[Kitsumi]

What had started as small flutterings of anxiety were swiftly turning into a full blown panic attack.

Of course, as usual, Rebi managed to hide her emotions quite well. A slightly bored expression did a good job of hiding the fact that her heart was hammering inside of her chest. And she had shoved her hands in her jean pockets in order to disguise their shaking. To anyone who didn't know her well - which was practically everyone - she appeared to be the picture of calm.

Her fear didn't stem from the fact that she was about to spend an entire weekend alone with Komo. Now that the two had cemented their bond, she felt more comfortable in his presence than she had ever felt alone. Spending time with him was as easy as breathing.

But this was more than just a 'team building' exercise. This was supposed to be a romantic vacation for the two of them. And while Rebi was finally coming to terms with the fact that she did care for Komo in that way, she had yet to ask him how he felt about her.

What if he didn't feel the same? What if his emotional connection with her was tied to their fighter bond, and had nothing to do with romance? He was her sacrifice, and she trusted him with her life.

Trusting him with her heart was much more terrifying.

[Jedi]

The hotel was far more extravagant than he'd expected it to be. There were polished gold doors and marble pillared walls, though Komo didn't know that it was merely painted to look like that. None of it was quite as expensive as it was made to look.

He was still in shock at the reality of what was happening, and it was clear to see on his face. He was here for a whole weekend with Rebi. Of course, there would be separate rooms for each gender of student, to prevent any kind of unsavory activities, and there were half a dozen parents and teachers to accompany and chaperone.

He was still intimidated by her mother, who'd decided to chaperone if only to press them toward becoming an actual couple. "Hurry along, you two," she said to the both of them. Komo obliged in fear of her scolding, though he didn't know what her reaction would be if he ignored. Most of his interactions consisted of him trembling in fear at what she might do if he disobeyed.

"So, what are we suppose to do?" he mumbled to his partner, who he'd sat in silence on the trip here.

[Kitsumi]

The annoying shrill of her mother's voice pulled Rebi out of her thoughts and back to reality. She rolled her eyes as she was prodded forward. When Komo whispered to her, she simply shrugged her shoulders in response. "I have no clue," she whispered. "I guess we should-"

"Komo, darling," her mother interrupted before she could say anything else. "As I already told Rebi, I made sure to book the two of you a private suite on a separate floor. Don't worry, I already got permission from your teachers for the two of you to stay together. There are two separate rooms, of course... but I'm sure that the king-sized bed in one of the rooms would easily fit both of you." She winked, before gently pushing the two of them into the elevator. "Now, here are your room keys. I don't want to see the two of you for the rest of the weekend! Spend this time deepening your bond, understand?"

She stood there and waved as the elevator doors closed, blocking her from sight. Leaning against the smooth wall of the elevator, Rebi sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Oh my gods, she is so embarrassing." She turned to Komo apologetically. "Sorry... if you want to sneak off and room with someone else, I totally understand. I don't expect you to want to be locked up in a suite with me all weekend."

[Jedi]

His eyes were on Rebi, until he heard her mother call his name. He listened as she relayed the information, but when she mentioned them sharing a bed, he choked and coughed a bit. He hadn't thought she'd suggest such an irresponsible and lewd idea. After all, they were paired and bonded, but they were still teenagers.

When they were both gently pushed into the elevator, he couldn't help but notice that she was being forced into this just as much as he was.

He stood there, feeling as paralyzed as a statue. When she broke the silence, he took in a deep breath and turned to her, his face beet red. "No," he started in a nervous stutter. "I'd like to spend time with you. It's just..." he trailed off. He didn't know how to phrase it. "I don't know what your mom wants of us, but it doesn't sound right. And I don't think either of us are ready for that. I mean, what would my father think?"

He couldn't help but think about his father, and how he objected to this whole thing. His dad, or Kyle as he'd asked Rebi call him, had no problem with Rebi. In fact, he completely approved of her and Komo being a pair. But it was her mother's urgency to push the two toward being a couple that bothered him. And Kyle wasn't one to hold his tongue on matters like this.

[Kitsumi]

Rebi made a disgusted face. "Oh, I know exactly what it is that she wants," the girl said. "She wants us to become obsessed with each other, like a couple of lovesick puppy dogs slobbering all over each other. That's why she insisted that we come here on the school Valentine's Day trip. She thinks that if I sleep with you, I'll somehow 'lock you down' or something stupid like that."

The elevator doors opened, and Rebi grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "But don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to think that having sex is the way to deepen on bond." Taking a breath, she softened slightly, realizing that she was coming across as too angry. "I'm happy to spend time with you, though. So if you want to take one room in the suite, I'll take the other. That way we can see each other often this weekend, but still have some space when we need it. Sound good?"

[Jedi]

Hearing her actually say the words did nothing to bring the blood away from his face. The only thing that made his face lighten up was actually hearing her say that she did want to spend time with him. He was finally able to take a long, deep breath and follow her out of the elevator. "I'm fine with that," he said. He was relieved that they'd get some privacy in their makeshift prison.

He slid his keycard through the lock, and with a green light and slight beep, the door unlocked. He opened the door and entered. He held the door open behind himself, allowing her to observe the rooms at the same time. "I know you're just as uncomfortable as I am, but she can't force us to do anything. Besides, we'll be able to lock her out of the room." The thought of it was ironic. Normally, teenagers would lock parents out so they wouldn't get caught doing something bad. In this case, they were locking her mother out so they could avoid it.

[Kitsumi]

Rebi giggled - something she immediately hated, knowing how foolish she must sound - when Komo mentioned locking her mother out. "I definitely agree that locking her out would be the best idea," she said. "And hey, my mother gave her credit card information at the front desk, so we can charge room service and pay-per-view and stuff to her card! I'm sure she won't mind, if I tell her we did it to 'set the mood'."

Walking into the room, she was surprised to see how pretty it was. There was a kitchen and dining area, complete with a sink, full refrigerator, a coffee machine, and a microwave. The couch and chairs in the shared living space looked plush and comfortable, and the balcony was overlooking a breathtaking view of one of the waterfalls.

As soon as she saw this, Rebi ran towards the balcony. "Whoa, check it out!" she gasped as she threw the sliding glass door open. "This is gorgeous!"

[Jedi]

Although he could tell Rebi was annoyed at her own giggle, he found it a bit cute. He rarely got to see her show such emotion. She was always so stern and strong. "I don't want to charge too much though. I don't think she'd be too happy seeing us charge up a huge bill only to find we didn't do anything." At this point, he was calling it out to her. While she had went to check the kitchen and living space, he went to scope out the bedrooms.

The first was the master. It had a huge king size bed. Bigger than any Komo had seen. It also had a master bath with a jacuzzi. The second room was obviously for kids, as it had two queen size beds, which were still larger than his twin size back home. He figured he'd be the gentleman and take this room.

When he finished checking the rooms, he saw her sliding the door open. He came up next to her to take in the beautiful scenery. The air was moist and crisp with the cold February air. "This alone was worth the awkwardness." He looked over at Rebi, then back out over the railing at the bottom of the waterfall. "That's a long plunge. I imagine your mom shelled out a pretty penny for this view. You can have the master bedroom. The window shows the same scene." He gave her a friendly smile, hoping she'd take the offer.

[Kitsumi]

"Pfft," Rebi scoffed. "My parents can afford the expense. Besides, I personally believe that my mom owes us. What kind of mother encourages her teenage daughter to... well, you know." She made a face, unable to finish her sentence.

Leaning against the railing, the girl let out a content sigh. When Komo joined her, she stealthily slid a step closer to him, so that her arm was pressing against his. This closeness and the feeling of safety that it brought was something that she was still getting used to. But she liked it, knowing that she had somebody that she could depend on no matter what.

"Sure, I'll take the master bedroom," she agreed. "But only if you let us order some fancy room service meals for the two of us, on my mother's dime."

[Jedi]

At first, he was too wrapped up in the scenery to notice, but when he felt her arm on his, he could tell she'd scooted closer to him. He pressed a little closer, as if to say 'I enjoy being here with you too'.

He knew that there was no arguing with her on this matter. "Okay, fine. But we're getting stuff we both like, right?" He thought for a good long minute. He could think of a million things that he'd like to eat, but he didn't know of any expensive food.

His mind came up with everything from pasta and pizza to burritos and tacos. But the one thing he always loved, and he'd made his a point many times over the course of Rebi and Komo's relationship, was Chinese food. Specifically, he was a sucker for sweet and sour chicken and spring rolls. "Do you think they'd have my favorite?"

[Kitsumi]

When she felt Komo respond to her closeness, Rebi's face flushed slightly. She had to duck her head in order to hide the goofy smile that lit up her face. Her heart began racing, and she took a single deep breath in an attempt to steady herself.

"Of course," she said. "I wouldn't order a bunch of stuff that you won't even eat." Reluctantly, she turned away from the view and stepped back into the suite. "I have no idea if they serve Chinese food. I kinda doubt it, considering that this place is supposed to be some sort of ritzy rich person hotel. But I'll ask for a menu, so that we can check."

Sitting down on one of the chairs, she grabbed the telephone and pushed the button to reach the reception desk. After asking for a menu for the room service, she hung up and turned to face Komo again. "I guess we'll find out what they have soon enough."

[Jedi]

He watched as Rebi stepped back inside, then looked out at the scenery. He figured he'd take in one more glance before he came back inside as well. "Honestly, I'll be fine with anything. I just figured that if they have it, I'd like it."

He plopped down in one of the comfy chairs across from Rebi and waited for her to finish her brief call. These chairs were surprisingly comfortable. "So," he started to say while he grabbed the television remote. "Is there anything you'd like to watch?" He turned on the TV, which came to life with an old black and white show. "I mean, there's probably sports, or game shows. Or maybe we could find a good movie." He pulled up the channel guide. "Ooh, have you ever seen the Maple Street Nightmare movies? Or there's My Gory St. Patricks Day."

[Kitsumi]

Once she had finished with her call, Rebi moved to sit on the armchair of Komo's seat. "Ooh, horror is always a good choice, especially if we're trying to avoid the sappiness of this ridiculous holiday. Let's see what they have on pay-per-view!" Grabbing the remote from his hands, she began scrolling through, pausing on a title that she recognized. "Hey, this is one of those new ones that just came out. It's about a serial killer on prom night or something like that." She turned to glance at her sacrifice, curious to see his reaction. "Does that sound good to you?" She knew he liked classic slasher films, but hopefully he wouldn't mind a newer movie.

[Jedi]

Komo watched as she scrolled through title after title, noticing several movies he'd seen trailers for over the past few years. He didn't go to the movies a lot, so he hadn't seen most of them, but when she stopped on one, he recognized it immediately. "That's a good one." He got up, giving her a slight hug with one arm as he did it. "I'll go make some popcorn, if you want to get it started. I'm not sure if you have to put in card information or anything."

He walked to the kitchen and began an expedition for microwave popcorn bags. When he found one, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Kettle cooked! Haven't had that in so long." He slid it into the microwave, then grabbed a bowl to pour it into after.

[Kitsumi]

The hug, although only a small one, was enough to warm Rebi to the core. She returned it quickly, not wanting to seem needy or hold him back from what it was that Komo was trying to do. As he looked around for popcorn, she got everything ready for the movie. Instead of starting it though, she waited for him to return.

It wasn't very comfortable sitting on the arm of the chair, so she decided to sit down in front of it. Sure, she could have sat on one of the other chairs... but this way she would be able to lean back against Komo's legs. But then what if he didn't want her to do that? What if he thought it was weird that she kept trying to be so close to him?

On second thought, Rebi decided to just sit on the couch facing the television. If Komo wanted to join her, he could. But at least this way she wouldn't risk stifling him with her attention.