Hey, guys! I know it's been forever, and I apologize for that. However, I've been somewhere beyond the realm of busy with my junior year. Thankfully, it's almost over, and it's getting a bit less hectic. I'll be updating more often now hopefully. Look forward to it! Don't forget to review!

It was a week before we actually got to go on the cruise Yukiko had offered, but man, was it worth the wait. During that week, Yukiko continued to stay with Chie, keeping her return relatively on the down-low. Apparently she had let her parents know she was back, but she didn't want to go back to the inn. I was trying to make it a point not to pry. Chie also told the rest of our friends about Yukiko's return, but Yosuke and I were still the only ones to have seen her. The true reunion would happen on the cruise.

It was leaving on Wednesday morning. I woke up with the sun shining through the cracks in my blinds and was feeling pretty good that morning; I'd finished packing the night before—all the clothes and things I would need for the seven-day adventure—and I was ready to go when Yosuke rang my doorbell at 7:00.

Tossing my toothbrush back into my cabinet, having just finished brushing my teeth, I practically skipped to my door and flung it open. "You excited?" I asked rhetorically as I pulled Yosuke inside my apartment.

"Seven days with you and the rest of my favorite people in the world?" he asked as he snaked his arms around my neck. "Nah."

"Good," I said. "Me either." I leaned in and pressed our lips together happily, kissing him with a smile for a few seconds before he pulled back. I pouted.

"Do you want the ship to leave without us?" Yosuke asked scornfully as he wriggled free of my grasp.

"No, sir," I said, imitating a child in trouble, and he rolled his eyes right before he spotted my bags in the corner and made his way to grab them for me. I followed him and when he picked up both of them I took one from him.

"We sail at eight," Yosuke said with a smile as I shut and locked my apartment door behind me. I couldn't remember ever having felt so excited.

We hopped into his SUV and he drove us to the place from which we'd be departing, unloading our bags and making sure that the vehicle was locked completely; it'd be sitting there on its own for a week. It was already 7:30—bright and sunny but still chilly—and we saw all of our friends waiting near the entrance to the beautiful cruise ship.

The ship was huge—this trip must be worth a fortune, I noted. It was incredible that Yukiko could pull so many strings, especially after being gone for so long. It was even bigger once we boarded. We joined up with our friends and hauled our luggage onto the vessel before we were directed to our rooms, and it was time to choose our roommates. That went pretty obviously since Yosuke and I weren't going to separate, and we also weren't about to let Kanji or Teddie room with anybody but each other. Chie called Yukiko's room, leaving Naoto and Rise to be in a room together as well.

Things were looking up: how could Yosuke and I fail at getting Kanji and Teddie to hook up if they were sleeping in the same bedroom? The ship left the port at 8:00 sharp and my boyfriend and I spent most of the morning unpacking before coming out to spend breakfast with our friends. We sat at a big table in the dining hall, which was mostly empty, besides a few people sitting alone on other ends of the room. Most of the other people on the ship seemed to want to eat breakfast outside since the weather was so gorgeous, but we were perfectly content with being inside if we were one of the only parties around.

I sat between Yosuke and Kanji and we ordered from the menus, and while we were waiting to be served, one could almost taste the excitement in the air; as a team, we'd gone through lots together—especially in the last year—but nothing quite this exciting. After a few moments of elated silence, someone finally spoke.

"You guys are going to love this so much," said Yukiko with a smile. "I've been on this cruise before and there's really nothing like it." But now that we were all together for what was the first time in probably a year and a half, the questions started popping up.

Almost immediately, Kanji spoke up. "We missed you," he said, his tone of voice asking a million questions. I watched Yukiko's face fall clearly, and Chie, who sat next to her, placed her hand on her friend's back and rubbed gently.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I don't know what to say. I was just so stressed because of everything… I couldn't bear to stay in Inaba." Although I already knew the story, her words still made me feel guilty; I was a big part of her leaving.

"We're not mad," Rise assured, her voice gentle. "We were just worried about you."

Yukiko was silent, staring into her lap.

"We really aren't mad, Yuki-chan!" Teddie said, patting Yukiko on the shoulder. He beamed at her. "Don't feel bad."

"Yeah," Yosuke agreed. "We're just glad you're back."

Yukiko looked up, her eyes a little red. She'd started crying; she must've still been pretty rattled from her return. She smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said. "I'm glad I came back. I missed you guys." When Chie pulled her in for a hug, I couldn't help but smile and wonder why she was being so touchy. I also wondered if anybody else noticed.

It wasn't too long before they brought our food and we began our breakfast. I could tell that this trip was going to be amazing, and that was just from the food. The pancakes I'd ordered were somewhere beyond incredible.

An hour later, everyone was completely done eating and stuffed. It was closing in on noon and we weren't entirely sure how we should spend our first day, so we settled on relaxing by the pool nearest our rooms. After we all changed into our swimsuits, I laid down on a comfortable chair and Yosuke laid on the one next to it. I stretched out lazily and watched as Teddie jumped fearlessly into the water, some splashing onto me, and it made me shiver a little.

"No splashing," said Yosuke with a laugh as he brushed water off his legs and moved his chair into a sitting-up position. I adjusted my chair as well and scooted myself a little close to my boyfriend. Rise was lying on her stomach on her chair, flat like a bed, and Naoto was blushing lightly as she rubbed tanning oil onto the model's back. Rise's well-known orange bikini was untied. While Yosuke, Kanji, Teddie, and I wore swim trunks, Yukiko was in a tank top and shorts and Chie was in a bikini less skimpy than Rise's. Rise's suntan lotion slave, meanwhile, was adorned in a loose-fitting T-shirt and swim trunk-like shorts. Even though she was stuck with a job, Naoto seemed to be having a good time.

Kanji chased Teddie into the pool and I watched him amusedly for a moment before I laid back a bit and relaxed in the sun. I could hear Kanji and Teddie chasing each other around in the water until I drifted off. It couldn't have been fifteen minutes later that I was woken up by a huge splash of water, and it drenched me all over. I heaved up in my seat and blinked quickly, using my arm to rub the water from my eyes and face before looking up to find my attacker.

I quickly identified that person as Chie, and I growled playfully as I noticed she'd gotten water all over Yosuke as well. Already cold from the water now, I got up quickly and jumped into the shallow end of the pool carefully. I splashed in Chie's direction violently and within moments I was joined by Yosuke who helped me.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Yosuke said with a smirk as he sent waves toward the other end of the pool.

"You splash like a little girl!" Chie yelled loudly to my boyfriend, and I couldn't help but laugh. It sounded exactly like the old days, when Chie and Yosuke were at each other's throats every day.

"You have boobs like one!" Yosuke yelled fiercely, and I cracked up laughing, ceasing my splashing. I felt like a second-year high school student again.

Chie growled dangerously and Yukiko ducked behind her, trying in vain to avoid the aquatic assault that Yosuke was sending at them.

"Feels like old times, huh?" I heard suddenly from behind me, and I turned around to see Kanji with a nostalgic smile. I couldn't help but agree, since he practically had read my mind.

"Yeah," I said with a chuckle and a nod. I noticed that Teddie was sitting on the edge of the pool looking pretty deep in thought—unusual for him. I nodded in the little blonde's direction. "How's you-know-who?" I asked with a smile.

"Pretty normal," Kanji sighed. "I don't know what to do besides chase him around and play games with him…"

I laughed. "It's Teddie we're talking about. I think that's all he's looking for in a partner," I joked, and that got a smile out of my friend.

"You're probably right," he agreed. Just then, Teddie seemed to burst from where he was sitting.

"I have an idea!" he announced loudly, and we all turned toward him. The splashing ceased, and Rise quickly retied her bikini top as she sat up to give her attention to the boy. "Let's play Marco Polo!"

Immediately, Kanji chimed in. "Sounds like fun!" he said, and I smiled. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying playtime with Teddie, even if it was, at the end of the day, pretty draining.

It didn't take much more convincing until we had Rise and Naoto both in the water with us and Teddie was nominated as "it" for being the one to come up with the idea in the first place. He complied and closed his eyes quickly, yelling, "Marco!" at the very top of his lungs.

Among the first to reply, "Polo!" was Kanji. Yosuke next, then me, Rise, Yukiko, Naoto, and lastly Chie. We laughed as we watched the poor little boy dash around the pool with his arms outstretched and soon enough he yelled out for us again. We replied and he laughed with sinister intent as he realized he was quite close to somebody based on the proximity of their voice. Unfortunately for me, that person was myself—but I was able to dive out of the way just in time to avoid his grasp and fall into the water. As a result, Teddie plunged forward and I heard a terrorized yell from behind me; apparently someone was caught.

I rose from the water, cold and wet now, and everyone turned to look at the victim. Teddie had his arms wrapped firmly around Kanji's torso and he was laughing maniacally, but I knew better where to place my eyes, as did Yosuke. Kanji's face was pink and he coughed lightly as he was released from his crush's grip.

"I gotcha, Kanji!" the bear declared, and Kanji laughed nervously.

"You sure did," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as his blush faded. "Does this mean I'm it?" Teddie nodded eagerly and our game continued.

We played for another half hour or so before it started to get repetitive—everyone had been "it" at least once and we were starting to cycle through again. At that point we decided to split up for the rest of the day and meet up again at dinner, so I grabbed Yosuke and we headed up to the café that sat on the top level of the ship. They were a bit more expensive, but the atmosphere was more private, so we ate lunch there and then headed back to the poolside. By that time it was mid-afternoon and the summer sun was blazing above us, so we weren't surprised to find Yukiko and Chie were at the pool once again themselves.

We greeted them with smiles and sat in chairs across the pool from them, and I made sure to scoot my chair right up next to my boyfriend's. We both laid down and relaxed, but I secretly couldn't help watching Chie and Yukiko—Chie had been acting strangely the entire day.

They were speaking quietly to each other so I couldn't understand them, but then I saw Yukiko smile and hand Chie a bottle of sunscreen and I knew what was about to happen. I had to refrain from making a noise. Chie was almost being… forward.

I watched the two of them as Chie rubbed the lotion onto Yukiko's shoulders and upper back and chuckled lightly to myself. Boy, did I have something to talk about with Chie.

It was a couple of hours later that we met up with all of our friends once again for dinner, and we returned to the dining hall at which we'd eaten breakfast earlier in the day. It was a bit more populated this time, but not crowded. We had plenty of privacy if we so wanted it. I made sure that I sat between Chie and Yosuke.

Right after we got our food, Yosuke turned away from me to listen to a story Kanji had to tell about something he and Teddie had done that day, and I seized the opportunity to lean in close to Chie.

At first, she gave me a surprised look, but she turned her head appropriately when she saw that I aimed to whisper something to her.

"What's up with you and Yukiko?" I asked her very quietly, and immediately she pulled her head away from me and gave me a stern look, her cheeks tinted red a little.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, but I knew she wasn't as stupid as her test scores might've indicated. I just gave her a look and she pretended to figure it out. "Oh… you mean the lotion?" she asked, and I just sighed. She leaned back in toward my ear. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Meet me on the deck before bed."

I raised an eyebrow at her, curious, but I turned to my food and focused on that instead. We both were quiet for the remainder of the meal, but before the two of us retreated to our respective rooms, I just had to talk to her.

I began walking with Yosuke to our room, stopping just outside our door, and Yosuke gave me a questioning look. "I have to talk to Chie for a couple minutes," I said, giving him a smile.

"What about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He still knew things to be a tad awkward between Chie and me.

"I'll tell you when I get back," I said, kissing him on the cheek quickly and slapping his ass playfully. "If you're still in clothes when I come back, you're in big trouble," I added jokingly as I backed away, and he just laughed as he disappeared behind the door. Turning around, I swiftly walked out to the deck where I saw Chie alone, leaning against the railing of the desk and watching the waves. I approached her slowly as not to startle her.

"Hey," I said, and she turned to me. She stayed quiet, so I went on. "Someone has some explaining to do."

Chie hesitated. "It's kind of a long story," she said, scratching her arm.

"We have all night if we need it," I reminded her.

She sighed. "So… you remember way back in second year?" she asked quietly, then looked around to make sure we didn't have any spies hanging around. As far as we could see on the desk, we were literally alone. I nodded. "Remember what I told you about back then?" she continued.

"You mean about Yukiko?" I asked for clarification, but I already knew.

"Yeah…" she said. "Well… I think I might still feel that way." Chie folded her arms, a light smile finding her lips. "It's kind of weird… but I sort of feel like her being gone made me realize just how important she was to me. I mean… there was the time before when I was pretty determined to be her prince, but now it's deeper." She paused to breathe. "Yukiko's more mature now, and so am I. She keeps telling me how sorry she is for leaving, and how much she missed me, and it gives me butterflies every time."

I listened to her extremely carefully. "You're in love," I said, feeling as if I understood her perfectly. We'd been friends so long that I almost could understand her perfectly, actually. It was nice to talk with her and not feel her sending me bad vibes the whole time.

"Being with you a while back made me realize it," she said with a slightly bitter laugh, and she turned to look at the moon. It was about half-full and very clear against the black sky. Stars hung gracefully in the sky around it. "I was looking for somebody to take the place of what Yukiko was for me: a best friend and someone I could love. Of course… with you, I took it a little farther." She shook her head, and I couldn't bring myself to comment on what she'd said. That was still what I would call forbidden conversation subject. "So when we broke up, it was only then that I realized how lonely I was. I just wanted Yukiko back."

I nodded slowly. "So… what are you going to do about it?" I asked carefully.

Chie laughed. "Good question," she said. "Probably tell her, I guess. But I don't really know how."

This time it was my turn to laugh. "Let me know if you need any help," I said. "Yosuke and I are already playing matchmaker this week." I shook my head at the ridiculousness; I still wasn't sure that we would be able to pull it off.

Chie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Who?" she inquired curiously, a devilish grin curving onto her lips.

"You can't tell," I told her, sticking out my pinky and wiggling it in the air. I needed to know she wouldn't say anything; this imperative.

"I won't," she promised as she took my pinky in her own and we shook hands.

Taking back my little finger, I said very softly, "Kanji likes Teddie."

Chie nearly squeaked in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. "You're kidding!" she accused, removing her hand to reveal a scandalous smile. "That's fucking incredible! All that bathhouse shit suddenly makes sense!" She laughed.

"Shh!" I hissed, effectively quieting her, and I narrowed my eyes. "That is a secret."

Chie pretended to zip her lips shut and throw away the key, grinning the entire time.

"Now, go to bed," I told her playfully. "Yukiko's waiting for you."

"Sure," she said, her tone teasing. "Don't make too much noise with Yosuke tonight. If you guys wake us up, I'll knock out that loser's teeth, head injury or no."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't the nostalgic joy our exchange gave me. "Goodnight," I said with a half-mocking smile, and I waved my fingers at her as I turned.

"Yeah, 'night," she said. I could hear the same nostalgia in her voice.

It took me fifteen seconds of walking to get back to the room Yosuke and I shared, and I opened the door quietly, stepped inside, and shut it behind me as silently as I could manage. The room was completely dark, but I knew my boyfriend wouldn't be sleeping this early. I adjusted the fader for the lights so it was about half-lit and could do nothing to prevent the smile than snaked onto my lips when I saw Yosuke, completely naked, on the bed in front of me. He propped up his head with his arm, and his free hand drew imaginary circles onto what appeared to be very soft linen.

I licked my lips; I hadn't been serious with what I told him earlier about being in trouble, but who was I to complain?

I just knew that this was going to be the best week of my life.