Me: Hohoho! Merry Christmas, everybody! I wasn't actually planning on updating this, but since so many asked for the next chapter (as a Christmas gift), I thought: 'why not?' and here it is!

It's mostly fluffy (and some of Kariya's awesomeness~! *giggle* sorry :P) I hope you enjoy it! This continues where our heroes' scenes stopped last chapter: so it's the third night of their journey.

"And you are sure you packed it?" Shindou asked the younger boys in front of him.

"I am telling you, Captain, we left nothing behind," Kariya defended smoothly.

"Then please go through the events from this morning for me," Shindou requested sternly.

Kariya thought for a while with his finger on his chin. "I woke you all up at daybreak. You and Kirino-san left us for a while. Shinsuke and Hikaru prepared breakfast and I lit the fire. After that, I helped Tenma to clean up the camp."

"And you put all the stuff in the bags?"

Kariya shook his head. "No, Kirino's blanket was clammy from the morning dew, so we hung them up to dry a little. Tenma packed it afterwards."

"Eh, Kariya? Didn't you say that you would do that?" Tenma butted in.

"No, I told you to get it."

"I don't remember that, honestly."

Shindou had planted his face in his palms when he realized his juniors' mistake and he raised a hand to prevent the argument from escalating further. "Stop it, you two." He sighed deeply as he went through his possible options. There weren't many, to be honest. "There's nothing we can do about that now. It's too dark to go back and look for it. Plus, we don't have the time for that. Kirino, you can use my blanket for the rest of the journey. It won't be long anymore until we reach Mount Tenshi, anyway."

"Are you sure it's fine?" Kirino asked as he took the blanket that Shindou handed him. It was obvious he felt guilty for burdening the others, but Shindou gestured that it was fine.

"Go ahead, there's no problem at all."

"Well, alright then," the former merman agreed reluctantly. "Then, to make up, I'll do the dishes tonight." He stood up and gathered the five wooden plates and the tableware before he headed towards the river. Shindou wanted to stop him, but he decided against it. He could see how Kirino felt about troubling him and if doing the dishes could lessen those feelings somewhat, Shindou saw no harm in it.

"Alright then, let's prepare for the night, you guys. Hikaru, I believe it's your turn to take the first shift, isn't it?" Three people were enough to guard one night, so they rotated every night. Hikaru was first tonight, then Kirino and then Shinsuke. The purple-haired boy nodded and stood up to look for a good place to guard the camp.

Shindou looked around for a good spot to lay down, when he saw Kariya nonchalantly heading towards the river. He followed the boy with a frown on his face and gripped the younger's shoulder when he had caught up to him. "Don't," was all he said.

"Don't do what, Captain?" the teal-haired boy replied without turning around. "I can go and take a leak around here, can't I?"

"Kirino's been acting a little off these past days and I'm suspecting you're the one behind it," Shindou said, ignoring Kariya's attempt to change the topic. When Kariya didn't reply, Shindou slowly let go of the other's shoulder and added: "Kirino hasn't been on the surface all that long. I want you all to show some consideration about that fact, got it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. But can I go now? I'm afraid I can't hold it much longer."

Shindou stared at Kariya, trying to figure out whether the boy was genuine or not. He didn't seem to be neither lying nor telling the truth, and especially with Kariya, one could never be too sure. "Sure, as long as you keep in mind what I just said."

"Huh, Kariya? What are you doing out here?" Kirino asked when the young boy appeared next to him. "I thought you guys all went to bed already."

"Yeah, but I had to get away for a few seconds. Captain has one of 'those' moments again."

"'Those' moments?"

"You know these times when he gets really protective of all of us? When he's like that, he is just like a mother worrying over her children. It's kind of suffocating, which is why I try to get away if I can."

"It's not that bad, is it?" Kirino asked and he turned his attention back to the last plate. The water in the river flowed quicker now that they got closer to the mountains. Kirino didn't have to do anything but holding the dishes in the river and the water did all the cleaning. "Shindou is just worried about us, like a captain. Right?"

"Hmm, maybe your right," Kariya mused. "But he should also be worried about himself."

Kirino froze. "What do you mean?" he asked warily.

"I mean the fact that he gave you his blanket. He doesn't realize at all how cold it is at night. If this goes on, Tenma won't be the only one with a weak health. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to decline his offer," the pink-haired boy spoke resolutely. "I don't want him to get sick."

"And he doesn't want you to get sick, so that won't work."

Kirino bit his lip and turned to Kariya. "Then what do I do?" he asked worriedly.

"Is it really that hard?" Kariya smiled. "Just share it. The blanket is big enough, isn't it?"

Kirino's face exploded in dozens shades of red when Kariya finished his sentence. "Sh-share it?" he asked unsurely, as if he wanted to know that he'd heard it right.

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"N-not really, it's just that... wh-where I come from, sharing a bed is something you only do with... you know, with your loved one."

Kariya hardly managed to hide his delight. "Really now?" he asked while feigning innocence. "That's strange to think about. Sleeping together is pretty normal here." He turned away and looked at the darkblue sky, unable to suppress his smirk any longer. He made sure his next words were spoken with clear reproach as he said: "But, of course, I don't want to force it on you if you aren't comfortable with it... Besides, Captain has a good health. I'm sure he can manage until we rea-"

"I'll do it."

When Kariya looked back at his senior, he saw that Kirino's cheeks were dark red. "You will? I thought you said-"

"I know what I said," Kirino interrupted, his cheeks getting even darker. "B-but you said it's different here, right? If this is the only way we both won't get sick, then I just have to do it."

"Well said, Kirino-senpai," the other boy smiled encouragingly. "But it's still possible that Captain refuses if you say you want to sleep with him." He pretended not to notice Kirino's unease at his choice of words and continued. "If he is like this, he'll worry about the smallest details, like... Well, maybe he is afraid the blanket is too small to cover you both or something like that. He might make up stupid arguments to convince you, but you have to focus at those times, okay?"

"Okay, I guess?"

"I mean, if he sees that you're uncomfortable with him, he might even make up something ridiculous. Like, that sleeping together is only meant for couples and not for friends or something like that."

"A-and what do I do then?" Kirino asked nervously, fiddeling with the dishes in his hands as he imagined the scene Kariya described. "Should I just say I don't believe him, since you told me human customs?"

Kariya shook his head before the other boy had even finished his sentence. "No, you shouldn't do that. You should just act like you believe him, like you already knew that. And then you just have to say that you are completely fine with it."

"I what?!" the merman exclaimed and he dropped more than half of the dishes. "No way!"

"It's the only way captain can't argue back," Kariya said while picking up the plates. Kirino stood very still as the realisation sank in.

"I-is that really the only way?" he asked unsurely, but he sounded pretty much defeated. All that was left for Kariya to do, was to nod to confirm the other's words, which he quickly did. Kirino inhaled and exhaled deeply, his eyes closed. "Alright then, I'll do it."

"That's the courage of a true friend, Kirino-san," Kariya smiled and he playfully hit the other on the back. They walked back together, both carrying a part of the dishes. Before they came within hearing distance of the other's, Kirino turned to Kariya once more.

"Hey, don't tell anybody about what sleeping together means where I come from, okay? It's already embarrassing enough."

Kariya motioned with his hand as if he locked his mouth and then threw the invissible 'key' away. When Kirino didn't seem to understand the gesture, he smiled gently and nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."

Kirino nodded and walked over to where Shindou's blanket was located. He picked it up, headed for Shindou's body, looked back at Kariya one more time - as if to seek confirmation - and then laid down next to the brunette. Kariya silently snickered when the two senpai started arguing softly and then looked around for his friend Hikaru, who was currently on guard. He spotted the purple-haired boy behind a bush a couple of feet away and casually walked over to him.

"What did you tell him this time, Kariya-kun?" Hikaru asked while laughing softly and throwing glances at Shindou and Kirino.

"Captain probably found out what we're doing, so I decided to speed it up a little. You can wake me for the second shift, because we don't want to disturb them, right?" Kariya also looked at the duo and snickered out loud when he saw how his captain laid back down. Even from this distance, Shindou's brightly red face was clear to see in the moonlight. "What is more, I still need to tell you something that Kirino-san told me."

Shindou was wide awake. His heart was pounding so hard that he was afraid it would jump right out of his chest. Or worse, that Kirino would hear it. He had been laying on his side for the past twenty minutes, but he was still as tensed up as when Kirino laid down next to him.

He had immediately understood that Kirino still felt guilty about the whole 'missing blanket thing', but the merman's way of compensating it was a little too much for him. Kirino insisted that they'd share the blanket, meaning that they would sleep together. Very closey together.

Even though such a thing was reasonable when it was getting cold at night, Shindou rather faced the cold than Kirino sleeping this close to him. When it came to Kirino... he felt weird. Almost as if he was sick. Preferring the cold over these weird feelings, he politely declined. However, Kirino pushed on and Shindou got a feeling that Kariya might be involved with this after all. That why he asked the merman straightforwardly:

"Did Kariya put you up to this?" Kirino hadn't replied, which confirmed Shindou's suspicions. He sighed. "Look, I don't know if he has been telling you things, but this-" he gestured at the blanket that now covered them both, "-this has a meaning for us. It's..." He gulped and felt how his cheeks grew warmer. "I-it's something you do with your loved one."

"I know," Kirino had replied calmly and Shindou could only stare in shock at those azure orbs. His mouth fell slightly open, but he couldn't remember how to close it again. "I'm perfectly fine with that," Kirino had said softly. They looked at each other for a few seconds, in which Kirino's cheeks graduately became darker. "Goodnight," he had muttered quickly before he averted his eyes, turned around and laid back down on the ground, his back facing Shindou.

That conversation was still running though Shindou's mind, chasing the sleep away. Kirino seemed to have better luck, as he was breathing evenly. Shindou didn't know for sure though, since both boys slept with their backs facing each other. The arm that Shindou was laying on, started to sleep, causing a distraction for his mind.

What mess did I get caught up in? he thought to himself and he turned to his other side. He was now looking at Kirino's back and shoulders and wondered how the merman could sleep so peacefully after all that.

I should focus on sleeping too, he mentally reprimanded himself. Tomorrow is going to be another tough day for us, so I should be fit. Tomorrow I can deal with all this, too. And with that mindset, he slowly but surely fell asleep.

Kirino stared at the trees that surrounded him. He had tried to compose himself by breathing calmly and evenly, but it didn't work very well. What have I done, what have I done, what have I done? That was all he could think. He knew it would be embarrassing when Kariya proposed the idea, but it was even worse in reality. How had he been able to say such things?

What will Shindou think of me, now?

That question scared him so much that he couldn't fall asleep. He hadn't thought about earlier, but what if Shindou started avoiding him after this? He didn't want that! Of course, Tenma, Kariya, Shinsuke and Hikaru were all good friends, but Shindou was somehow special. He didn't know why, exactly, but he did know that he didn't want to lose the brunette.

He heard said boy turning around behind his back and shut his eyes tightly, hoping Shindou wouldn't notice that he was still awake. The brunette's breathing slowly evened out and when Kirino was sure that the other boy was sleeping, he turned around. He looked closely at the other's face, now that it was completely relaxed. It looked young, much younger than usual.

Kirino couldn't help but smile at the sight. Maybe the words he said so boldly to Shindou held a little truth after all...

He shut his eyes tightly. Yes, you definitely get strange thoughts when you're tired.

Me: Lol, I love how this turned out. It was supposed to be a short paragraph, but I just kept on writing XD

Shindou and Kirino: Please, have mercy! It's Christmas, for crying out loud!

Me: I know, this was a Christmas present for all readers of this story. Anyways, I am aware of the fact that the story is slowing down a bit. But that will soon be over. There are still two days of traveling left until the main story picks up again, so please bear with me until then. This idea (sleeping together because of a missing blanket) was given by the ever so wonderful Sekami-chan! :D Thanks a lot, my dear friend!

Maybe I've overdone it a bit, but I'll stick with this anyways.

Kariya: If we don't see you again before 2015, then HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! :D

Me: Kariya-kun~! Arigatou, I love you! ^^

Kariya: Eh? . . . Reviews please :P