It was an unusually chilly day in Okinawa ken, an island just close enough to be included in the Kyushu region of Japan, and the four Alpha kids (who had decided to take a vacation together) decided it was the perfect time to try the onsen. Onsen was Japanese for "Hot Springs", a natural spring heated by geothermal energy, and the services of the on-site onsen of the hotel they were staying at just happened to be complimentary.

Jake breathed in the fresh morning air as they walked toward the small changing rooms, exclaiming with a smile, "By golly, this is going to be smashing!"

"I'm so glad we came," Jane professed, not noticing as Dirk chuckled under his breath.

"This is going to be interesting." he muttered, shooting glances at Jake's back every-so-often, and his glasses glinted mysteriously in the sunlight. Roxy suddenly pointed up ahead.

"Oh em jay…uh, oh em gee you guys! Look!" she slurred excitedly. Even though the others had tried to prevent it, it was inevitable that she would discover the narcotic properties of sake.

Roxy's finger was pointed at a large building surrounded by a lush forest, made entirely of the traditional materials of wood and paper. Slightly amazed at how such flimsy building materials could ever be used, the Alpha kids walked through the doors and saw a hostess waiting for them at the counter, her mandatory smile brightening with genuine happiness when she saw them.

"Ohay, good morning! I hope you all enjoy your soak." she said as she bowed, and without hesitation Dirk bowed back. The others followed suit awkwardly, and when they straightened the hostess beckoned them to stand in front of two doors.

"Behind me are the doors to locker rooms, boys on the left and girls on the right. There you will change into traditional Japanese robes that you will take off when going into the water. The are separated into male and female sections, unlike many of the other hotels in the area. When entering, you must wait at least three minutes after the person in front of you leaves the locker rooms. Then the other may join. In addition, the first one to enter is always the first one to leave. That is all. Enjoy!" she exclaimed, bowing once again and walking away.

Nobody seemed bothered by the separation of their group, but then again, nobody noticed Jake's little mental freak out. He would be alone.

In a bath.

With Dirk.

Before he could protest this little fact, the girls walked into their changing rooms and, unable to not look like an idiot if he did otherwise, Jake followed Dirk into the boys'.

Jake finished changing remarkably quickly, eager to escape the little glances he felt rather than saw, and so was the first into the actual onsen. He looked over his shoulder nervously, and when he saw no sign of Dirk, he gingerly slipped his kimono off and let it fall to the ground. Blushing hard, he slipped into the water slowly, letting himself adjust to the high temperature.

It wasn't very steamy, he supposed the water must have had time to heat the nearby air, and he began freaking out once again at this unfortunate revelation. Oh God, I'm going to start blushing when he comes in and he's going to see and..., he fretted, not noticing at all when Dirk stepped out of the lockers. Until, that is, his feet squeaked a little on the wet tiles.

Jake looked up and immediately turned around. He had caught sight of the boy just as he was letting his robe fall to the ground, and the sight had been…well, let's just say Jake now wished the water was cold instead of hot. He sluggishly crossed to the side of the onsen and sat down on the stone bench carved into the side of the spring, inconspicuously crossing his leg and letting his hands rest in his lap. He hoped Dirk wouldn't notice, but of course the ninja boy had.

Five minutes passed and Jake still was panicky. His, ah, problem still hadn't gone away, even though he had closed his eyes to think of decidedly un-Dirk-ish thoughts to get it to leave.

Ice cream? It simply melted to reveal Dirk in a…compromising state of undress. A puppy? Dirk walked up and picked it up, petting it while looking at Jake with half-lidded eyes. His grandma? She just grinned evilly and pushed Dirk into him. Nothing was working and he was more panicky than ever. And suddenly, the boy plaguing his thoughts was there, resting his chin on Jake's shoulder.

"Hey Jake…Something the matter…?" Dirk asked him lowly, and Jake tried to ignore the pleasurable tingles as he gathered the pieces his mind had been shattered into.

"The matter? Why would anything be the matter, Strider?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous, but his voice cracking like a thirteen-year-old's saw that fail. Miserably.

"Oh, I don't know Jake. Why would something be the matter?" Dirk asked innocently, trailing a finger down Jake's forearm. Of course, Jake was using his hands to cover himself, and with Dirk's teasing, he wouldn't be able to just laugh it off if his hands got a little lower. Which they were, and at an alarming rate too.

"Well, what would you define as 'the matter', Strider?" Jake asked his friend, looking him in the eye and priding himself on holding his voice together. Living in a deadly jungle every day of your life gave a person a measure of composure. That composure went bye-bye as Dirk's hand reached Jake's hands. The hands that were covering himself.

"I don't know. What would you define as 'the matter', Jake?" Strider asked lowly.

Jake couldn't hold himself back any longer. The truth was, he had begun to develop feelings for Dirk during the years he had known him after he actually took the time to look up 'Manbro Bukkake Theatre' and inferred some things about his anime-centric friend. He hadn't actually said anything before now because, believe it or not, living alone on an island all your life didn't exactly prepare you for matter of the hearts.

Truth was, Jake used to be scared. But now he simply didn't care any more. And that was why, with the quip of, "Not doing this sooner." he leaned down a bit and captured Dirk's lips with his own.

Roxy giggled as she peered through a hole in the dividing wall, accepting ten bucks from a disappointed yet still-excited Jane.