M.A.R.

Chapter 5

"I guess I fell asleep on the beach and the waves just kind of got a hold of me..." Ami fibbed as a tear drunken Rebecca squeezed her close.

"Okay, then. No more beach by yourself, Ami!" Rebecca scolded, while still trying to compromise, turning to look at her. Her eyes were still crying, but she managed a relieved smile.

Ami gave her a blank stare.

"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked as the smile was wiped off of her face.

Ami scrunched up her brows, closed her eyes, then shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I guess I'm just really tired. Can I take a nap?" she asked in a horse voice as she pulled away from her guardian.

"A...nap?" Rebecca turned to Ritsuka who was standing at the doorway. "But what about school?"

Ami stopped halfway up the staircase. "It's over already, isn't it?" she asked innocently, turning around.

"Well..." Rebecca mumbled. Ami took that as her cue and began going up the stairs again. "Don't you want to hang out with Ritsuka and maybe brighten up your day?" Rebecca called up, hopefully.

She froze again. Not even turning around this time, she stated, "I don't think his father would appreciate him hanging out with me."

"Ami!" Ritsuka spat out, pissed off by what she had said.

"No, Ritsuka, she's right. Even if we don't want her to be..." Rebecca whispered the last part under her breath. She turned and sighed, Ami walking back up the staircase. "You should go back home, kiddo. Thanks for all of your help." Rebecca gave him a slight smile as she walked toward the doorway.

Ritsuka was still glaring up the stairs before he growled, "Okay, whatever," and walked out the doorway.

Ami, now in her room, gently closed the door and leaned on it. Tears were crawling down her face. She didn't want to be mean to Ritsuka, he was her best friend. She just didn't have a choice. If he continued to hang out with her then the whole island will hate him, too.

Sucking up her useless feelings, she crawled into bed and fell into a restless sleep...

When she woke up her body was still in arrogant pain. She sat up and cringed before she stretched in pure hurt. She checked the time and date. It was almost the same time that Mitsukuni told her the other day. The time he said that they'd be safe...

Knowing that Rebecca let her stay at home from school, she locked her door hoping that would ward her off from checking on her every thirty minutes. Ami had set her mind on meeting Mitsukuni again.

She ran to a window, her orange drapes blowing calmly in the tropical winds. This was the only window with a tree even close enough to attempt an escape. Even though it was a leap away, Ami knew it had to be done.

She went to the opposite side of the room and took a deep breath. With her spirits high, she took a running start and leapt as far from the window as she could, reaching farther than her drapes. Her heart beat wildly against her chest as her throat clogged up, making it hard to breath. She reached out in desperation, simply hoping she'll grab something, and fast. In her mind she was begging herself not to look down, but that seemed impossible as she flew farther away from the window.

She looked down at the grassy earth far beneath her and regretted jumping from the third story window. She shut her eyes tight and waved her arms around frantically as if she were trying to turn into a bird and fly away. But all it helped her do was grab hold of a thin branch that bent at her weight.

As if her life depended on it-because her life depended on it, she held on to the poor, over worked branch.

What was she to do now? Her body was already reaching its limit and she knew neither she nor the branch could hold on for much longer. When she took a look around, she realized that she was near the trunk of the tree! All she really needed to do was swing herself a little bit closer, then she could slowly and safely climb down.

But the over strained branch decided that she took too long of a time to figure that out. With two assertive cracks, it let gravity punish the promise braking Ami.

She screamed this time as she fell, miraculously missing branches that surly would have killed her. Simply hoping for the impossible, she closed her eyes, not daring to open them. Ami braced herself for the worst, regretting everything...

Expecting the ground, she hit something that fell under her dropping weight with a pained 'oof!' Her head rebounded on the chest of her savior making him grunt loudly again. Quickly, she opened her eyes and rolled off of the person, hoping they were still alive.

Her stomach did flips as Ritsuka sat up in evident pain.

"Ami!" He scolded her in a sharp tone, "What do you think you were doing, you idiot! You could have-" Ritsuka's words crept back up his lips as he turned away in anger.

Ami's face grew red as she screamed, "Killed myself, is that what you were going to say?!" Ritsuka didn't respond. "And what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be at home? Didn't school just end?!"

"And imagine if I did go home, Ami! You would've been splattered everywhere on the ground if I hadn't worried about you!" Ritsuka reciprocated.

They both stayed silent as they glared at each other until Ami stood up and marched in the direction of the beach.

"Wait, Ami!" Ritsuka caught her arm, "Don't tell me you're going back to the beach!"

"Fine, I won't tell you." Ami spat out in a rude tone.

"So you are going?" Ritsuka followed her.

Ami knew that if she let him continue then the whole island would eventually turn against him. She had to find a way to make him leave. Even if she would regret everything later...

"We aren't kids anymore, Ritsuka!" she yelled. "I don't need you to look after me anymore! Go get a life!" Ami didn't dare turn around as tears swelled up in her eyes. It was the meanest thing she could think of on the spot...

There was a dreadful silence between them. Ritsuka's insides felt like they were burning themselves. He was mad at Ami, but at the same time he wanted her to tell him what was wrong. Why she was suddenly being so rude to him. Why she suddenly didn't want his friendship anymore... "Fine..." he growled, his tone colder than he had expected. He turned towards home and walked off, holding back the sob in his throat.

Ami gasped and turned around surprised that he was leaving, even though it was what she wanted him to do. In her heart it felt like the wrong thing to do, but her mind told her it was the right thing. She chewed on her bottom lip as the tears rolled down, flying away in the rough tropical breeze. She regretted the whole conversation already, but she had to say something to get him to hate her just as the rest of the world does.

Even though every salty, bitter tear drop begged him to turn around and make up with his best friend, Ritsuka trudged along, never looking back..._______________