"The bad news is you are falling through the air, nothing to hang on to , no parachute.

The good news is, there's no ground"~ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

~'~

"Seriously Fidel?," Jason inquired.

"Yes, little brother. Three weeks. I'll accompany you all," she smiled.

"Why such a sudden plan?"

"I have my designing work. I have to learn the culture of three different countries and hence I chose the ones you are going to- Greece, Turkey and Egypt"

They nodded, content with the fact that someone like Fidel would accompany them. Takumi smiled. Because he, was the happiest.

~'~

Greece, Athens.

" So we are going to the Acropolis of Athens, Fidel," Akane chirped. Fidel nodded, loving Akane for her comforting talks and warmth. She then looked at Jason and Agnes who were sitting together, engaged in some little fight. She laughed lightly. There was no doubt they made a beautiful pair.

The Acropolis of Athens stood majestically on a flat- topped rock, 490 feet above the sea level in the city of Athens. It's entry, called the 'Propylaea' welcomed them with open arms. It looked so royal that they felt the soldiers of a grand Greek kingdom bowing their heads to welcome them into their terrain, their kingdom. They climbed the flight of stairs which led them to the Acropolis.

The Acropolis had beautiful architectural and artistic monuments like the Parthenon, Erechthenon, the temple of Athena Nike. It's precisely proportioned architecture astonished the group.

They were led inside the Parthenon, a peripteral octastyle Doric temple with Ionic architectural features. It stood on stylobate of three steps. It was of post and lintel construction, surrounded by columns carrying an entablature.

"The primary purpose of building the acropolis was to provide sacred grounds dedicated to goddess Athena, the city's matron deity," the guide said.

"Pretty," Agnes said.

"Yes, very," Takumi replied. Agnes looked at him. A smile immediately escaped her lips. He wasn't even looking at the building. His eyes were fixed on Fidel. Agnes chuckled.

"Every four years the Athenians held a festival called the Panathenea rivaled the Olympic games in popularity. That was held here, in the Acropolis"

"By the way, why is this place so empty? I mean it's just the six of us," Fidel asked.

Akane, Takumi and Jason laughed. "Why, Agnes must have booked it again"

"What?," she looked at Agnes. Agnes grinned.

"Yes I did"

"She's crazy, Fidel. I'm telling you, she is," Jason replied, shaking his head.

"Yes. And I'm proud of that. In fact, I've planned something too"

"What?," the twins asked.

She smirked at Akane and Takumi. "Baseball"

~'~

Mad, mad, mad as a hatter. That's how the group was.

"JASON! TAKE YOUR POSITION!," Agnes shouted, holding the bat. Jason was the bowler. Fidel and Takumi the fielders. Akane was behind Agnes to hold the ball in case of a strike. The guide was the umpire.

Jason threw the ball. Agnes hit it hard and ran as fast as she could.

"HOLD IT! HOLD IT TAKUMI!," Fidel screamed as Takumi jumped to hold the ball and threw it at Akane.

"OUT! OUT! ," the five of them screamed.

"Oh fish," Agnes said, annoyed.

Jason held the bat this time. Agnes threw the ball. Jason was tall, an inch smaller than six feet. He hit the ball high up. Fidel ran to get it. Agnes looked at Jason.

Oh for the names of his holy books! HE'S RUNNING SO FAST!

Agnes looked around. There was no way she could win. She ran towards Jason and jumped on him, making him fall down.

"CHEATING! CHEATING!," Akane shouted.

"Hey! What cheating? I just fell down. It was the call of the inevitable," Agnes defended. Jason looked at her, laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?," Agnes asked, hitting him lightly on his arm.

He shook his head as he gestured her to get up from him. She blushed as she got up.

"Anyway, you are out!"

Jason settled his frameless glasses and brushed his hair lightly. A killer move. "You think so?"

"Mr. Lecturer, don't you do that"

He laughed. Fidel smiled at the both of them.

"Fidel?," Takumi whispered.

She turned towards him. He was tall, his face a perfect make, his hair messy and yet perfectly in place.

"Yes?"

"Your smile? I love it"

"Why, thank you," she replied, laughing, her marble green eyes twinkling with gratefulness.

"God! Now everyone has a pair except for me!," Akane said, puffing up her cheeks in mock disappointment.

"WHAT PAIR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?," the four of them screamed at her.

She smirked. "Some pair, you know"

"Oh please, sis. You aren't washed with milk! What about your boyfriend, huh?," Takumi said but not inadvertently.

"Akane has a boyfriend?!," Jason and Agnes said in unison, alarmed.

"Yes, Oreki Katsuragi is his name. What more? She talks to him every night!"

"You are one hidden criminal Akane!"

~'~

Imervoigli, Greece.

Imervoigli is a village on the island of Santorini, Greece, adjacent the North of the island Fira.

"This village is very famous for it's sunset," the guide explained. "There's nothing to explain here. We are here to enjoy and indulge in the beauty of this city"

"And for romance too. It's famous for romance too," Akane filled in.

Fidel, Takumi, Agnes and Jason shot her a serious, stabbing look.

"What?," she said. "Seriously!"

They sighed, shaking their heads.

The village of Imervoigli was indeed alluring. It's houses were built amphitheatrically around the Caledra and was crossed by narrow paved paths. The houses were all white in colour, as if somehow craving for peace and sharing an uniform equality. They looked like soldiers on a cliff wearing white uniform and saluting everyone who comes in their domain with respect.

"It sure is pretty," Agnes said, admiring it's charm and grandeur.

The village was popularly called ' the balcony to the Aegean' because of it's beautiful sunset. The group walked towards the Caledra which experienced the sunset for the longest period of time. They climbed the cliff slowly, enjoying every bit of it.

"I love the aura of this place," Fidel smiled.

"And Takumi loves yours," Akane smirked, teasing her brother.

"And Jason loves Agnes'," Takumi laughed.

"Yeah, we all love the auras, now shut up," Agnes retorted. Akane and Takumi laughed loudly again.

The cliffs had moderate foliage, but they expelled fresh aroma of the trees which relaxed their minds. It was only afternoon, 3:30pm by watch and so the guide said,

"You can go for scooba diving here"

Fidel, Takumi, Akane and Agnes who were every ready screamed, "YES!"

"No, please," Jason requested. "Not this time"

Agnes looked at him and said, "Okay"

Fidel, Akane and Takumi wanted to wait, but Agnes said it was alright. They nodded and departed.

"I'm sorry, Agnes. I can't go into depths. They scare me," Jason said, sighing. "Phillipines was the last. I won't ever go again"

Agnes gave him a loving smile as she sat down beside him, her legs folded. "I was scared of heights, Mr. Lecturer"

Jason looked at her in surprise. She was always jumping and riding things which were high up. The hot air balloons, sitting on the railing of the 24th floor, climbing trees, anything. "You always jump around things which are high, though"

Agnes chuckled. "My point exactly. Conquer your fear, Jason. Fight it like a warrior who is dauntless, unafraid of whatever circumstances or fears life offers him. Be a soldier. Be a warrior. Conquer your fear"

"It's not that easy, Cherry"

"I know. But Mr. Lecturer, life on the whole isn't easy"

He smiled. They talked for an endless amount of time. Slowly, the sky painted itself orange. The bright sun dimmed its light and drowned in the ocean of clouds.

"Where are they? They are missing it," Agnes whispered, looking at the sky.

Jason spotted them sitting in the distance, watching the sunset. "No they are not"

The sky was unbelievably beautiful. It looked like a huge canvas, nature running it's brush of colours over it- the yellows, the oranges, the light purples and the slow blacks.

Takumi looked at Fidel. She was magical, magnificent, the queen of his heart. Fidel stared back, her heart accelerating.

"Cherry?"

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed Takumi? He keeps staring at Fidel.. What's wrong with him?"

Agnes burst out laughing. "Mr. Lecturer, soon you'll understand what is wrong. Actually, what is right"

"What do you mean?"

"Just watch the sunset," she said as she shuffled his hair and set her eyes back to the sky.

But Jason couldn't. He couldn't watch the sunset. His eyes seemed tobbe paralysed on Agnes' beautiful face, her eyes which was glowing in the faint light, her double layered eyelashes gently moving up and down.

I need to control my brain neurons.

No, Jason. You need to control your heart.

~'~
Hope you liked this chapter! Did anyone notice Fidel and Takumi? *Spoiler alert*

Chapter 22: Whirling people, whirling love.

~'~