markachi was running around the clearing to his left was his wooden hut to his right was the salt water pool . ''odd '' he says to himself he can hear something crashing around knowing there are no animals it must be a student the way she was going she would be here in 30 seconds he dove into the pool

Airi took a deep breath of the soft night air beneath the trees, her breasts rising attractively as she paused to admire her surroundings. This was obviously not an area where students often walked, as the small bushes and shrubs were so thick that it was impossible for her, experienced hiker though she was, to walk without a telltale crackle of broken twigs and rustling leaves. 'Anything with good hearing would know I was coming' she thought absently, ripping a twig out of her long, black hair with annoyance and throwing it aside.

She scowled as her all-too-helpful imagination, helped by her memory, supplied a host of creatures that could very well have detected her presence and be lying in wait for her. Scowling even deeper at the mixed reaction those memories evoked in her, part desire for another encounter where a forceful nature stripped her of her inhibitions and drowned her in pure carnal pleasure, and part discomfort at the thought that she craved such submission.

Swatting aside her troublesome thoughts as she did the same to a low-hanging branch, Airi stepped into a small clearing with a pond and stopped short. The pond she only gave a cursory glance, thinking it too small to hide anything she couldn't frighten away with some yelling and stick-waving. What held her attention was a small, ramshackle hut. Did anyone else live here on this secluded island? Why wasn't it mentioned at the school?

Eyes narrowed, Airi turned her back on the pool to find a sturdy branch, knowing that arming herself would be futile if her suspicions were correct, but feeling better about that action than running or strolling about empty-handed.

markachi saw her arm herself with the branch though he wondered why not able to hold his breath any longer he emerged from the pool ready to dodge any thrown strike

Hearing the water ripple behind her, Airi whirled, a graceful movement that studiously ignored her less-than-threatening weapon. The fact that she was pointing the fallen branch at a young, rather confused-looking human male in completely drenched shorts and nothing else gave her pause, but not enough to lower her defense. If his muscular frame was any indication, he was strong, and after only a week at Shokushu, encountering a monster on her first day had made her wary.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the lovely Finnish girl demanded in her lilting English, long black hair framing her face in a disheveled tumble as she leveled a frigid glare at him with her ice-pale eyes.

''im markachi , i live here . the question is what are you doing in my home '' he indicated the surrounding area

Airi lowered the branch slightly, relaxing as the strange young man's body language continued to be non-aggressive.

"I was taking a walk," she replied, expression still disbelieving. "How can you live here? I was told this island was completely owned by the college, which happens to be an all-girls college. I don't believe you're a professor, Mr. What's-Your-Name."

'' no, im not a professor ,but i do indeed live here. i really dont know how i got here mostly all i know is my own name ALL i know'' he said '' and its markachi''

"Okay. Markachi," Airi said, deciding the stick was a pointless accessory at this point and giving it a light toss before taking a seat on the ground. "So, do you know how long you've been here, or anything about the island?"

If she was going to meet mysterious, pond-dwelling, amnesiac young men in the woods, she might as well see how much information she could get out of him- particularly, how many other non-students were there out in the woods? Eyeing the soaking wet young man a second time as he came closer and sat as well, she also belatedly observed that he wasn't bad-looking, either. Mentally, she scolded herself. 'Don't tell me that some stupid, oversexed creature scared you into not appreciating beauty when you see it!' Recalling the encounter, however, brought the traces of the aphrodisiac in her blood to a boil, heightening the ever-present effects.

Airi's cheeks flushed as she determinedly ignored the chemical warfare raging inside her, waiting for Markachi's answer.

'' i've been out here for a year . one very lonely year . there are no animals so all i have are books for company .'' he looked her ober and said '' i like your eyes , are you finnish?''

A bit of sympathy entered Airi's expression then; behind her tough exterior was a thorough knowledge of loneliness. It felt rather odd to let down the attitude so quickly, but this Markachi seemed completely non-threatening.

And either a lucky guesser or incredibly perceptive, she added to herself. Outwardly, she laughed and shot back, "Are you hacking the student files, or are you just a lucky guesser?"

'' he chuckled , no i told you i've read so many books i could tell almost instantly . i have read books on everything . you have a nice figure too .'' he replied. ''oh sorry i tend to say what i think a lot though its true '' he said blushing lightly from some unsaid thought.

Airi blinked quickly, taken aback by the bluntness of Markachi's nature. She'd been willing to let the compliment on her eyes go by as harmlessly charming, but apparently her interpretation of after-hours clothing had caught the young man's eye.

She grinned, winking at the blushing youth as she ran a careless hand along her leather-clad thigh, giving him the option of eyeing her shapely legs hugged by soft, flexible black leather, or admiring the way her deep blue halter top allowed her full breasts to peek slyly out at him. She hadn't initially thought that she was dressing up for any reason other than the sheer pleasure of being out of her uniform and knowing that she looked damn good in what she was wearing even if there weren't any clubs around, but it looked like she might have scored some company anyway.

(Whoops, way to hit send too early. )

"I don't mind," she laughed. "Things get pretty boring without a little attention now and again."

he saw her hand move and was opened up to look anywhere he actually chose to look deep into her eyes he saw looks of everything from rebellion to sympathy '' ah, i can see you are a rebel,'' he said still looking at her eyes deeply '' but you have also seen pain what have you been through he wondered aloud, '' not noticing at first.

Raising an eyebrow, Airi cocked her head at his unexpected reply. "You're a strange one, you know that?" She paused, then decided to answer his question, albeit briefly. "Going your own way means feeling pain from time to time." Then her lips quirked into a wicked smile. "But you should see the ones that hurt me," she chuckled, shrugging her veil of dark hair behind one smooth-skinned shoulder, revealing the fiery lines of a phoenix tattoo.