Chapter 3

Outside, panic was everywhere. People were jumping off the ship as fires broke out nearby. Crewmembers were trying to get passengers safely onto the lifeboats, but the scramble was too much for them. Moments later, the ship crashed onto land. The lifeboats fell off the ship and onto the shallow waters. Some even landed on the sand. With Yuu still over his arm, Kei and Miki landed in the shallow water, and began trudging to the beach in front of them. When their feet hit against dry land, Kei lay Yuu on the ground and fell beside him. Miki plopped down next to Yuu and began crying. Kei was exhausted but got up and prepared to haul Yuu's body inland.

"Kei, what are you doing?"

Kei looked back, "I'm going to give him a proper burial."

She clung to her dead husband, "No! Can I just have his body for a little bit longer? I don't want to bury him yet!"

Kei shrugged, "But it's going to rot. Are you sure you want to sleep next to him, while maggots tear at his flesh?"

She cringed, "You're so mean! You have no idea what it's like to lose the one you love most!"

Kei turned away, "Maybe I do, Miki."

She ignored him and hugged Yuu's body tightly. More tears soaked her cheeks and his shirt. The other passengers sat in huddles near the boat, waiting for news about what would happen next. Some even had their dead lying next to them as Miki had and were mourning loudly over their loss.

The ship's captain stood at the bow of the wrecked boat and shouted, "Everyone! Please remain calm! We are trying to radio for help at the moment and ask full cooperation from all of you."

The passengers watched the captain walk back to the captain's quarters and started shouting for an explanation about why they were here. But, the captain didn't come back out for the rest of the day. A crew member from the ship came by and asked Miki and Kei about their passenger information to keep count of how many passengers were with them. After he was done, Miki bent down over Yuu. She saw that his body had changed. He was pale and terrifying to look at. She saw Kei's words come flying back to her. Images of their happy times together came rushing back into her mind. But, this time Yuu wasn't there to share it. He was really dead and no one knew who had killed him. The sword that took his life was in the captain's cabin as evidence of the crime. But, even if they found out who killed him, it wouldn't bring the man she loved back into her arms. A lump formed in her throat as she asked the question that came decades too early.

"Is it…all right i-if we bury my husband?"

Sadly, the crew member gave his permission, along with a shovel that was on board the ship. Kei picked Yuu up and with Miki headed inland to find a spot. They found out that they were on a deserted island. So the jungle didn't surprise them. Miki shed nothing but tears as they found a spot under a coconut tree.

Kei looked at her, "Are you okay?"

A mourning Miki just shook her head up and down. Kei began digging. Miki just cried harder, gathering wildflowers. Finally the hole was deep enough. Kei gently carried Yuu's body to Miki first. She kissed Yuu's forehead for the last time; tears spilled onto his face. Neither of them wiped it away, hoping that it would by some magical power bring Yuu back. He headed to the grave and went down into the hole. Laying him in the grave, Kei folded Yuu's arms and sighed heavily. The burden of losing the one you love was familiar to him, but not in death. He could only imagine what Miki felt. Pulling himself out, he started filling it up, as Miki eulogized him as a man. But not one of his friends and family were there to listen. Just the woman he loved more than anyone else in the world and his worst enemy and biggest rival.

After the ceremony, Kei did nothing except watch Miki as she cried bitterly in front of Yuu's grave. Soon night fell and she cried herself to sleep. In the middle of the night, she woke up and found a coat over her. She also felt a warm arm under her head serving as a pillow. The owner of that arm, Kei, lay beside her shivering from the cold wind that was blowing. He was still asleep and wearing only a shirt. She smiled at him, realizing that he had given up his chances of staying warm to keep her warm.

She whispered to no one, "Kei, you're so stupid."

Her memories of Yuu flooded back to her. Yuu always teased her, but he was always serious in his actions. Miki felt safe with Yuu. But, now he was dead and there was no one to feel safe with. Well, for the moment, she could compromise Kei to replace Yuu. But, he could never replace him. Yuu was the love of her life. She doubted she could ever fall in love again. With this thought, she realized how much she wanted to be together with Yuu. His warm smile, his loving touch. She missed him so much. Was there a way for her to go to where Yuu was?

She sat up in wonder at the idea of being together again with her beloved husband. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she stood up on her two feet. Letting them lead the way back to Yuu, she headed for the water. A sob escaped her as she took off her shoes and stepped into the crashing waves. For some reason the beach at night was harsher than the day. The wind blew against her hair. The water pushed her back to the edge of the shore. The trees dancing with the wind called out to her to head in their direction instead of the water. But she didn't want to heed their warnings.

There was nothing waiting for her or needing to be with her. The world without Yuu was too lonely for her. She didn't need anyone more than she needed Yuu, and there was no doubt in her mind that no one needed her more than Yuu. She was alone now. With her decision made, the wind calmed down. The trees sat out their dance with the wind. The waves welcomed her. A disconsolate Miki stepped into their cold embrace. The sensual arms of the waves made a delusional Miki imagine she was Yuu's arms again. The tears flowed freely from her clouded orbs. She shut her eyes tighter and lost herself deeper in the ocean's salty waters.

"…Yuu…"

In front of her, Yuu stretched out his hand to her welcoming her back into his life. Eagerly, she tried to grab his hand and called his name out. As her breathing slowly began to stop, a choking sound filled the ocean. The tightening of her throat hurt so much that she turned her back to Yuu and opened her eyes struggling to survive with a passion to live that she had never felt before. In her attempt to reach the surface of the water, she swallowed the salty liquid and felt her nose and her throat fill with the ocean. This was it, she thought. She was going to die and no one would save her. Like a reel from a movie, she remembered her most precious memories. The memories of her parents, the memories with Meiko and her friends, and especially the memory of her final moments apart from Yuu, when Kei asked her to kiss him to establish their romantic relationship, but she chose to run to her safe haven of Yuu.

Now that her final moments had come, she wished she had kissed Kei instead. Kei wouldn't have died and left her alone. He had even told her that it was okay for him to be a replacement for Yuu. That was what won her over. Whereas Michael, her other suitor, had promised to make her forget Yuu, Kei had promised to help her remember him. But Kei was alive and he had the power to save her. If she could call out to him for help, she would be able to live. If she lived, she would be able to use Kei to replace Yuu. If she could use Kei to replace Yuu, then she could live. But, she couldn't get to the surface; her last breath escaped her. But before she could pass out from lack of oxygen, two arms engulfed her and swam upwards to break the thin surface of the ocean.

Fresh air filled Miki's lungs as she coughed and gasped desperately for air. Her head was dizzy and she felt herself moving towards the shore. Together they washed onto the beach and he hunched over her to see if she was okay. Due to the lack of blood circulation, her vision blurred. She couldn't make anything out. Who was the man who saved her? Faintly, she could feel the warmth of his hand over hers. Then, she passed out.