[FIC] Cruise Part 3
Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2004 5:30 am
Here it is, chapter three of my fic. And once again a huge thanks to Eienvine who has been betareading my texts, Im really fortunate that has got such a great help.
And as always, please send some comments, the stories mainplot is ready and fixed but give ideas on what might happen on the way. Im always glad for critiscism, reviews or anything said that might help me improve my writing, or the story in itself.
Alright here it is.
*****************************
Sunday Afternoon:
?Miss Chidori!? Mrs. Kagurazaka's voice cut through the noise of the crowd in the large terminal at Tokyo Harbour.
?Yes, teacher??
?Please get the class in line. I have all of your tickets here and we should be going onboard any time now.?
?Yes, teacher, I will do that right away." With that, Kaname turned around and raised her little flag so everyone could see it.
?Class 2-4, get in line, pay attention to Mrs. Kagurazaka.?
The class began moving and after a few moments they had formed a nice line, all facing the teacher.
?Class, I will now hand out your personal ticket. Make sure that you keep it safe since you will need it to get aboard, and to buy anything in the shops that are onboard. You will also find your cabin number on the ticket. The ship that we will be traveling with is the 'Pacific Pearl,' one of the largest cruisers in the Pacific Ocean."
Afte her short statement, Mrs. Kagurazaka handed out the tickets to each student. When everyone had their tickets, she started walking towards the front of the line.
?Will you all please follow me? We are boarding now,? she said to the class as she walked up to the front and led them toward the gangway.
When they exited the terminal building and got out on the pier, a unison gasp came from the class.
In front of them was the ship. It was shining white, glimmering as the brilliant sun let its beams shine down upon the harbor.
The enormous ship rightfully impressed each and every student.
?Wow,? Shinji said to Sousuke. ?That is the largest thing I have ever seen in my life.? He was so stunned by the large vessel that he had actually stopped reading his AS magazines.
?That is indeed a impressive ship,? Sousuke answered.
?I wonder how large it is. It has to be over 250 meters, right?? he asked. in the hushed voice of one standing humbly in front of something amazing.
?Negative, this ship is 201.8 meters from stern to bow.?
?Wow, that?s impressive . . . but hey, how do you know that?? Shinji asked, confused.
?I read it here,? Sousuke answered and showed Shinji a pamphlet that he had gotten from inside the terminal.
?I see. Hey, what does it say about the ship, then??
?Yeah, how large is it?? Kyoko asked as she and Kaname walked up to the boys to hear what they were talking about.
?The ship is, as I said, 201.8 meters from stern to bow and 32 m side to side,? Sousuke said, reading from his pamphlet. ?It has a total weight of 59,812 tons.?
Some other students in the class stepped up to them and listened to Sousuke with interest. As he stated the ship's weight they all gasped and looked at the ship in disbelief . . . could something really be THAT heavy?
?Its massive engines are able to deliver, 43,200 horsepower. That is sufficent to make this ship reach a speed of 22,5 knots?
?Woooowww, man.?
?That's awesome.?
?No way . . . ?
By this time, almost the enitre class was gathered around Sousuke.
?The ship has thirteen floors and 1,258 cabins. It takes 3,213 passengers at most.? Sousuke continued reading from his pamphlet, and despite the fact that the Tuatha de Danaan was larger, faster and greater than this cruiser, it was still impressive.
?It has no less than seven pubs--? that statement was met with an ?ahhh? from all of the boys-- ?eight resturants . . . anything from sushi to pizza, and four boutiques for shopping.?
?Further, the ship has pools, saunas, jacuzzis and health spas.? That statement was met with an ?ahhh? from all of the girls.
?Class, move along, why have you stopped here?? Mrs. Kaguruzaka had noticed that most of her class hadn't followed her toward the gangway, and she now hurried them onwards.
?Yes, teacher,? Kaname answered for them all, grabbing hold of Kyoko and moving after the teacher. The rest of the class followed them.
Everyone was talking about the ship and what Sousuke had told them about it. Everyone had his own version of how much fun they would have.
As they approached the gangway they noticed that a tall man was standing by it, a clipboard in his hand.
He was tall and blonde, burnt by the sun--, obviously was not of Japanese origin.
He was dressed in a white uniform with an epaulet on the shoulder and wore a white peaked cap.
As they caught sight of him, most of the girls sighed. Comments like ?He looks so dashing in that uniform? and ?Warning, a hot one coming up? spread throughout the female part of the class.
?Don't you think that he's handsome, Kaname?? Mizuki asked with a grin. ?Can he compete with Sousuke??
?Ah...ahahaha, you know that I don't feel anything like that for Sousuke, that military moron, big idiot.? Kaname laughed out loud, her usual ?denial? laugh.
?I see . . .I guess this conversation is over, then,? sighed Kyoko who had been walking right next to Kaname.
When the teacher approached the man he saluted her and presented himself.
?Welcome aboard, miss. I am the steward on the ?Pacific Pearl.' May I have your name, please??
?Thank you, steward. My name is Mrs. Kaguruzaka, teacher for class 2-4 at Jindai High School.?
?Thank you. I can see that you all have reservations here, so if I just can see your tickets, you can all go aboard and make yourselves at home in your cabins. If there are any questions, please come to me.?
?Certainly. Here is my ticket; the students each have their own.? With that, Mrs. Kaguruzaka handed over her ticket to the steward who cut it and then gave it back.
?Then I wish you welcome aboard. The welcome dinner is served in the large resturant at 19.00 hours this evening. The Captain will attend personally.?
?Thank you.? She turned to the class and spoke up: ?Move along, people, have your tickets ready. We will gather when we are all on board.?
The class began moving onboard. All of them were greeted by the steward as he handled their tickets and wished them a pleasant stay aboard the ship.
While they were moving up the gangway, alongside the ship, the students were once again amazed by its size.
The ship had looked large, huge and enormous from some distance, but walking alongside it, climbing higher and higher on the gangway, made them feel tiny.
Far above their heads they could see the bridge stretching out over the ship's side, and far down below their feets they could see the sea.
Sousuke was not as impressed by the ship as his classmates. Sure, it was a great ship, one of the largest cruisers in the Pacific, but compared to ?Tuatha de Danaan? this ship was not so great.
?Tuatha de Danaan? was larger than the ?Pacific Pearl? with its length of 218 meters and width of 44 meters. It was not as heavy, though.
The displacement of ?Tuatha de Danaan? was 30,800 tons, against the displacement of the ?Pacific Pearl," which was an impressive 59,812 tons.
?Tuatha de Danaan? had, however, top modern engines, 3 PS method Palladium Reactors and electric drive with two axles which altogether could generate 210,000 horsepower, which was an enormous amount of power.
The engines were able to make ?Tuatha de Danaan? move with the incredible speed of over sixty-six knots, which was almost as fast as many torpedoes used by common submarines in the navies of the United States and former Soviet Union.
?It is still an impressive ship,? he thought as he walked up the gangway, ?and the officers seem competent. I'll have to wait 'til I can examine how they are taking the ship out before I can be certain that both the crew and officers truly are competent, however. It should not be a problem, though-- the crews on these ships are usually very well trained.? Sousuke continued his thoughts about the safety onboard the ship while he was taking mental notes on where the lifeboats were placed above his head. He would of course have to move around the ship to learn the fastest escape route in case there was an emergency . . . he was not going to fail his mission protecting Kaname, no matter what.
With thoughts of that kind continued, Sousuke finished his walk up the gangway and entered the large lobby.
It was not a lie when people described these kinds of ships as floating palaces. The lobby stretched over the ship's entire width.
It was grand: the furniture was all made of teak wood, carpets covered the floor and the walls were filled with replicas of famous paintings.
In the corners there were various types of flowers arranged in tasteful bouquets.
Large panorama windows let the sunshine flow inside the ship and lit up each part of it, and the views were astonishing.
Two female crewmembers were standing on each side on the door and were giving them directions to their cabins.
The class had recived cabins on deck five, so they headed towards the stairs and walked down.
Upon reaching deck five they scattered all over the place, looking for their cabins.
Mrs. Kaguruzaka yelled after them, ?Do not forget that we will assemble at 18.30 in the lobby and then leave for the dinner together. . . and put on nice clothes!?
She wasn't certain that they had all heard that and she sighed.
'I'll just have to hope for the best. Someone probably heard me.'
She walked to her cabin. Being a teacher at least rendered her some benefits, like the luxury of her own cabin.
?A quick nap might do me good before the dinner,? she thought before sinking down on her bed, and with that she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Kaname and Kyoko walked together through the They had decided that they should share a cabin with each other.
A few steps behind them, Sousuke walked with Shinji. They had also decided to share a cabin and now they were following Kaname and Kyoko since Sousuke refused to stay in a cabin other than one that was wall to wall with Kaname.
When he said that, Kaname had first blushed crimson red, and then when Kyoko and Shinji smiled meaningfully at each other she became furious.
Sousuke fortunately cleared most of the flowers and the paintings out of the way; however, a small painting of a Spanish Galleon became a casualty of when he was slammed into the wall by a backhand slash from Kaname's halisen.
After that intermezzo, they settled down, and Kaname faced her destiny and began moving together with Kyoko towards their cabin.
Shinji helped Sousuke up and they followed the girls.
?It's hard to believe that the ship is THIS big,? Kyoko said. ?It feels like we have been walking miles upon miles already, and we are still not at the cabin."
?Yes, it's very large but we are getting close now,? Kaname answered while she continued walking and reading the numbers on each cabin door.
?It should be here somewhere...5047...5049...5051...ahh, there it is, 5053. That's us, Ky,? she said happily. ?Finally we're here--give me the card and I'll get this door opened.?
Kyoko handed her the electronic key and she stuck into the slot. A silent ?click? was heard and the door opened.
Kaname entered first and Kyoko followed closely behind.
?Wow!!!? Kaname stuttered in disbelief as she looked around in the cabin.
?What is it Kana-chan? Why did you sto . . .? Kyoko became silent.
They stood in the doorway and just looked around the large cabin, almost not believing their eyes.
Two beds were placed next to each other in the centre of the cabin, directly below a round shaped window that would allow the sun to shine straight into the room.
A wardrobe was discretely placed alongside one of the walls, and directly opposite of it was another door that turned out to be the bathroom. Kyoko cried out to Kaname when she peered into it.
?Ohhhh, Kaname, you HAVE TO see this!?
?What is it, Ky??
?Look at the bathroom... . . .it's got a JACUZZI ."
?Ohhhh, I haven't been in a Jacuzzi for years . . .the last time was when I still lived in America. They are soooo comfortable . . . much, much better than an ordinary bath.? Her eyes glimmered as she spoke.
?And imagine how much FUN you could have in them . . .you know . . .if there happened to be two of you . . . for example, you and Sagara?? Kyoko couldn't help it--she had to tease Kaname some. It was so fun to watch her.
?Umm . . .? Kaname blushed, fiercely, fighting desperately to push away the images that threatened to charge her down.
Kyoko's camera went off with a bright flash that immediately sent her back into a normal state.
?Riiight, Ky, very funny, like I would like that! That military moron would probably just strap on a scuba diving gear and start searching for underwater mines anyway, hmmppff!!? she said with a small scowl.
But Kyoko's comment had started up her imagination again, like throwing gasoline on a fire . . .bright images of herself and Sousuke in a Jacuzzi, with some candles and nice music . . .
?Gah, what is it with my mind these days?? she thought to herself. ?I am NOT this obsessed with Sousuke. He's just an otaku anyway.?
Kyoko knew that she had pressed Kaname far enough this time, no matter how fun it was to see her friend trying to deny what almost everyone else saw, so instead of teasing Kaname more, she said, ?Come on, Kaname, let's check out the rest of this room. Maybe we got a minibar or something?? She ran out of the bathroom and only the sound of her giggles were left.
?Yeah, I'm coming,? Kaname mumbled, and with a final look on the Jacuzzi she turned off the lights and closed the door.
When she entered the room, she found Kyoko standing on the bed and peering out of the window.
?What are you looking at, Ky?? she asked, more out of politeness than actual interest.
?The ocean!? Kyoko answered.
?What do you mean? The ocean what??
?Just the ocean, nothing else.?
?I see...I think.?
?Do you realize that this is the first time that we have been at sea?, Sure, we have both been flying above it, and we have been swimming in it, but we have never been ON the sea.? Kyoko's voice was a bit strange. It was not her usual girlish voice . . .it sounded more saddened . . .more mature, somehow.
?I haven't really thought about it, but I guess that you are right,? Kaname answered.
?There's something strange about the ocean; I can feel it right now. Even though we are still in port, I can feel the ocean beneath us . . .ohh, I can?t wait 'til we get going.?
?In just a day or so you will get more ocean than you possibly could want, Ky,? Kaname said with a smile.
?I guess . . .? Kyoko answered, and then with a small sigh she leaped down from the bed and started to unpack her belongings.
?Well, it's time that we get settled in here, isn't it, Kana-chan? Did you bring many clothes??
?No--well, not too many, at least. A couple of nice dresses, swimsuits and then my ordinary clothes.?
?I see.?
?I guess that I should unpack my things as well,? Kaname stated and lifted up her suitcase onto the bed.
BBBOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!
The ship's horn sounded, making the two girls jump.
The noise was loud, but as it ended they heard a knock on the door.
?I'll get it," Kaname said and walked over to the door.
On the other side were Sousuke and Shinji. They had changed from their school uniforms into more regular clothing.
Kaname had only seen Sousuke in either his military uniform or school uniform, so she was surprised to see that he was looking that good in his new clothes, despite the fact that she herself had helped him pick them out the night before.
?Me and Shinji are going to go up to the deck and watch as this vessel leaves berth,? Sousuke said, and then continued, ?We were wondering if you would like to accompany us.?
?Sure, Sousuke, let us just get changed . . .it will only take a minute.?
?Affirmative. We will wait for you in the lobby, then.?
?Okay, we will be right there.?
Kaname closed the door and walked back to Kyoko.
?That was Sousuke and Shinji; we are going to go up to the deck and watch as the ship leaves. Let's change clothes, and then we can meet them in the lobby.?
They changed clothes and went up to the lobby where Sousuke and Shinji were waiting for them.
The journey was finally going to start. It was good to be on their way.
And as always, please send some comments, the stories mainplot is ready and fixed but give ideas on what might happen on the way. Im always glad for critiscism, reviews or anything said that might help me improve my writing, or the story in itself.
Alright here it is.
*****************************
Sunday Afternoon:
?Miss Chidori!? Mrs. Kagurazaka's voice cut through the noise of the crowd in the large terminal at Tokyo Harbour.
?Yes, teacher??
?Please get the class in line. I have all of your tickets here and we should be going onboard any time now.?
?Yes, teacher, I will do that right away." With that, Kaname turned around and raised her little flag so everyone could see it.
?Class 2-4, get in line, pay attention to Mrs. Kagurazaka.?
The class began moving and after a few moments they had formed a nice line, all facing the teacher.
?Class, I will now hand out your personal ticket. Make sure that you keep it safe since you will need it to get aboard, and to buy anything in the shops that are onboard. You will also find your cabin number on the ticket. The ship that we will be traveling with is the 'Pacific Pearl,' one of the largest cruisers in the Pacific Ocean."
Afte her short statement, Mrs. Kagurazaka handed out the tickets to each student. When everyone had their tickets, she started walking towards the front of the line.
?Will you all please follow me? We are boarding now,? she said to the class as she walked up to the front and led them toward the gangway.
When they exited the terminal building and got out on the pier, a unison gasp came from the class.
In front of them was the ship. It was shining white, glimmering as the brilliant sun let its beams shine down upon the harbor.
The enormous ship rightfully impressed each and every student.
?Wow,? Shinji said to Sousuke. ?That is the largest thing I have ever seen in my life.? He was so stunned by the large vessel that he had actually stopped reading his AS magazines.
?That is indeed a impressive ship,? Sousuke answered.
?I wonder how large it is. It has to be over 250 meters, right?? he asked. in the hushed voice of one standing humbly in front of something amazing.
?Negative, this ship is 201.8 meters from stern to bow.?
?Wow, that?s impressive . . . but hey, how do you know that?? Shinji asked, confused.
?I read it here,? Sousuke answered and showed Shinji a pamphlet that he had gotten from inside the terminal.
?I see. Hey, what does it say about the ship, then??
?Yeah, how large is it?? Kyoko asked as she and Kaname walked up to the boys to hear what they were talking about.
?The ship is, as I said, 201.8 meters from stern to bow and 32 m side to side,? Sousuke said, reading from his pamphlet. ?It has a total weight of 59,812 tons.?
Some other students in the class stepped up to them and listened to Sousuke with interest. As he stated the ship's weight they all gasped and looked at the ship in disbelief . . . could something really be THAT heavy?
?Its massive engines are able to deliver, 43,200 horsepower. That is sufficent to make this ship reach a speed of 22,5 knots?
?Woooowww, man.?
?That's awesome.?
?No way . . . ?
By this time, almost the enitre class was gathered around Sousuke.
?The ship has thirteen floors and 1,258 cabins. It takes 3,213 passengers at most.? Sousuke continued reading from his pamphlet, and despite the fact that the Tuatha de Danaan was larger, faster and greater than this cruiser, it was still impressive.
?It has no less than seven pubs--? that statement was met with an ?ahhh? from all of the boys-- ?eight resturants . . . anything from sushi to pizza, and four boutiques for shopping.?
?Further, the ship has pools, saunas, jacuzzis and health spas.? That statement was met with an ?ahhh? from all of the girls.
?Class, move along, why have you stopped here?? Mrs. Kaguruzaka had noticed that most of her class hadn't followed her toward the gangway, and she now hurried them onwards.
?Yes, teacher,? Kaname answered for them all, grabbing hold of Kyoko and moving after the teacher. The rest of the class followed them.
Everyone was talking about the ship and what Sousuke had told them about it. Everyone had his own version of how much fun they would have.
As they approached the gangway they noticed that a tall man was standing by it, a clipboard in his hand.
He was tall and blonde, burnt by the sun--, obviously was not of Japanese origin.
He was dressed in a white uniform with an epaulet on the shoulder and wore a white peaked cap.
As they caught sight of him, most of the girls sighed. Comments like ?He looks so dashing in that uniform? and ?Warning, a hot one coming up? spread throughout the female part of the class.
?Don't you think that he's handsome, Kaname?? Mizuki asked with a grin. ?Can he compete with Sousuke??
?Ah...ahahaha, you know that I don't feel anything like that for Sousuke, that military moron, big idiot.? Kaname laughed out loud, her usual ?denial? laugh.
?I see . . .I guess this conversation is over, then,? sighed Kyoko who had been walking right next to Kaname.
When the teacher approached the man he saluted her and presented himself.
?Welcome aboard, miss. I am the steward on the ?Pacific Pearl.' May I have your name, please??
?Thank you, steward. My name is Mrs. Kaguruzaka, teacher for class 2-4 at Jindai High School.?
?Thank you. I can see that you all have reservations here, so if I just can see your tickets, you can all go aboard and make yourselves at home in your cabins. If there are any questions, please come to me.?
?Certainly. Here is my ticket; the students each have their own.? With that, Mrs. Kaguruzaka handed over her ticket to the steward who cut it and then gave it back.
?Then I wish you welcome aboard. The welcome dinner is served in the large resturant at 19.00 hours this evening. The Captain will attend personally.?
?Thank you.? She turned to the class and spoke up: ?Move along, people, have your tickets ready. We will gather when we are all on board.?
The class began moving onboard. All of them were greeted by the steward as he handled their tickets and wished them a pleasant stay aboard the ship.
While they were moving up the gangway, alongside the ship, the students were once again amazed by its size.
The ship had looked large, huge and enormous from some distance, but walking alongside it, climbing higher and higher on the gangway, made them feel tiny.
Far above their heads they could see the bridge stretching out over the ship's side, and far down below their feets they could see the sea.
Sousuke was not as impressed by the ship as his classmates. Sure, it was a great ship, one of the largest cruisers in the Pacific, but compared to ?Tuatha de Danaan? this ship was not so great.
?Tuatha de Danaan? was larger than the ?Pacific Pearl? with its length of 218 meters and width of 44 meters. It was not as heavy, though.
The displacement of ?Tuatha de Danaan? was 30,800 tons, against the displacement of the ?Pacific Pearl," which was an impressive 59,812 tons.
?Tuatha de Danaan? had, however, top modern engines, 3 PS method Palladium Reactors and electric drive with two axles which altogether could generate 210,000 horsepower, which was an enormous amount of power.
The engines were able to make ?Tuatha de Danaan? move with the incredible speed of over sixty-six knots, which was almost as fast as many torpedoes used by common submarines in the navies of the United States and former Soviet Union.
?It is still an impressive ship,? he thought as he walked up the gangway, ?and the officers seem competent. I'll have to wait 'til I can examine how they are taking the ship out before I can be certain that both the crew and officers truly are competent, however. It should not be a problem, though-- the crews on these ships are usually very well trained.? Sousuke continued his thoughts about the safety onboard the ship while he was taking mental notes on where the lifeboats were placed above his head. He would of course have to move around the ship to learn the fastest escape route in case there was an emergency . . . he was not going to fail his mission protecting Kaname, no matter what.
With thoughts of that kind continued, Sousuke finished his walk up the gangway and entered the large lobby.
It was not a lie when people described these kinds of ships as floating palaces. The lobby stretched over the ship's entire width.
It was grand: the furniture was all made of teak wood, carpets covered the floor and the walls were filled with replicas of famous paintings.
In the corners there were various types of flowers arranged in tasteful bouquets.
Large panorama windows let the sunshine flow inside the ship and lit up each part of it, and the views were astonishing.
Two female crewmembers were standing on each side on the door and were giving them directions to their cabins.
The class had recived cabins on deck five, so they headed towards the stairs and walked down.
Upon reaching deck five they scattered all over the place, looking for their cabins.
Mrs. Kaguruzaka yelled after them, ?Do not forget that we will assemble at 18.30 in the lobby and then leave for the dinner together. . . and put on nice clothes!?
She wasn't certain that they had all heard that and she sighed.
'I'll just have to hope for the best. Someone probably heard me.'
She walked to her cabin. Being a teacher at least rendered her some benefits, like the luxury of her own cabin.
?A quick nap might do me good before the dinner,? she thought before sinking down on her bed, and with that she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Kaname and Kyoko walked together through the They had decided that they should share a cabin with each other.
A few steps behind them, Sousuke walked with Shinji. They had also decided to share a cabin and now they were following Kaname and Kyoko since Sousuke refused to stay in a cabin other than one that was wall to wall with Kaname.
When he said that, Kaname had first blushed crimson red, and then when Kyoko and Shinji smiled meaningfully at each other she became furious.
Sousuke fortunately cleared most of the flowers and the paintings out of the way; however, a small painting of a Spanish Galleon became a casualty of when he was slammed into the wall by a backhand slash from Kaname's halisen.
After that intermezzo, they settled down, and Kaname faced her destiny and began moving together with Kyoko towards their cabin.
Shinji helped Sousuke up and they followed the girls.
?It's hard to believe that the ship is THIS big,? Kyoko said. ?It feels like we have been walking miles upon miles already, and we are still not at the cabin."
?Yes, it's very large but we are getting close now,? Kaname answered while she continued walking and reading the numbers on each cabin door.
?It should be here somewhere...5047...5049...5051...ahh, there it is, 5053. That's us, Ky,? she said happily. ?Finally we're here--give me the card and I'll get this door opened.?
Kyoko handed her the electronic key and she stuck into the slot. A silent ?click? was heard and the door opened.
Kaname entered first and Kyoko followed closely behind.
?Wow!!!? Kaname stuttered in disbelief as she looked around in the cabin.
?What is it Kana-chan? Why did you sto . . .? Kyoko became silent.
They stood in the doorway and just looked around the large cabin, almost not believing their eyes.
Two beds were placed next to each other in the centre of the cabin, directly below a round shaped window that would allow the sun to shine straight into the room.
A wardrobe was discretely placed alongside one of the walls, and directly opposite of it was another door that turned out to be the bathroom. Kyoko cried out to Kaname when she peered into it.
?Ohhhh, Kaname, you HAVE TO see this!?
?What is it, Ky??
?Look at the bathroom... . . .it's got a JACUZZI ."
?Ohhhh, I haven't been in a Jacuzzi for years . . .the last time was when I still lived in America. They are soooo comfortable . . . much, much better than an ordinary bath.? Her eyes glimmered as she spoke.
?And imagine how much FUN you could have in them . . .you know . . .if there happened to be two of you . . . for example, you and Sagara?? Kyoko couldn't help it--she had to tease Kaname some. It was so fun to watch her.
?Umm . . .? Kaname blushed, fiercely, fighting desperately to push away the images that threatened to charge her down.
Kyoko's camera went off with a bright flash that immediately sent her back into a normal state.
?Riiight, Ky, very funny, like I would like that! That military moron would probably just strap on a scuba diving gear and start searching for underwater mines anyway, hmmppff!!? she said with a small scowl.
But Kyoko's comment had started up her imagination again, like throwing gasoline on a fire . . .bright images of herself and Sousuke in a Jacuzzi, with some candles and nice music . . .
?Gah, what is it with my mind these days?? she thought to herself. ?I am NOT this obsessed with Sousuke. He's just an otaku anyway.?
Kyoko knew that she had pressed Kaname far enough this time, no matter how fun it was to see her friend trying to deny what almost everyone else saw, so instead of teasing Kaname more, she said, ?Come on, Kaname, let's check out the rest of this room. Maybe we got a minibar or something?? She ran out of the bathroom and only the sound of her giggles were left.
?Yeah, I'm coming,? Kaname mumbled, and with a final look on the Jacuzzi she turned off the lights and closed the door.
When she entered the room, she found Kyoko standing on the bed and peering out of the window.
?What are you looking at, Ky?? she asked, more out of politeness than actual interest.
?The ocean!? Kyoko answered.
?What do you mean? The ocean what??
?Just the ocean, nothing else.?
?I see...I think.?
?Do you realize that this is the first time that we have been at sea?, Sure, we have both been flying above it, and we have been swimming in it, but we have never been ON the sea.? Kyoko's voice was a bit strange. It was not her usual girlish voice . . .it sounded more saddened . . .more mature, somehow.
?I haven't really thought about it, but I guess that you are right,? Kaname answered.
?There's something strange about the ocean; I can feel it right now. Even though we are still in port, I can feel the ocean beneath us . . .ohh, I can?t wait 'til we get going.?
?In just a day or so you will get more ocean than you possibly could want, Ky,? Kaname said with a smile.
?I guess . . .? Kyoko answered, and then with a small sigh she leaped down from the bed and started to unpack her belongings.
?Well, it's time that we get settled in here, isn't it, Kana-chan? Did you bring many clothes??
?No--well, not too many, at least. A couple of nice dresses, swimsuits and then my ordinary clothes.?
?I see.?
?I guess that I should unpack my things as well,? Kaname stated and lifted up her suitcase onto the bed.
BBBOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!
The ship's horn sounded, making the two girls jump.
The noise was loud, but as it ended they heard a knock on the door.
?I'll get it," Kaname said and walked over to the door.
On the other side were Sousuke and Shinji. They had changed from their school uniforms into more regular clothing.
Kaname had only seen Sousuke in either his military uniform or school uniform, so she was surprised to see that he was looking that good in his new clothes, despite the fact that she herself had helped him pick them out the night before.
?Me and Shinji are going to go up to the deck and watch as this vessel leaves berth,? Sousuke said, and then continued, ?We were wondering if you would like to accompany us.?
?Sure, Sousuke, let us just get changed . . .it will only take a minute.?
?Affirmative. We will wait for you in the lobby, then.?
?Okay, we will be right there.?
Kaname closed the door and walked back to Kyoko.
?That was Sousuke and Shinji; we are going to go up to the deck and watch as the ship leaves. Let's change clothes, and then we can meet them in the lobby.?
They changed clothes and went up to the lobby where Sousuke and Shinji were waiting for them.
The journey was finally going to start. It was good to be on their way.