Chapter Three: Confrontation and Hawaii

Jackie's phone alarm went off at two am. She groaned and pulled it out. She shut it off so as to not disturb anyone else. As soon as she shut it off, she heard several other alarms going off and she giggled at the irony of it. She grabbed her backpack and headed to the locker room and showers quickly. She showered, dried off completely and dressed in record time. Jackie repacked her backpack and exited. She passed other people heading to the locker room. She had dinner a forest green tee-shirt with long sleeves. The sleeves were black and had wolf paw prints embroidered down the sleeves. There was a picture of a wolf on the front of the shirt. She was wearing a black pair of skinny jeans and her black knee high moccasins. Her above average height of five feet, eleven and one half inches and well toned, slightly muscular body made her an imposing sight. Her phone went off a few feet away from the door to the lounge. She answered it. It was her sister Lea. "Hey, sis. Wait a moment I'm putting you on video chat. I want to see you" Jackie said. Her sister's image filled the screen. "How's it going?" Lea asked. Jackie grinned and replied,"Komiko and I are stuck here in Seattle because Mina's plane was delayed and should be landing soon." Jackie was reaching for the door. She screeched as she was suddenly grabbed from behind and swung away from the door. The door burst open with a bang as three boys came racing out. "Slow down!" Jackie yelled at them. They apologized and took off for the bathroom again. Their father rushed after them. She realized that if she hadn't been stopped, she could have been seriously hurt. The fact that she was still being held finally registered in her brain. She went to step away and thank the person but couldn't. "Thank you but I'm fine. You can let me go now" she said. "No, I like you where you are and you smell so nice" a familiar deep voice replied. His arm was firmly wrapped around her waist. She stiffened. He smiled at the surprised face on the screen. He chuckled and kissed her neck right below her ear. "I'm going to make you mine" he said, loud enough for the woman on the screen to hear. Jackie screeched and jerked away from him, dropping her phone. She goes into the lounge. Tomishiro laughed and picked up the phone.

The woman was still there but was saying something to someone in the background. When she faced him again, he spoke. "Let me introduce myself. I am Tomishiro Ichibana Takahashi. I am your distant relative. I am going to court your sister and marry her, but please don't tell her who I am or what I just told you. I want to keep it a secret for now. Here's my number" he explained and gave Lea his number. "Contact me by text later and I will fill you in on the details. I have to go now she's coming back for her phone. Bye" he said and shut off the phone. Jackie came storming out the door, snatched her phone back and glared at him. "You ever do that again and I'll break every bone in your body" she growled at him. She looked up at him and realized he has to be at least six- four or more. He was much taller than she had first thought. He was grinning down at her wickedly. He took a step closer. He saw her moment of indecision before she backed away from him. She backed into the door and tried to push it open. Too late she realized her mistake as he placed his hands on each side of her, trapping her there. He leaned into her to whisper in her ear, "And you're a challenge I'm going to enjoy." He put his tongue to the side of her neck and picked it in small circles. She shivered in response. He gave the spot a light kiss. "You taste as good as you smell" he stated and backed away from her. She darted back into the lounge and plopped down into one of the chairs. Komiko brought her some fruit and a cup of tea. She had seen the exchange between her cousin and Tomishiro but didn't say a word. Inside her head, she was jumping around and shouting 'YES!' The look on Jackie's face kept her quiet. Jackie's phone rang again. It was Lea calling her back. "Hey, what happened? And who was that guy?" Lea asked. 'Oh crap, that's right I was on video that's Jackie thought. "Oh him? He's one of the sponsors. Some kids came barreling out the door and he pulled me out of the way before the door could hit me. I dropped my phone and he picked it up and gave it back to me. Sorry about that sis" she explained. "Oh? You know he's quite handsome. Why don't you hook up with him?" Lea asked. Jackie rolled her eyes and sputtered something under her breath. "Stop your matchmaking. I have to go. The New York flight has just arrived and they are calling for us to the gate for boarding. Give my love to everyone. Love Ya, Miss Ya, bye sis" Jackie said and hung up.

Jason had returned and announced that they were calling the boarding for their flight. Everyone grabbed their belongings and headed to the gate. As Jackie and Komiko got close to the gate, they saw a man and woman arguing. He had her arm in a tight grip and she was trying to pry his fingers off. Jackie handed her bags to Komiko and grabbed the guy by his hair. "Get Your Hands Off My Cousin Now!!" she ground out. He let go immediately. Jackie shoved him away. "You okay Mina?" she asked her cousin, stepping between them but keeping her eyes on the man. "Yeah I am now, thanks" Mina replied, rubbing her arm. "Who is this creep?" Jackie asked turning to fully face him. He was about her height with a bit of pudginess to him and a belligerent scowl on his face. "I am her boyfriend and I'm coming with her" he said trying to stared down Jackie. "You are not my boyfriend! You never were! Get it through your thick skull, you delusional ass!" Mina yelled at him. He made a grab for Mina again. Jackie punched him in the gut hard. He dropped to the floor, gasping. He curled up into a ball from the pain. Jackie knelt down and said, "Come near my cousin again and I'll do much worse." She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Tomishiro's furious face. "I'll handle this if you don't mind" he said through clenched teeth. Jackie stood up and nodded to him. Her rage was still running on high and she just might hurt him more.

Tomishiro knelt down and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. "You are not welcome here. This is a flight for employees, competitors and their family members only. Go home and forget about Miss Tanaka. You are not worthy of her or any woman for that matter" he said and let go of the man. Tomishiro stood back up as security arrived. He explained the situation to them. The officers took the man away. "Thank you"Mina said. "My pleasure. I can not tolerate when a man uses violence against a woman" he said and looked at Jackie. "Yes, thank you. I had wanted to put that guy in the hospital" Jackie stated. He winked and grinned at her devilishly. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips. "Definitely my pleasure" he stated and walked away. Jackie stood there, staring after him, mouth hanging open and turning red. Mina nudged Komiko in the ribs and nodded in Jackie's direction. Komiko wagged her brows up and down. "I'll tell you later" she whispered. Mina was shocked. "You don't mean they have a thing going on, do you?" Mina asked in a whisper. "Not yet, but he's pushing the issue" Komiko replied. Both women stopped talking when Jackie turned to retrieve her bags from Komiko.

They boarded the plane and took their seats. Komiko sat by the window and Mina sat in the middle one. Jackie was in the aisle seat directly across from Tomishiro. He had turned and was listening to their conversation. Mina noticed this but before she could say anything, Tomishiro held a finger up to his lips and winked. Mina understood and kept quiet about it. "So, have there been any guys in your life since the jerk? " Mina asked Jackie. "Not on your life. Without the distractions, I have been able to concentrate on my education and get my Degrees. In a sick way that asshole helped me by putting my priorities into perspective. And here's the real kicker, he tried to get back with me just because I became famous. Did he really think that if he bowed down to me and begged me for forgiveness that I would take him back? That makes me laugh" she said sound a yawn, "I'm beat. Wake me when we land." She pulled out her mp4 and headphones. She listened to her music. Jackie reclined her seat and saw him smiling. He winked and said, Good night and pleasant dreams." She turned her head away and fell asleep.

Tomishiro waited a while then headed to the back of the plane to use his phone. "That's right I want both my meetings moved to the day I arrive. Yes both of them. If they give you any trouble, then they can wait either for my mother's return or until after the competition. I want my schedule clear until after the competition as well. No interruptions at all. Talk to you later. Goodbye" he said said and hung up. Tomishiro returned to find that Komiko and Mina had taken over his seats. They were talking quietly. He smiled at them and took the opportunity they had given him. He sat in the seat next to Jackie. He studied her face intently. He noticed a small scar through her right eyebrow and wondered how she had gotten it. He lightly brushed her hair away from her face. He caught her cousins watching him curiously. He smiled and winked at them.

"Oooohh, you're right, he does like her a lot. This is going to be fun to watch. The fireworks are going to fly when she wakes up next to him" Mina whispered. They continued to watch as he lifted the armrest between them to get it out of the way. Tomishiro took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

A few hours later the stewardess came around and woke Tomishiro up. "We will be landing in about a half hour" she explained. She was about to wake Jackie up but he stopped her. "I'll do it" he said. "Is there anything I can bring you to eat or drink before we land?" she asked. "Yes, two each of fruit, water and tea please. Thank you" Tomishiro replied. The stewardess moved on. He removed Jackie's headphones from her ears and called to her. She just snuggled into his shoulder more. He gently raised her face up to his. Her lips were slightly larger and he couldn't resist the urge to taste them. He leaned in and took possession of them. She moaned and her eyes opened slowly. He pulled back as she pushed him away from her. "What do you think you're doing? Get away from me!" she hissed at him. He grinned at her. "Your cousins took over my seats, so I sat here. You're the one who snuggled up to me. I tried to wake you up, so I tipped you head up and I just couldn't resist the temptation. You taste wonderful by the way" he said. She growled at him. The stewardess came by with their orders and told Jackie, "We will be landing shortly. You may want to use the lavatory before the seatbelt light comes on." "Thank you" Jackie said getting to her feet. Jackie returned shortly and sat back down, making sure she didn't make any further contact with him. He grinned at how flustered she was. She ate the fruit and drank the tea in silence. The stewardess came around to collect the garbage and announced, "We will be landing in Hawaii in fifteen minutes. You may disembark and visit the restaurants and gift shops, but please be sure to return to the lounge and hour before we reboard. You will have a four hour layover."