"Every heart sings a song, incomplete until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet"~ Plato

~'~

South Africa:

"I am the sea and you are the shore. When I need rest, it is to you I go. I love you Agnes. I love you," he said down on knees and slid a ring into her finger.

"I love you too, Jason," she said with a smile.

Jason woke up from his sleep. He had beads of perspiration on his already sweaty forehead. He sighed. What was happening? He shook his head and went inside the washroom. Just a dream. It was just a dream.

~'~

Garden Route:

The Garden Route was a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Mossel Bay in the Eastern Cape to the Storm river in the western cape. It is so called because of it's abundant vegetation and The Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma indigenous forests which were a unique mixture of Cape Fynbos and Temperate Forests.

"Oh my, see that!" Akane chirped as they saw lagoons jumping to and fro. There were numerous lagoons and lakes dotted along the way.

"So you want to go for bird watching and forest walk?" the guide confirmed. The four of them nodded.

The guide smiled as if knowing all about the fun and led them through the forest. The forest was surrounded by tall, broad trees on all sides with fat logs obstructing their path occasionally. Agnes put on her cap and smiled. This was so her thing.

Jason looked at the spark in her eyes. His instinct told him that Agnes was definitely up to something 'fun'. He shook his head imperceptibly.

"OH GOD! SNAKE!" Agnes screamed.

And that gave Akane her life's scare. She jumped on her brother. "Takumi, I swear I won't get down until we cross this forest," she said, grabbing onto Takumi. He sighed.

"But that's just a branch," the guide responded.

Agnes laughed. "I know. Akane's retaliation was a whole lot of fun"

Akane looked at her with disbelief. "So mean"

Agnes laughed. "Sorry!"

And so they started walking again. The land was wet, marshy. They could feel the soft soil as they walked in their costly sneakers.

"Careful not to step on the puddles here," the guide said.

Jason and Akane swiftly jumped over. Agnes, on the other hand, had something else altogether in her mind.

She pushed Takumi from behind making him land straight into the puddle. His jaw dropped. Jason and Akane looked at her in surprise.

She gwaffed in laughter.

Takumi got up, nearing towards her. Akane and Jason burst out laughing.

"What?" he asked.

Akane pointed towards his pants. He turned , just to find them totally wet. Agnes burst into peals of uncontrollable laughter.

"Agnes Fotaine, this is time for revenge," Takumi smirked at her.

She looked at him. "Don't"

He took the soil in his hands. Agnes ran.

Paintball with soil? Perhaps it was only possible when they were around.

~'~

"I'm totally covered in soil," Agnes complained.

"Yeah, and I'm totally wet on the wrong side," Takumi shot her a look.

Jason and Akane suppressed their laugh from behind them.

Agnes and Takumi looked at them and said in unison, "Very funny"

"Sssh.. You're bird watching. Stop making noise," the guide scolded.

The four of them were totally covered with leaves, standing under a huge tree watching the beautiful , multi-coloured birds. These forests in Africa were likely to have around three hundred species of birds. They looked through their binoculars.

"Hey," Jason heard a girl's voice from behind. He turned to see a blue-eyed, beautiful girl smiling at him.

"I'm Sidney Marbles"

Jason looked at her skeptically. "'Marbles' you say?"

"Yeah, I will be after marrying you, correct? Sidney Marbles is what I'll be"

Jason looked at her , flabbergasted. What is wrong with her?

Agnes, Akane and Takumi held their mouths to control their laughter. Jason looked at him, his deep brown eyes asking for help which none of them were willing to provide.

"Umm," he began.

"Don't say anything. Come on let's go--"

"Eh, Sidney, I'm taken," he said.

"What? Who?"

Jason looked at the three of them.

"Her?," she asked, pointing at Akane. He shook his head.

"Him?," Sidney said, looking at Takumi. "Oh lord, you're ga--" Sidney's eyes dilated.

"Oh no, I'm not!," Jason defended. Agnes couldn't control her laughter, she let out a chuckle.

"Her," Jason smiled at Agnes. She looked at him in surprise. Sidney looked at Agnes who was totally covered in soil.

Then, she sighed and shook her head. Going away she muttered," Why are all the divinely handsome boys taken?!"

~'~

Kruger National Park, Africa.

The Kruger National park was situated in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. It was a safari renowed for the amount of animals and it's conservation record.

The four of them were up at dawn, standing in front of the car. Jason sat down on the driver's seat.

"I can drive too you know," Agnes whisper shouted.

"NO! NOT EVEN IN OUR WILDEST DREAMS!" the three of them shouted in unison.

Agnes held her ears. "Whoa, okay. Don't shout at me, sorry!"

The morning sun in the safari illuminated thousands of spider webs shinning in the bushes. It was, perhaps, the most beautiful way one could see a spider web. As they cruised along the road of the national park, they experienced some priceless, alluring and heart-wrenching creations of the almighty- Antelopes, herds of innocent, beautiful elephants , leopards looking directly at them from the branches of tall trees.

"Oh my..," Akane said. "Look at that!" She gestured towards a crocodile sunning itself on a sandbank.

"Yeah, it's tanning itself," Takumi replied.

"It's rather creepy," Agnes said, looking at it.

"Says the creepiest girl I have ever known," Takumi responded.

"Very funny," she replied.

"I know, right?"

The spotted zebras with their black strips, rhinos half-hidden by the green thick bushes and a pride of lions after their kill at a distance

"Wow," they said in unison.

"I wish I could ride them," Agnes said.

"Sometimes I think she is crazy," Takumi said.

"I'm positive about it," Jason replied.

"Oh you don't say!" Akane retorted. "You love her"

"When did I say that?"

"You will, soon"

Agnes sighed.

"Promise us one thing, guys," Akane said, slowly. "Promise us we will be the first ones you will invite to your wedding"

Agnes and Jason laughed.

"That is not going to happen," Agnes replied.

"Just promise me"

"Well, Akane, if at all we get married, we promise you'll be the first ones to get to know about it. Without you, we won't marry, okay?"

"Yes," Akane smiled. She embraced Agnes from behind. Takumi and Jason smiled.

If not anything else, this trip had won them some priceless friends. Friends who were more than just friends. They were mentors, they were jokers, they were siblings, they were family.

~'~

"I don't believe this! He said it was always mine. Now, it's officially mine," Agnes said. She looked at a magazine's front cover which had her picture with a caption written in big, bold letters, "FOTAINE INDUSTRIES NOW OFFICIALLY IN THE NAME OF WILLIAM'S DAUGHTER"

Jason smiled. "Perhaps you'll understand his decision soon"

Agnes sat down beside him. "Parents are complicated. I don't want the industry, Jason. "

"I know, Cherry. But be happy you have your father by your side," he said, sadness filling in his eyes. She smiled.

"You're right."

"Well, once again, your novel was amazing. I'm running out of words," he said, returning her the diary. She grinned. "Why, thank you"

"You know, Cherry. My life has always been so boring. Dealing with girls in the college and then handling the huge business. I came to this trip for a break. Instead, I met you. And meeting you is like meeting a storm. Such a girl you are, Agnes. But now that I think of it, without you, Akane and Takumi this trip would be just so ordinary. You are like ..like.. the strawberry flavour in my vanilla ice cream"

Agnes laughed at his words. "I wrote this. For you"

She opened a small piece of paper and handed it to Jason. He read it slowly.

'Like flowers blooming in a beautiful spring,

Like butterflies spreading their wings,

Like an everlasting feast,

Like the beauty for a beast,

Like a star in the dark,

Like colours leaving their permanent mark.

That is how beautiful to me you are,

And after travelling so far,

I just want to say,

That you brighten up my days.

As gentle and caring you are to me,

I know our friendship is strong, Jason, and always will be"

"It's short, I know"

"No," he replied. "It's beautiful. Can I keep it?"

"Of course"

"Thank you"

"No, thank you"

Jason and Agnes smiled at one another. They didn't understand why they felt so warm and safe with each other. Slowly, as the days were progressing, the little fire of love in their hearts was lighting and growing into an inferno. The little flower was now blooming into a beautiful rose. They were now falling for each other everyday. They were now, dreaming about being with each other too.

~'~

The first part was deceptive, wasn't it? :P Well, not so early. As Shakespeare said, there is more excitement in the pursuit than it is in the accomplishment. x'D .