, and rather naively, Hikari followed Momomi. Moments later, Yaya emerged from the dorms just in time to see Hikari walking away with Momomi. Hikari had forgotten her sunhat, so Yaya rushed out to give it to her. Sensing that something was wrong, Yaya decided to follow the two. Not too far away, someone else had seen Hikari folloeing Momomi, and he decided to follow as well.
* * *
Down by the docks, Amane was waiting for Hikari. She was wearing blue jeans and a light-blue long sleeved shirt. Amane looked at her watch and saw that it read 10:15. The boat off the island would be there in fifteen minutes. Amane was wondering what was keeping Hikari. Amane was getting more anxious as time passed. She was starting to worry that maybe Hikari had changed her mind about going out, or that maybe something bad happened to her. Amane didn’t like either of those options. Still, the only thing she could do at that moment except wait.
* * *
Meanwhile, Momomi was leading Hikari up a stone path to an isolated spot on Spica grounds, further and further away from the docks. Hikari was becoming more and more concerned that Momomi was leading her into a trap. Her fears were confirmed when Kaname suddenly emerged from around the corner ahead of her.
“It’s been awhile my little Hikari.” Kaname said with a predatory smile. “Now why don’t we pick up where we left off?”
Hikari backed away in fear as Kaname approached her. She could not believe that she had been so stupid as to fall into such an obvious trap. The worst part was that Amane was still waiting down by the docks. Just as Kaname was about to grab Hikari, Yaya suddenly appeared and jumped in between them.
“What’re you doing here?” Kaname asked Yaya angrily.
“Making sure that you keep your filthy hands off Hikari!” Yaya responded with a glare. “Hikari, go now, Amane’s waiting for you!”
Hikari nodded and quickly turned to leave.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Momomi exclaimed as she blocked Hikari’s path.
Suddenly, Momomi was knocked down by a fast moving muscular figure in white that vanished as quickly as he appeared. Hikari took the opportunity and ran away as quickly as she could. Momomi got up and looked around to see if she could find exactly who or what knocked her to the ground. What she saw was Jaden standing on a nearby hill, glaring at both her and Kaname as he put the Elemental Hero Neos card that was on his duel disk back into his deck.
“I thought I told you two to stay away from Hikari!” Jaden shot down to the two girls.
“This is none of your business!” Kaname shot back.
“I’m making it my business!” Jaden replied as he approached.
“I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal about this. I’m merely trying to show Hikari how I feel about her.” Kaname said with a cocky smile that infuriated Jaden.
“You have a funny way of showing it!” Yaya cut in. “You don’t show someone that you have feelings for them by forcing yourself on them!”
“I would say that ‘forcing myself’ is too strong a phrase.” Kaname responded. “I was showing my feelings in the clearest way possible. After all, if you want someone in that way, the best way to show your feelings is to just simply take that person. What way is clearer?”
Kaname’s words set something off in Yaya. She was beginning to wonder if she should show Hikari how she felt about her.
“Cut it out! We all know that the only reason you’re after Hikari is because you’re trying to hurt Amane!” Jaden shot back.
“Maybe we are,” Momomi cut in, “but that’s are business, so stay out of it!”
“No way!” Jaden shot back.
“Fine, than it’s time I put you in your place you pest!” Momomi responded as she activated her duel disk.
“Bring it on!” Jaden replied as he activated his own duel disk. The game began when the life points of both duelists were set to 4000.
“I’ll go first!” Momomi announced as she drew her first card. “I’ll set one card facedown and set one monster in Defense Mode and end my turn!”
“My move!” Jaden announced as he drew his first card. “First I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards! Next I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack Mode!”
Appearing on Jaden’s side of the field was a warrior in blue armor with a pair of mechanical wings on his back. The tinted visor of the hero’s helmet hid his face.
“When Elemental Hero Stratos is summoned, I can add one Hero monster from my deck to my hand! So I add to my hand Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!” Jaden announced. “Now I activate Polymerization and fuse Elemental Hero Avian with Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!”
Avian and Burstinatrix appeared briefly on the field before merging into the dragonhead-armed hero.
“Flame Wingman, attack Momomi’s set monster!” Jaden commanded. “Flame Shoot!”
Flame Wingman raised his dragonhead arm and prepared to fire.
“I activate my Trap, Sakuretsu Armor!” Momomi announced. “Now your hero is destroyed!”
Flame Wingman disappeared in a powerful explosion. Jaden wasn’t going to let the hero’s destruction set him back though.
“Stratos, attack the set monster!” Jaden commanded. “Hero Typhoon!”
The propellers in Stratos’ mechanical wings spun at incredible speed and shot forth a pair of twisters at the set card. Just before they hit, the monster was revealed to be a large, mantis-like insect. The insect was instantly destroyed.
“Thanks, you just destroyed my Flying Kamakiri #1, which lets me summon a Wind attribute monster from my deck as long as it has 1500 ATK or less.” Momomi explained with a sinister smile. “I summon from my deck, Ultimate Insect LV1!”
Appearing on Momomi’s side of the field was a large blue caterpillar with a red face and yellow eyes. A decorative pattern of faded dark-blue wadjet eyes in the style of the millennium eye ran along the caterpillar’s body.
“My Ultimate Insect may have zero ATK points, but it will soon get far more powerful.” Momomi explained.
“I lay down a facedown end my turn!” Jaden announced with a scowl. He knew had a very bad feeling about the monster that Momomi had summoned.
* * *
Back at the docks, Hikari was running until she saw that the boat was departing. She stopped and looked at her watch and saw that it was 10:33. Hikari fell to her knees in a mixture of exhaustion and sadness. She couldn’t believe that she had been so stupid as to let herself fall for Kaname and Momomi’s trick. Hikari was convinced that Amane would never speak to her again. Tears began to stream down the blonde’s face.
“You finally showed up.” Said a voice from behind. Hikari turned to look and saw that it was Amane. A smile was on the blue haired tomboy’s face.
“Amane!” Hikari exclaimed as she ran to older girl. “I’m so sorry I’m late!”
“Don’t worry about it.” Amane said as she wiped the tears from the blond girl’s face.
“But we missed the boat.” Hikari said, still crying a little. “Our whole day is ruined because of me.”
“All that matters is that you’re here.” Amane said reassuringly. Hikari’s sadness began to fade at those words.
“What do we do now?” Hikari asked. Amane looked at the blond girl thoughtfully for a moment.
“There’s another boat coming in a few minutes.” Amane finally answered.
“But that boat doesn’t go into town.” A confused Hikari replied.
“True, but it does go to a place that I think you might like.” Amane responded. “Are you interested?”
“Of course!” Hikari happily exclaimed, and the two waited for the next boat.
* * *
Back at the duel, Momomi was beginning her next turn. An evil smirk was on her face as she drew her latest card. Jaden knew that her so-called “Ultimate Insect” was the reason why she was acting so confident.
“For my first move, I evolve Ultimate Insect LV1 into Ultimate Insect LV3!” Momomi announced.
The large blue caterpillar that was the Ultimate Insect suddenly doubled in size. The faded pattern of wadjet eyes became a more prominent red with yellow irises. Jaden suddenly noticed a strange red gas emanating from the insect.
“Not only does my insect’s ATK become 1400, but because it was evolved from its previous form, it decreases the ATK and DEF points of all monsters on my opponent’s side of the field by 300.” Momomi explained. “That means the ATK of your Stratos’ falls from 1800 to 1500! Now I summon Insect Knight!”
A brownish-grey humanoid insect with red eyes and a sword and shield appeared next to the Ultimate Insect.
“That thing has 1900 ATK!” Yaya exclaimed from where she was standing on the sidelines.
“Insect Knight, attack Stratos!” Momomi commanded. “Royal Saber!”
The Insect Knight lunged at Stratos with its saber raised high.
“I activate my Trap, Hero Barrier!” Jaden announced. “When I have an Elemental Hero monster on my side o the field, I can negate the attack of one of my opponent’s monsters!”
A fast spinning shield suddenly appeared in front of Stratos, blocking the Insect Knight’s saber.
“Fine, I’ll play Swords of Revealing Light and end my turn!” Momomi announced with a note of irritation.
A wall of floating swords made of white light suddenly divided the field in half. Jaden knew that Momomi was buying time for her Ultimate Insect to evolve further. Jaden looked at his next card. It wasn’t anything he could use to remove the swords or destroy the Ultimate Insect.
“First I switch Stratos to Defense Mode!” Jaden announced. “Then I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and end my turn!”
Jaden’s stone armored hero appeared on the field in a crouched position next to a crouching Startos. Jaden knew that neither of his monsters would last long against Momomi’s Insect Knight, since the Ultimate Insect’s effect was weakening them. Momomi gleefully drew her next card.
“Now my Ultimate Insect evolves from LV3 to LV5!” Momomi announced.
The large blue caterpillar suddenly covered itself in a red cocoon. After what seemed like thirty seconds, the Ultimate Insect burst forth from its cocoon. Its new form was that of a silver insect that Jaden thought looked like a cross between a beetle and a mosquito. A green powder filled the air as the insect emerged.
“Now my Ultimate Insect has 2300 ATK, and instead of losing only 300 ATK and DEF, all my opponent’s monsters lose 500 points!” Momomi explained. “For my next move, I summon another Insect Knight!”
A second humanoid insect identical to the first appeared on the opposite side of the Ultimate Insect.
“Now my Insect Knights, attack Jaden’s monsters!” Momomi commanded. “Royal Saber!”
The two Insect Knights lunged at Jaden’s monsters from between the swords of light and cut them both to pieces. Jaden was left wide open.
“Ultimate Insect, attack Jaden directly!” Momomi commanded gleefully. “Ultimate Sting!”
A barrage of stingers hit Jaden, reducing his life points from 4000 to 1700. Momomi began to laugh maniacally.
“This will teach you to interfere with our plans!” Momomi exclaimed. “Nothing will stop Kaname and I from keeping Amane out of the Etoile Tournament. With her out of the way, Kaname will become Spica’s champion!”
“If Kaname wants to be champion, than she should beat Amane in a duel instead of attacking an innocent girl!” Jaden shot back. “Or is she just so afraid of not being able to beat Amane that she’d rather resort to underhanded tricks?”
Kaname was greatly startled by Jaden’s words.
“I have no clue what trying to steal Hikari has to do with the Etoile Tournament,” Jaden continued, “but the only thing that tricking Amane out of the tournament will prove is that you’re both cowards!”
Kaname thought about what Jaden had just said. She certainly didn’t like being called a coward, but she was starting to realize that Jaden was right. She wouldn’t prove that she was stronger than Amane by beating Jaden or stealing away Hikari. The only true way for Kaname to prove herself was to actually face Amane in a duel, and that was something that she was always afraid to do. Momomi on the other hand, was not at all impressed by Jaden’s little speech.
“You know nothing!” Momomi shot back. “The only thing that matters is making sure Kaname becomes champion! How we do it doesn’t matter!”
Jaden’s only response was to calmly draw his next card. Looking at his newest card, he saw that it was just what he needed to end the duel.
“I’ll lay down two facedowns and end my turn!” Jaden announced. Momomi drew her next card.
“First, my Ultimate Insect evolves from LV5 to LV7!” Momomi announced.
The silver insect grew and changed color, its exoskeleton becoming red and blue. The shell on its back opened revealing a pair of powerfu7l transparent wings. On its face was a set of three long yellow mandibles. As it started buzzing its newly formed wings, is scattered a red glowing powder over Jaden’s side of the field.
“Now my Ultimate Insect had 2600 ATK!” Momomi explained. “Plus now all my opponent’s monsters lose 700 ATK and DEF instead of 500!”
Jaden was unconcerned by how powerful the Ultimate Insect had become. He had set up the perfect defense against it.
“Ultimate Insect, attack Jaden directly!” Momomi commanded.
“I activate The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!” Jaden announced, cutting Momomi off. “I use its effect to Special Summon Winged Kuriboh from my deck!”
Appearing on Jaden’s side of the field was a ball of brown fur with large purple eyes, short green legs, and a pair of small white-feathered wings on its sides.
“That’s your defense?” Momomi asked snickering. “How pathetic! Ultimate Insect, attack that little fur ball! Ultimate Buzzing!”
The Ultimate Insect began flapping its wings even faster. Jaden took that moment to strike.
“I activate my other Spell Card, Transcendent Wings!” Jaden announced. “By discarding two cards from my hand, Winged Kuriboh evolves into Winged Kuriboh LV10!”
Winged Kuriboh suddenly tripled in size, its wings becoming more developed. A golden dragon shaped ornament was on the top of its fury round body.
“Now I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10’s special ability!” Jaden announced. “By tributing it during my opponent’s Battle Phase, all of my opponents monsters get destroyed and my opponent takes damage equal to ATK of all the destroyed monsters!”
Winged Kuriboh exploded in a flash of white light, sending a shock wave that shattered all of Momomi’s insects, and then hit Momomi herself with 6400 points of damage. Jaden had won the duel, and Momomi was not happy about it.
“Y-you…!” an enraged Momomi stammered. “This isn’t over! Kaname will take care of you next!”
Jaden looked over at Kaname. The dark haired tomboy scowled a bit and then turned and walked away. Momomi turned and looked at where Kaname was previously standing, and was shocked to see that she was leaving.
“Kaname, where are you going?” Momomi asked after Kaname angrily. Momomi turned back to glare at both Jaden and Yaya before running after the tomboy. “Kaname, come back here!”
“Thanks for the help.” Yaya said, turning to Jaden.
“No problem at all. I’m glad I was in the right place at the right time.” Jaden replied.
“Well, I should get going. See ya later Jaden.” Yaya said before turning to leave.
Jaden gave out a heavy sigh once he was alone. Yubel suddenly appeared next to him.
“That was an interesting duel.” Yubel commented.
“No kidding.” Jaden agreed. “I can’t believe Kaname and Momomi. I don’t think those two know the meaning of the word pride. Not that I care about pride before having fun.”
“Oh, I think Kaname may know what pride means.” Yubel theorized.
“What do you mean?” Jaden asked.
“What you said during the duel seemed to have struck a nerve with Kaname.” Yubel replied. “I think she’s realizing that beating Kaname without actually dueling her is no victory at all. Plus I don’t think she liked being called a coward.”
“I hope you’re right.” Jaden responded. “It might mean that Kaname and Momomi would stop going after Hikari.”
“You could always send our friend Neos to beat them to a bloody pulp.” Yubel said wryly.
“I didn’t like using Neos to knock Momomi out of the way like that.” Jaden said as he looked down a little in shame. “I at least hope that Hikari and Amane are out having a good time.”
* * *
The boat that Hikari and Amane ended up boarding took them to a small island not to far away from Astraea Island. The small island in question was home to a small abandoned military base that had become a historical site. Amane wasn’t taking Hikari to see a dull historical museum however. The island also had a public beach that was usually vacant.
“This is one of my favorite spots.” Amane explained to Hikari as they stepped on to the beach. “I come here just to get away from everything for awhile.”
“Wow, it’s so peaceful here.” Hikari commented as she listened to the gentle sound of the waves hitting the shore.
Suddenly the sky clouded over, and rain began to fall. The feint sound of thunder echoed from above.
“C’mon, this way!” Amane said as she grabbed Hikari’s hand and started pulling her in a certain direction.
The two girls ran as fast as they could until they were in a small cave on the beach. Hikari sat down against the cave wall while Amane stood at the entrance watching the storm.
“It looks like this storm won’t last too long.” Amane guessed as she turned and sat down next to Hikari.
“I’m sorry this day isn’t going to well.” Hikari suddenly said.
“Don’t worry about. It’s not your fault that this storm hit, or that you were late.” Amane said reassuringly. “Besides, I’m actually having a great time.”
Hikari looked up at Amane and smiled. Tears of joy were welling up in the blond girl’s eyes. About two hours later, the storm finally cleared, and Hikari and Amane headed back to the dock, for the boat back was soon to arrive. On the boat ride back, Hikari dosed off leaning on Amane. Amane gently started stroking the sleeping girl’s hair. It was at that point that Amane realized just how beautiful Hikari was. Her curly blond hair and perfect skin made her look like an angel. Amane found a feeling of contentment having the sleeping Hikari next to her, and Amane started to wonder if she had finally found what she thought was missing in her life. Very gently, Amane put her arm around the sleeping girl, and the two spent the rest of the ride back in that position.
* * *
A bit later, back in the Strawberry Dorms, Yaya was laying on her bed looking up at the ceiling in deep thought. She couldn’t get what Kaname had said out of her mind. Yaya was in love with Hikari, but all she cared about was Hikari’s happiness, even if it meant losing Hikari to someone else. Still, the more Yaya thought about it, the more insane it seemed for her not to show Hikari how she felt about her.
“I’m back.” Hikari said in a cheerful tone as she entered the room.
“How was your date?” Yaya asked, almost mechanically.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said it was the best date in history, but it was still great!” Hikari answered happily.
Yaya couldn’t take it anymore. She immediately leapt off the bed and pushed Hikari against the wall, her lips pressing against the blonde’s own. Yaya’s wandering hand suddenly began pressing against Hikari’s chest. Shocked, Hikari pushed Yaya off of herself and down onto the floor.
“…Yaya…why?” Hikari asked as tears started running down her face. Yaya had realized that she had made a terrible mistake.
