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Story by Frootie-sama

A hand reached out to close the car door, pulling a few things from the vehicle before shutting the door. Flora turned, looking up with wide eyes at the large yacht that sat in front of her, bobbing gently on the calm ocean. It was a perfect evening, the birds were twittering, the sun was slowly setting, and the sea had never looked more blue and carefree. And to top it off, Flora had the chance to go onto an exclusive yacht… to write a paper. She was to interview the owner of the yacht, who was sponsoring a charity project for all sorts of classy stockowners.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" she hummed to herself, her voice a singsong as she walked onto the boarding plank for the yacht, uneasy about being on the ship. Flora sighed, eventually forgetting about her haywire nerves and stepping onto the boat, still staring with wide eyes. It was a luxurious cruiser, a plain simple white, decked out in fancy letters and interesting artwork.

She headed around to the front of the ship, clutching her suitcase close, unsure of how to act or what to say. Flora felt oddly out of place, the vast majority of people were dressed in business suits and the women were decked out in party gowns, while Flora herself wore a long white dress, complete with a few light flower patterns. She hadn't exactly thought that the yacht party would be completely formal, though she had dressed in decent attire to make sure. She sighed, collapsing into a chair at the front of the ship, staring over the darkening water for a moment.

The boat began to pull out of the harbor, gliding along the water gently, before it whirled to face out across the ocean and begin its long journey to the other side of the bay. The lights were abruptly turned on, and the ship glowed brightly, everything along the ship was bathed in white light. Flora blinked in surprise, momentarily blinded before she jerked her head up, hearing familiar tunes floating from about the ship. The people came to life, chatting and giggling amongst themselves, laughter ringing about the area as music filled the area and food and drinks were being passed out.

Flora sighed, glancing up to the dark sky before she shrugged and decided there was nothing better for her to do. She loosened her grip on her briefcase, wiping a few strands of blond hair from her face. She had braided her golden locks to look even prettier, but somehow she felt it wasn't meaningful anymore, compared to the sparkling broad evening gowns of the other nearby women. She glanced up to see a waiter pass her by.

"Can I get a drink, please?" she asked softly, her hand reaching out to touch his arm to make sure he heard her. He turned, and Flora gasped, jerking her hand back. Daniel raised an eyebrow at her, standing up straighter and placing one hand on his waist curiously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her bluntly, frowning slightly. She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head.

"I ought to ask you the same thing." She replied, looking him up and down for a moment. His long blond hair was tied back carefully, the loose strands covering his face delicately, moving occasionally with a little help from the wind. He wore straight black pants and a white shirt, complete with a black bow tie, he had never looked more formal in his entire life. Flora couldn't suppress her laughter very long.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled, tears beginning to collect at the corner of her eyes.

"A waiter's outfit." He replied sternly, rolling his eyes are her constant giggling, "It's not funny."

"Oh but it is!" she grinned, shaking her head before looking away, unable to keep a straight face if she was looking at him.

"Well for your information I am catering here, so if you don't mind I would like to get back to my job now." Daniel replied, turning to head back to the food counter. She grabbed his arm before he could and smirked up at him teasingly.

"I would still like to have a drink." Flora stated, before letting go of his sleeve and resting her chin in her palm, smiling up at him. Daniel sighed, rolling his eyes and knowing he would never live it down, as he turned his tray toward her and offered her a drink. She giggled, her hand reaching forward to pick up a glass.

The boat rocked wildly and a few shouts and protests were heard as a strong wind blew across the deck, taking a few tablecloths and drink glasses over board. Daniel fell forward, grabbing hold of the chair Flora was sitting on to catch his balance. All of the drinks that were previously on the tray flew forward, spilling onto her lap and causing her to cry out in surprise. She jumped up, finding herself face to face with Daniel before sitting back down quickly.

"Ah, why did you do that?" she demanded, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she grabbed a few remaining napkins and started to soak up the vodka mess that covered her cloths. Daniel blushed, before frowning also.

"It wasn't my fault." He returned, kneeling beside her and helping her clean up slightly, trying to help clean up the mess without touching her in any suggestive ways. He blushed once again, before standing up to get some more napkins and towels. The boat rocked once more and he fell backward, hitting the side of the boat and clinging to the railing, wondering what was making the boat rock so much. Daniel's eyes finally cast upward and his face drained of color as he realized that the once-calm seas were now full of fury. Waves crashed about them, the sky was almost black and so was the ocean, the lights were flickering along the ship, threatening to give out at any moment. A wave crashed against the boat, tipping it violently and washing a few more tables overboard. People began to scream and shriek, all hurrying to try and get to a safe place, unsure of what was happening.

Flora fell off her chair, her briefcase skittering across the deck of the ship to slid over the edge. She gasped, crawling along the edge of the railing and leaning over the side to see where her briefcase was, catching sight of it hanging meticulously on a hook outside the boat.

"My briefcase…" she whimpered slightly, knowing many important things were inside it, things that her boss would not want lost. She shrunk to the floor, poking her head out the bottom of the railing and hooking her arm over one of the metal bars, clinging to it as she leaned over, trying to reach the briefcase.

Daniel glanced around, helping a few soaked and scared women head to the bottom of the boat to wait for the storm to pass. He grabbed all he could, from shot glasses to tablecloths, and began to help the other waiters carry the remainder of the boats down. Daniel slid down the deck as another wave crashed against the side, causing water to send him slipping down to the floor. He slid across to the other side, his feet braced against the railing and stopping him just before he went overboard. He glanced up, growling and getting to his feet, glancing around before he saw two small hands clinging to the side of the boat, hanging onto the railing.

"Flora?" he called out, getting a meek reply. Daniel hurried over, sliding to a stop and looking over the railing. Flora was hanging on for her life, looking up at him with scared eyes as her fingers began to slip from the railing, her entire body soaked with water. Daniel reached out to her, grabbing hold of her wrist and trying to pull her up. She looked glad for a moment, but then shook her head, looking back down to her briefcase, which was still caught on a hook on the side of the ship.

"My briefcase!" she called out, pointing to it for a moment. A wave crashed overboard and her eyes landed on the empty hook, Flora began to panic, looking around to see her briefcase starting to float away from the boat.

"Leave it!" Daniel called out, his own hand starting to loose its grasp on her small wrist. She shook her head, biting her lower lip as she looked to the briefcase and then up to Daniel, trying to make up her mind. There was no time for that, as another wave crashed over the deck, sending Daniel against the railing, her wrist slipping from his hand. Flora plummeted into the water, crying out for him once more before she sank under the darkness of the ocean. Daniel leaned over the side, repeatedly calling out for her and scanning the water with his eyes, the flickering lights on the ship providing him with light. She bobbed to the surface, one arm wrapped around her suitcase, the other trying to paddle toward the ship, her hand reaching out to him.

"Daniel!" her cries were muffled by the storm, but he could still see the fear written across her face. He reached out, but his arm was short by what seemed like a mile. He glanced about the ship for anything he could use, his eyes eventually catching sight of the ladder that was on the side of the ship. Daniel hurried over to it, sliding through the railing and slipping down the ladder into the cold water, trying to reach Flora. She had managed to paddle nearer to the ladder, somewhat using her briefcase as an oar. Daniel hung onto the ladder, one hand wrapped around it while the other reached out to her, his fingers barely touching hers.

Flora was exhausted, her hand barely touched Daniel's before she slipped under the surface of the ocean once more. Daniel caught her hand just before she disappeared, pulling her toward him and up out of the water, wrapping his arms around both her and her precious briefcase. He managed to hang onto her limp body while he scaled the ladder once more, heading up to the deck of the ship again. He pushed her over the side, holding the briefcase in his teeth as he climbed over the edge and pulled her toward a safer part of the ship, where the constant spray of the crashing waves couldn't reach them.

Daniel gently shook Flora, placing her on the ground and looking her over for injuries. She didn't move, her chest laid still, no breath left her mouth. Her skin was cold and starting to turn blue, her eyes closed almost peacefully, her entire body drenched in cold, salty water. Daniel listened for her breathing, panic rising in the back of his mind as he shook her again, trying to get her to wake up. He had been trained for CPR a while before but he never thought the situation would arise when he actually needed to use it. He dismissed that thought as his body went into action, his entwined knuckles pressing down on the middle of her chest a few times, before his lips touched hers and he breathed for her.

A gasp filled the noisy air and Flora rolled to the side, her body shaking from the coughs that wracked her body, trying to rid her lungs of the dreaded water not meant for her system. She opened and closed her mouth several times, gasping for air before she rolled back onto her back to see Daniel hovering over her, worry on his normally stoic face. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply a few times and opening her eyes again when she felt his hand touch her face.

"You okay?" he asked, smiling faintly as he tucked a few wet strands of hair behind her ears, smiling faintly. She nodded a bit, before frowning, her eyebrows furrowing as she locked onto his gaze.

"Why did you kiss me?" Flora asked bluntly, catching Daniel off guard. He jerked his hand back from her face, stammering for a moment before his mouth twisted into a sarcastic grimace.
"I didn't kiss you." He replied, leaning back farther.

"Yes you did." Flora returned, her contention taking over whatever fear was left over in her body. Daniel shook his head, almost pouting.

"No I did not! It was C-P-R!" he replied, exasperated. She smiled up at him.

"I did not need C-P-R. You kissed me." She replied, her statement ringing through the quieting air. The storm had begun to lessen a bit, though the ship still rocked occasionally as waves crashed over the side of the yacht.

"I did not! I know what a kiss is, and that was not a kiss!" he replied, watching as she grinned, enjoying the torture she was giving him.

"You do not know what a kiss is, you've probably never kissed anyone in your entire life." She returned rambunctiously, smirking. Daniel leaned back, trying to think of a comeback, watching as Flora's smile grew wider, knowing she had won. Daniel leaned forward, his lips touching hers for a moment, his eyes sliding closed as he kissed her. Their lips parted a bit and their warm breath mingled, as they pressed against each other even more. Daniel pulled away a moment later and smiled, looking down to a surprised and quite dazed Flora, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"That was a kiss." Daniel stated triumphantly, knowing he had won, for now. Flora nodded almost deliriously, sitting up a bit and smiling at him.

"Fine." She returned, allowing Daniel to help her up, "That was a kiss."

Daniel smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist as he lead her down toward the hull of the ship where the entire crew and other guests had disappeared to a long time before. Flora was hanging onto her briefcase, smiling dazily as she followed Daniel, allowing his warm body to steady her. At least she wouldn't have to worry about writing a paper now, she could focus on much more important, and interesting, things…

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Story © Copyright 2007 Frootie-sama. Characters © Farah. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Farah.