Here's another B-day oneshot. This time for You-can't-hear-me-Screaming. I hope you like your b-day present early this year~! Unfortunately this turned from a simple 3,000 word story to 'what the heck was that?'/over 8,000 word oneshot. I'm sorry if this is not up to anyone's standards. My mind was not together when i was writing it.

As for why this person is getting this one-shot present early is noted on my profile (right after my listed crossover pairings that i like. It is in bold so you can see it. ATL already knows it but I'm giving a heads-up for the rest of my readers)

Pairings in this: Established!KuroFai, Friendship or Romantic DouWata (whatever floats your boat people)

Warnings: language, newbie pieces of angst shamelessly floating around and OOC from everyone because something's wrong with my head when i wrote this. T_T

Disclaimer; Don't own them; never will

Enjoy~!

To The Beach.

"No."

"Aw come on Kuro-puu, it'll be fun~!"

"It's Kurogane. And it's still no you stupid wizard."

"Now Kurogane, surely you don't want to exclude poor Syaoron and Sakura out of the fun."

"Stuff it witch, you know damn well that they can go if they wanted to. And the answer's still no."

"But Kuro-rin~!"

"For the last freaking time: No!"

Syaoran and Sakura heard the argument just next door to where the adults were having a conversation. With them was Watanuki who was kind enough to serve them tea while trying to hold a conversation himself.

The two Mokonas were playing in the backyard while Maru and Moro were watching TV in another room; enjoying their free time without the mistress.

"I'm really sorry about all of this Watanuki." Sakura apologized while accepting a refill of her tea. She thought that after traveling to many worlds that Kurogane would become at least less stubborn then before. Guess there are some things that will never change with him.

"Don't worry about it Sakura, I didn't expect him to agree at all with the plan in the first place." Watanuki smiled as he took a seat in front of the table between the two kids while crossing his legs on the floor. "Besides, it would be nice if just the three of us went instead. I never get to spend time with you since the first time I've seen you."

Syaoran smiled. "Likewise, Watanuki. However, knowing the dimensional witch it will end up her way or….what's the phase again?" He could never remember all the phases no matter what world they were on.

"Oh! It's 'My way or the highway!'" Watanuki helpfully supplied. "Though I agree with that. But…" He sulked. "Why of all people does that Doumeki have to join us! I would have been so happy if Himawari came instead~!"

Sakura giggled while Syaoran rolled his eyes playfully.

"I'm guessing that this girl 'Himawari' must be somewhat important to you huh?" Syaoran asked; though he could see a bit of himself in Watanuki. (1)

Watanuki beamed. "Of course she is! She's like the cutest girl in my school. Her silky brown hair, her beautiful bluish-green eyes and just everything else about her just screams 'adorable' ~!" His own blue eyes started to sparkle at that very moment.

"Well, what about this 'Doumeki' person?" Sakura innocently asked.

The two kids had never seen a person's mood change so rapidly before.

"That….Doumeki," Watanuki growled. "Is the most unbelievable jerk I have ever met in my life!" He started to wave the tea tray a bit violently around him. "Not only is he an expressionless idiot, he is a picky pig, an insensitive bozo and the most insufferable person anyone has had to encounter!" He then remembered that there were other people in the room. He sheepishly placed the tray on the floor. "S-sorry about that. I just can't stand him."

Syaoran laughed. "Don't worry about it. I guess there are some things we dislike for one reason or another." He then smiled understandably. "Though I can't help but feel that this Doumeki person might be more important then what you just told us."

"What!" Watanuki stood up too quickly before tripping on his own foot and falling hard on the floor. Groaning, he slowly stood back up. "And what makes you say that!"

Sakura and Syaoran shared a look before smiling at Watanuki.

"Well for one thing," Sakura started with a light giggle. "Your face is bright red."

"Eh!" Sure enough, as soon as Watanuki mentioned Doumeki to the younger pair; his face started to light up like a Christmas tree. "T-that's because he annoys me to no end! The only reason that my face is red is because of the embarrassment I always get from being around him!"

"Now now Watanuki, it's not nice to lie to our wonderful guests."

Watanuki yelped loudly while Syaoran and Sakura looked at the doorway with a gasp. There was Yuuko leaning on the doorframe with her trademark smirk. Behind her was Fai who was looking quite amused at the 'performance' Watanuki made.

"Yuuko! Don't scare us like that!" The blue-eyed teen shouted. He then remembered something. "Um, did you just hear the conversation?"

Yuuko and Fai nodded, both with matching smiles.

"Um…how much did you hear then?" Syaoran looked at Watanuki worriedly as the teen could not stop shaking.

Yuuko placed a finger under her own chin. "Hmm, let's see. How much did we hear?" She turned to Fai.

"Hyuu~! I think from 'My way or the highway!' to 'Your face is red'~!" It became apparent that given the circumstances, Fai could be Yuuko's long lost brother. Or that's what Syaoran was assuming at that point.

"Ah yes; that's right!" Yuuko clasped her hands in glee. "It's too bad though we interrupted a could-be love confession from Watanuki to that loving Doumeki~!"

"Loving! Love Confession! What are you on!" Watanuki was hiding from his already red face. "That's stupid! Why would I do something so sickening! We're not even friends and you're talking about a love confession towards the jerk!" He scoffed at the thought as he tried to fight the blush on his face.

"If that was the case; why are you still hanging out with him? You could've have just left him behind if given the choice; Hitsuzen or otherwise." Yuuko smirked while Fai giggled.

Watanuki was speechless. For once he couldn't figure out a reason not to hang out with the guy. He pouted angrily. "Well…..that's not the point!" He finally said.

"Oh~? Then what is the point Wata-kun~?" Fai was having too much fun helping Yuuko mess with Watanuki.

"Excuse me Fai, Dimensional witch." Syaoran stood from the floor. "Can you please leave Watanuki alone? I don't think he can handle this any longer." He looked over at the blue-eyed boy and smiled.

Watanuki was mentally praising Syaoron for sparing him from the humiliation. 'Oh thank you Syaoran! I owe you one~!' Then a thought came into his head. "So what did Kurogane say about it? Is he joining us or not?"

Yuuko frowned while Fai looked away. That was a sure sign that something was not going to plan.

"It seems that Kurogane is very serious about not coming with us. Also, he said some colorful words to express that decision." Yuuko glanced at Fai who was rubbing his arm.

"Wait, are you saying Kurogane cussed?" Watanuki asked. "If that's true, why didn't we hear any of it from the next room?"

Yuuko softly smiled. "I made the room sound-proof as soon as Kurogane's mouth got passed the PG-13 limit."

Watanuki oh-ed while Syaoran and Sakura tilted their heads in confusion.

Fai plastered on a fake smile to ease the apparent pain of his own heart. "Well it was to be expected of Kuro-puu. I guess we all are going without him." Before anyone can say anything, Fai was already walking down the hallway. "I'm going to pack my bag. See you all later~!" And with that he went to his assigned guest room.

The rest of the group look at each other and frowned.

"Poor Fai." Sakura commented. "He really wanted Kurogane to come with us."

Watanuki and Yuuko shared a look of sadness for the wizard.

"I'm going to talk to him."

The three stared at Syaoran who had determination in his eyes.

"Syaoran?" Sakura said with some uncertainty. "Are you sure about this?"

Syaoran nodded with confidence. "I'm sure, Princess. Besides, I'm sure that Kurogane had his reasons for not wanting to go. He just doesn't want to voice it; that's all. " And with that he walked out of the room and down the hallway towards Kurogane's assigned room.

Yuuko looked at Syaoran's retreating back and smiled. "It's nice to see that in some ways that Syaoron will never change, his courage surpasses even the bravest of men." She looked at the remaining people. "Well shall we get packing? We might want to reach the place before nightfall~!"

Sakura stood up happily. "Okay~!" She ran out of the room and down the hall. She was laughing when Maru and Moro randomly decided to run after her screaming 'Packing~! Packing~!' at the top of their lungs.

Watanuki chuckled at the scene before collecting the tea cups. He felt Yuuko's eyes on him as he slowly stood up. He sighed reluctantly. "Yes, what is it now Yuuko? I could practically feel your stare on my back."

Yuuko didn't say anything for a few moments; it was as if she was trying to choose her words carefully. "I haven't call Doumeki yet about the trip."

Watanuki turned around and stared at her. "You didn't call him? That's unlike you." He huffed as he smiled. "Normally you would call him before I would even know about anything you plan." He slightly frowned when Yuuko didn't return the smile. "What is it?"

Yuuko moved her body to a more comfortable position on the doorframe. "I think...he should hear the invite from you."

The world seemed to have come to a screeching halt.

"WHAT!" Watanuki screamed out. He almost dropped the tea cups at the statement. "Are you kidding me! Why me of all people!"

"I just thought that since I'm the one doing the inviting all the time I figured that you should tell him this time." The witch smirked as the part-timer stuttered and gaped.

"T-that's not a reason! And I'm not calling him!" Watanuki crossed his arms and stubbornly walked out of the room, passing Yuuko and went to the kitchen. Before Yuuko could move a muscle, he stomped angrily out of the kitchen and went to one of the shop's phone and dialed Doumeki's number. How did Yuuko know? She could hear the boy growling louder with each key pressing.

"Oh and make sure to tell him to bring some alcohol with him~!"

"SHUT IT YUUKO! NO I'M NOT SHOUTING AT YOU DOUMEKI!"

…

"WELL NOBODY ASKED YOU NOW DID THEY!"

Yuuko laughed through the whole phone conversation.

Syaoran stood in front of Kurogane's assigned room with a frown. 'How should I start talking to him? He probably doesn't want to talk to anyone at this point.' Then a thought of seeing Fai sad came into his mind. 'No. I have to persuade him about this. I can't just go on with my own happiness knowing that one of my friends can't be happy as well.' With a strong resolve, Syaoron knocked the door twice and waited. "Kurogane? It's me; Syaoran. There's something that I need to discuss with you."

Soft shuffling was heard from the other side of the door. "Come in kid."

Syaoran opened the door and walked into the room; closing the door behind him. When he got to the middle of the room, he saw Kurogane lying on a huge bed with arms crossed behind his head and staring at the ceiling.

"So, what is it kid?" Kurogane didn't even spare a glance at Syaoron.

The young boy took a deep breath. "Well, I want to talk about the trip that we're goi—"

"Forget it." The warrior cut Syaoran off rudely. "I already told the mage and the witch that I'm not going. I think it's waste of time going to some place just because everyone else has to agree with them." He then quickly sat up. "Wait; did those two told you to come here and talk to me?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No sir; I come here for my own reasons." He couldn't help but smile when Kurogane placed a hand over his chest and sighed.

"Well that's one thing I don't have to worry about." He eyed Syaoron who took a seat on the bed right next to him. "So why come and talk to me about the trip? I already said no."

"Well that's partly why I came." Syaoran sighed. "I think you should reconsider your decision."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Kurogane just looked at the young boy; not glaring but just looking at him.

"Well, you see…you kind of hurt Fai's feelings a bit." Syaoran was a bit surprised when Kurogane's eyes widen.

"The mage? How the hell did I hurt him?" The ninja shook his head. "I didn't even do anything!"

Syaoran frowned. "It's not that you did anything physically wrong to him." He then blushed as he replayed the sentence in his head. "I-I mean that it's not like you hit him or anything. But when he was pretty sad that you said you're not coming with us. I think he wanted to you to come more than anything."

"…." Kurogane contemplated on that. "The wizard really wanted me to go?" He looked down on his lap and thought about it. "That doesn't make any freaking sense. Why the hell does he care about me going or not?"

Syaoron smiled a bit. "Maybe…maybe Fai thinks of you more then you thought."

The reaction from Kurogane was priceless. The ninja never thought of it that way and apparently neither did the kid. Syaoran has never seen the man blush that brightly.

"Um, Kurogane..are you okay?" The kid thought that the warrior might have caught a cold or something.

Kurogane looked away from the young boy and coughed softly. "Uh yeah. I'm fine." He rubbed his head while fighting the blush down. "So what you're saying is that the wizard actually cares about me." A nod from the kid. "And you're saying that the mage is sad that I'm not coming."

"Yes, Kurogane." Syaoran looked over at Kurogane who appeared to be thinking long and hard about it. "So what do you say Kurogane?"

The ninja growled in reluctance. "I guess I didn't have a choice from the start. Geez, that blonde moron is such a kid."

Syaoran was happy that Kurogane is (more or less) willing to go with them but he was confused on one thing. "Kurogane; no offense but you seem quick on changing your decision."

"Yeah, well…if I didn't I'm going have to hear the witch's constant nagging or the wizard's pity cry of me not being there and having…fun." The warrior grunted the last word as if just saying it would kill him instantly.

'I guess in his own hidden words he means that he doesn't want Fai to be sad anymore. He's more caring and understanding then I thought.' Standing up from the bed, Syaoran walked towards the door. "Well I guess I should pack as well. We'll be leaving soon."

"Oi Kid."

Syaoran turned around. "Yes?"

"….just keep this between us; I don't want the witch to find out that a kid convinced me to come along when the two crazy adults couldn't."

"Right." Syaoran chuckled as he left the room.

Kurogane sighed with a faint smile. He lay back on the bed and frowned.

And now for the hard part.

"I change my mind."

Fai, who was placing clothes into his bag, paused in mid-packing to fully look at the person. "Excuse me~?"

Kurogane growled. He hated repeating himself. "I said 'I change my mind'."

"About what exactly, Kuro-rin~?" Fai zipped up his bag and sat on his bed with a grin.

"You know what mage; about going on this damn trip." Kurogane angrily grunted out. "I change my mind so now I'm coming along with you all." To prove his point Kurogane threw a red bag that was over his shoulder onto Fai's bed. "See?"

Fai looked back and forth between the bag and Kurogane and smiled. "Oh I see it all right but tell me this…" Fai's smile turned into a smirk. "What made you 'change your mind'? Surely there was someone who convinced you to come along." Now he was just playing with the ninja.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "What does it matter; I'm coming and that's that."

"But Kuro-tan~! I want to know who persuaded the stubborn warrior and give then a big hug as a thank you~!" Fai pouted playfully.

Kurogane's eyebrow twitched at the mention of 'Stubborn Warrior'. "Well you'll never who it is with that pathetic excuse of a face." He then walked to Fai's bed and sat next to the wizard. "But whoever it was; they did tell me that you were sad about me not going. What was that all about?"

Fai's pout slowly turned into a sad smile. He chuckled. "Well you see, I thought that after traveling to so many worlds and having malicious battles over the feather and such I thought that maybe I can get to spend time with you when we arrived here. Yuuko was so kind to take us to a place where we could do that, I thought that we could do that; you know…since we are…." He trailed off as a faint blush and a small but true smile came across his face.

Kurogane was speechless. How could he now see why Fai was so persistent on him tagging along on this trip. It wasn't only for fun or relaxing. Now Kurogane felt like an idiot but his stubbornness made him say this. "If that was the case; why didn't you say anything?"

Fai shrugged. "I thought you knew since you catch on quicker than anyone else; besides Yuuko."

Maybe 'Idiot' was an understatement for what Kurogane felt he was at that point.

Growling, Kurogane wrapped his arm around Fai's shoulders and pulled him close. "Next time, if you got something to say then say it. I can't tell with all the damn clues all the time and you know how much I hate mysteries and crap." His face was powered with a bit of pink but it was noticeable to the wizard.

Fai blinked before smiling fondly and placing his head on Kurogane's chest. "I'm glad I have you by my side. I couldn't think of another person to be with. It's quite wonderful; don't you think~?" He then placed his hand on Kurogane's shoulder.

Kurogane shifted his eyes. "What did I tell you about saying that mushy lovey-dovey crap?" 'Just how much sickly-sweet things can this guy say?' Despite what he said there was no hint of malice in his voice. Of course he was glad that Fai was in a better mood now but he was hoping that he wasn't going to regret his decision on going. Not that he actually regretted anything; mind you.

Fai just laughed softly while cuddling closer to the warrior.

Sakura was looking through the open crack of Fai's bedroom door and smiled when the two were having a peaceful moment with each other. "So Syaoran; did you know about this at all?" She looked over to her right to see Syaoran leaning on the wall while covering his beet-red face.

"N-no." He lowered his hands a bit. He looked at Sakura with wide brown eyes. "I-I thought that they were just really good friends!" This was beyond embarrassing. Why didn't he see the signs? He saw them together since Outo country to piffle world but he thought they were just being friends. Heck, he even saw Kurogane blush not several minutes ago because of what he just said about Fai caring about him! "Did you know about this whole time Princess?"

The princess nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Though Fai accidently told me when we were baking at the Cat's Eye Café in Outo country. 'Slip of the tongue' he said."

So by some sidetracked conversation, Sakura managed to figure out about them before Syaoran did. It's either a funny form of Hitsuzen or just dumb luck.

"Well I'm just glad we can all go on this trip together." Syaoran sighed with his blush dying down. He didn't think that he could take any more surprises anywhere at that point.

Sakura was about to agree with him when a shout silenced them both.

"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I CALLED THAT JERK!"

Two heads turned towards the source of the shout and saw Watanuki stomping towards their direction.

Syaoran who was slightly amused by the older guy's antics pushed himself from the wall. "So I'm guessing the dimensional witch made you call Doumeki right?"

Watanuki stopped in mid-stomp to look at the younger boy. "Y-Yeah! That's what happened!" 'I'm a terrible liar.' He then cleared his throat. "So, did you guys pack already?"

The two nodded. "Yep!"

"So…" Watanuki's eyes trailed towards Fai's bedroom door. "Any luck Syaoran?"

Syaoran smiled. "Well I think it's safe to assume that Kurogane will be with us for the trip."

While Watanuki and Syaoran gave each other a high-five, Sakura noticed another person was with them in the hallway.

"Ah! Yuuko!" The princess called out with a smile.

Watanuki froze as he turned around. 'Ah, crap.' "Uh, h-hey Yuuko. How long were you there for?" 'Nice Watanuki; dig your own grave deeper why don't you?'

Yuuko smirked as she approached the trio and looked straight at Watanuki. "Just long enough for you to uselessly retain whatever dignity you actually had."

Watanuki gulped as he pushed Syaoran and Sakura down the hall. "Okay now, why don't we all get our things so we can get it into the rental car?" He was inwardly sweating as he can still feel Yuuko's heated gaze in the back of his head.

Once the trio was out of her sight, Yuuko's heated gaze turned into an amusing expression. "It's really entertaining to see Watanuki flail like that."

She could hear the Mokonas, Maru and Moro giggling in the background.

"We're here~!"

The group was standing in front of a huge summer home. The Tsubasa group was amazed. Watanuki was less than happy; partly because he was handling the Yuuko's luggage again and partly because Doumeki was right next to him; holding only a couple of bags.

Yuuko, with both Mokonas on her shoulder, turned around and smiled. "So, what you think~?"

"It looks big and amazing Yuuko~!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

"I must say, you picked a lovely place for us to stay in." Fai commented with a smile.

'Kiss ass.' Kurogane blankly thought. "Whatever; it's better than nothing."

Syaoran crossed his arms and looked over the building structure. "It looks very quaint and simply sound..though the wall's quality indicate that this building was here for quite some time and also the surrounding area hint that—"

"Okay kid, enough with the analyzing. We get it already." Kurogane was a bit sick and tired of Syaoran's fascination for all things containing history. He just wanted to get this trip over with.

Sakura giggled. "That's alright; that's what makes you, you Syaoran~!" She missed the blush that rose from the boy's cheek.

"Aww~! Isn't young love sweet~!" Yuuko and Fai simultaneously said with hearts surrounding their heads and stars in their eyes.

Kurogane walked forward; away from the weird duo. "Oi wimp! Get over here with that key to this damn place! We need to get inside; it's too damn hot out!"

'Too hot out' indeed.

"Y-yes sir!" Watanuki cried out. He was really scared of the ninja and today was not an exception. He walked a good five steps before panting heavily. With the hot weather and Yuuko's luggage; it was rather hard to even crawl let alone walk. He groaned in frustration. 'Ah man, why me?' Before he took another step, some weight was lifted from his shoulders. Surprised, He looked at the person who was kind enough to help him. He frowned.

Doumeki saw Watanuki struggling and took a few of Yuuko's things off his shoulders. He looked over at the blue-eyed teen and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Watanuki growled. "I can carry these all by myself you know! I don't help from the likes of you!" He then tried to take another step but the rest of the added weight prevented him from even lifting his own feet. "Damn it!"

"How about today!" Kurogane shouted out angrily.

Watanuki whimpered at his own scenario. This was not how he wanted to start the day. Before he took another step, Doumeki leaned over and took about half of the luggage and just starting walking towards the rest of the group. He was stumped. 'Did he just help me with the luggage? But why the hell would he do that?'

"Oh Watanuki~!"

"Yeah, what is i—ah!" Watanuki jumped a good two feet as Yuuko's face was mere centimeters away from his own. "Yuuko, don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Ignoring the part-timer's complaint, Yuuko giggled. "It's rather nice of Doumeki to help you with all the bags. Maybe your initial assumption of him might have been a bit off; don't you think~?"

"Huh?" Watanuki was a bit confused on why Yuuko would say such a thing. Then he remembered the talk he had with her. He glowered at her. "No, it's not a bit off. It's freaking accurate! There's no way that jerk would be that kind! He's just doing that to make me cook something up for him later!"

Yuuko dramatically sighed with her hand on her forehead. "Ah poor Watanuki; he just doesn't get it; does he~?"

"Whatever!" Watanuki snapped as he walked pass Yuuko; grumbling about how people should mind their own business; unaware that the two Mokonas silently hopped on his back, giggling softly as they hanged on.

Yuuko knowingly smirked. "Let the excitement begin."

"Ahh~! Finally the beach~!" Watanuki exclaimed happily as he stretched his arms to the clear blue sky. He was wearing dark blue swim-shorts with a white t-shirt on. He was a bit self-conscious on his figure. He looked back to the house which was only a few yards away. "Well let's get into the wat—" He paused as he remembered one flaw.

The spirits that lurk in the ocean. They could eat him up if he sets just one foot into the water. (2)

"Oh man, I nearly forgot!" He looked over at Syaoran, Sakura and the Mokonas who were swishing and splashing around the water near the shore. He then glanced at the adults who were lying under the big umbrella. Yuuko was reading one of her books while Kurogane just sat there looking out to the ocean. Fai was sleeping soundly on Kurogane's lap.

Watanuki pouted. "Great; while everyone is out there having fun, I'm the one stuck in the stupid sand!" He then noticed that there was a person missing. "Hey; where the hell is Doumeki?"

"Right here moron."

"Gah!" Watanuki felt that he did more jumping then a grasshopper as Doumeki was randomly right next to him. He clutched his chest with his hand as he tried to calmly breathe. "Doumeki! Don't scare me like that! God what did I do to deserve this!"

Doumeki shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe if you didn't shout and flail like a moron then people could take you seriously." He secretly like the way Watanuki would explode everytime he would comment; it was better than that pathetic face he saw that time in the rain a year ago. Not waiting for Watanuki to calm down; he grabbed the other boy's arm and dragged him towards the water.

"Wait, what the—Let go of me Doumeki! I can't-the spirits-!" Watanuki was having a bit of trouble trying to both explain and prying Doumeki off of him. He was then shocked when the two stopped suddenly and Doumeki looked straight at him.

"I'm not having a repeat of last time. Just let it go and I'll help you. Stop thinking that you can't have fun just because of a few spirits. I'll be there with you so stop complaining." Doumeki raised an eyebrow when Watanuki blushed and looked away.

"I didn't ask for your-"

"I know." Doumeki interrupted. "But it's better than just standing in the sand like a goof." Then he continued to drag Watanuki to the ocean as the person in question was oddly silent the rest of the way.

Yuuko looked over at the scene with a soft smile on her face. "It's nice to see that those two are getting along." She then glanced at Kurogane who was keeping his eyes at the rest of the group. "You shouldn't worry about them; rest assured that nothing bad will happen while we're here so calm down."

Kurogane looked at Yuuko without moving his head. "I know that witch, it's the moron on my lap that I'm worried about. If I didn't let him, then he would've whipped out the damn alcohol out in broad daylight!"

"Hyuu~! That's not true Kuro-chan~!"

The two looked down to see Fai slowly waking up from his small nap. He just yawned but didn't move an inch from Kurogane's lap. The wizard turned his head as he looked up at Kurogane's face with a lazy grin. "You just wanted me to be safe since you're always uptight about going anywhere relaxing~!"

Kurogane stuttered while Yuuko laughed whole-heartedly; the three of them slightly unaware that Syaoran was running back to the house.

"That-that's not true you lying mage!" Kurogane yelled out while his face was showing a nice shade of red. "B-besides with you around, who knows what you might do!"

"Oh~! You mean you were waiting for me to seduce you on the beach~? Oh Big Dog, how naughty of you~!" Fai flashed a flirty smile at Kurogane. He just love messing with the warrior.

Yuuko was having a difficult time holding back her laughter.

Kurogane growled as he looked away. "I'm not going down that road with you!" 'Great; now the moron made me have thoughts about that! The little twig!'

Fai smiled as he got up from Kurogane's lap and wrapped his arms around the ninja's shoulders; pressing their bodies together. "You know, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Just look at Syaoran and Sakura are having fun together." He laid his head on the warrior's left shoulder. "Don't you think it's nice that you and I can relax and spend together as a couple?"

"…." Kurogane sighed. What Fai just said was true but… "Maybe, but not with the witch staring at us." He whispered the last part in Fai's ear as he looked at the witch; daring her to make a comment out of the moment.

Yuuko smirked. "Oh, don't mind me, I have nothing to say about it Kurogane. Just continue what you two do best~!"

Kurogane was about to make a comment when Sakura shouted from the ocean.

"Syaoran, did you get them?"

The three adults looked to see Syaoran running back from the house with a watermelon and two baseball bats.

"…What the hell is that kid going to do with a watermelon and those hitting sticks?" Kurogane asked none too gently.

"I think the younger ones are going to play a game." Yuuko stated.

"Oh~! A game~? Sounds like fun~!" Fai released his hold on Kurogane as he stood up and ran towards the rest of the group. "Kuro-tan; come on~! A game isn't as exciting without you~!"

Kurogane groaned. "Damn idiot." However he stood up and followed the blonde; leaving Yuuko behind to let her read her book.

Or that's what he was hoping she was doing.

"Okay so let me get this straight; all you have to do is hit the watermelon as hard as you can to open it right?" Kurogane asked.

The younger ones plus the Mokonas nodded.

Fai was ecstatic about trying new games. "Is that so~? Well I can't wait to hit the melon~!"

"Though this sounds too similar to what happens to a beach episode in an anime." Watanuki muttered as he rubbed his head in thought.

Syaoran took one of the two bats and gave it to Fai. "Would you like to hit the melon first?"

"Really~? Sure~!" Fai took the bat. "Okay then…" He aimed the bat right above the melon. "Here I go~!" He hit the melon with all of his might.

Only to see his efforts futile as the watermelon remained intact.

The Mokonas giggled loudly while Syaoran and Watanuki turned away to hide their laughter. Doumeki just raised an eyebrow at the scene.

Even Kurogane couldn't help but chuckle silently at the blonde's apparent weakness for hitting things. 'Man that was pathetic. I guess the melon proved one thing: hard labor work is never the mage's strong suit.'

Sakura patted Fai's back in sympathy. "Don't worry Fai; I'm sure you'll hit the melon next time."

Fai pouted. "Oh darn. Well, I'm sure Big Dog can break this melon open~! Unless…he can't handle a single melon." He smirked as he saw Kurogane's eyes narrowing at him.

"Yeah, Kuro-puu~! I think the melon's too much for you~!" The white Mokona shouted happily.

"Yep! Too much for him." The black Mokona agreed with an evil smirk.

Growling, Kurogane grabbed the second bat and walked towards the watermelon. "Oh yeah! We'll see who's too much for who!" Then he paused. "Wait…that didn't sound right."

'I'll say.' Syaoran and Watanuki thought in unison.

"Umm, Kurogane, don't you think that maybe you're getting angry because of what Fai said?" Sakura asked; trying to placate the situation.

"No!" Kurogane snapped. "I'm just going to hit this damn watermelon to get this freaking thing over with!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Let us know when you actually believe it." Doumeki commented; making Kurogane even angrier.

"Kuro-rin, we're all waiting~!" Fai dramatically gasped. "Could it be that my Big Dog is being defeated by a lone melon~? Oh the humanity~!"

Kurogane's eyebrow twitched. "Okay mage; how about I hit you with this hitting stick instead!" Then he proceeded to run towards Fai with the stick.

"Wahh~! Kuro-kuro's mad again~!" Fai shouted as he ran away from the ninja; laughing as he went.

Watanuki sighed at he watched the two adults run across the shoreline. "Hey Syaoran?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a sword…..right?"

Syaoran was very confused on where the conversation was leading. "Um….yes?"

Watanuki then turned towards him. "I think we should just cut the watermelon instead."

Nodding, Syaoran looked at the white Mokona as he held out his hand. "Mokona; Hien please."

"Aw but Syaoran~!" The Mokonas complained.

"Are they usually like this?" Doumeki asked as the pair ran the other direction only that time Fai was laughing; holding the bat and Kurogane chasing him to retrieve the weapon.

Sakura giggled. "Yes but Kurogane would have his sword with him but I guess he's not as angry as I thought."

"Get back here you skinny twig of a magician!"

"Hahaha! You have to catch me first Kuro-chan~!"

Doumeki looked back and forth between Sakura and the pair. "…I see."

As the day slowly turned into night, the group have already ate the watermelon, played water games, and enjoyed a few drinks over a fire that Syaoran help make.(only Yuuko, Fai and the Mokonas actually drank alcoholic beverages. Kurogane would be damned if he let one drip of that stuff touch the kids' mouths including the teen duo.)

"So did everyone had fun today~?" Yuuko asked while downing another bottle of Sake.

Syaoran nodded. "Yep; though it was hard to do that 'surfing' I've always heard about." He winced as he felt bruises on the back of his neck from when the surfboard hit him after falling into the water.

Sakura leaned over at Syaoran and patted him gently on the head. "Oh dear. Are you sure you're okay?"

The young boy blushed. "Uh, yeah! I'm fine princess!"

Watanuki smiled. "Well I had a fun time! Especially when I threw that water balloon at Doumeki's head!" Revenge is so sweet.

Fai laughed. "I like the look on Doumeki's face when he threw three at you for that!" He laughed even harder when Watanuki's face blushed in embarrassment.

Kurogane took a swing of the local beer that Yuuko brought to see how it tasted. "Careful mage; laugh any harder and you might choke yourself to death." He lightly smirked when Fai pouted cutely at his way.

The Mokonas giggled at each other. "Kuro-buro loves it when Fai laughs; makes him all warm and mushy inside~!" They nearly dodged an empty beer bottle was thrown at them.

"Say that again and it won't be a bottle next time." The ninja threatened darkly; ignoring the smile the mage was sending him.

Yuuko laughed before remembering something. "Oh! Mokonas; can you go back to the house and get the materials for us~?"

"Okay~!" The Mokona hopped away towards the house.

"Um, what are they getting ?" Sakura innocently asked.

The witch smirked. "Just something to end the day. I think you all will enjoy it; I know I will." She finished what was left of the Sake in the bottle.

"Oh really~?" Fai asked. "I love to know what the materials you're talking about~!"

"Is it just me or do Fai's eyes seem to…sparkle?" Watanuki shyly asked to Syaoran as Kurogane clocked the mage on the head.

"Hehe. I guess Fai's mood went from bad to good to very whimsical." Syaoran humorously answered.

Doumeki held out a small plate in front of Watanuki's face. "Marshmallows."

"GET IT YOURSELF!" Watanuki shouted out. Despite what he said; he grabbed Doumeki's plate and glared at the guy. "Man don't you have anything useful to say?"

Doumeki shrugged. "Maybe."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT YOU MORON!"

The whole group (excluding Kurogane) laughed at the scene.

"Yuuko! Yuuko! We found them, we found them!"

Everyone looked over at see the Mokonas hopping back with a large box on top of their tiny paws.

"Ah, I see that you two got them." Yuuko knowingly said.

"Got what?" Kurogane rudely asked.

The Mokonas placed the box right in front of them as Yuuko stood up and walked over the box. She smirked as she opened the lid.

"What I got right here are…." She showed them the items with glee. "Fireworks!"

"Eh!"

Never did the witch have seen so many different face expressions in her lifetime.

"You're supposed to light the fuse." Doumeki helpfully commented.

"I know what I'm doing! It's just so difficult lighting the stupid match okay!" Watanuki and Doumeki were lighting some of the larger fireworks that Yuuko brought. However it proved to be more work then fun when Watanuki couldn't light of the matches that were inside the box along with various kinds of fireworks.

Sakura and the Mokonas had sparklers in their hands and they were running on the shoreline; giggling as they raised the sparklers up into the air.

Yuuko was teaching Syaoran how to light firecrackers and hit them across the sand. Yuuko laughed as Syaoran miscalculated where to hit in the sand for the first few.

Fai was just lighting random small fireworks and watched them light up at the night sky. He chuckled as his eyes landed on Kurogane who didn't want any part of this as was just sitting there next to the fire. "Hyuu~! I think I'll join with Big Dog for a bit~!"

Kurogane watched everyone having fun. He had fun since he was a kid…but those days seem very vague and blurry to him now. Probably because of that night when he lost everything; his parents, his home, and what was the remainder of his childhood. He groaned. This was exactly why he didn't want to be here.

"Kuro-puu~!"

The ninja groaned as he looked at Fai running (more like skipping) towards him. He glanced at the wizard who sat down calmly next to him. He just grunted as look away.

Fai however had other plans as he laid his head on Kurogane's shoulder and sighed. "Isn't this nice Kuro-sama; a day without worrying about Sakura's feathers, other-worldly enemies and mishaps that we would always land into." Fai's eyes then darkened in sadness. "Make me wonder what life would have been if none of this happened in the first place."

Kurogane knew the answer to that. If none of this ever happened then none of them would even met. None of them would know that other worlds existed. They wouldn't know….

What they came to realize about themselves.

"Are you regretting ever even falling in love?" Fai softly asked; not even glancing at his strong partner.

"And what makes you say that mage?" Kurogane asked back. "You having regrets yourself?"

Fai chuckled. "I never said that Kuro-san. I'm just thinking that since you never wanted to be here that you are regretting some other things too. Everyone has regrets; some know better than others." Fai sat up. "Well it was a weak question at best but I just wanted you to know that I'm happy you're here with me and with everyone else. Even if you don't feel the same." Fai didn't turn his head fully but the warrior could see it clearly.

It was that smile. That fake smile that made Kurogane's blood boiled. He hated that ever since the start of that journey. He hated it and that's why….

"Mage."

Fai turned around fully only to have Kurogane tackle him into the sand. "Wahh!" His back hit the ground as he grunted in mild pain. He looked up and saw Kurogane pinning him down. However it was not what shocked him. "K-kuro-sama….?" It was his eyes, his usually strong red eyes clouded in both sadness and anger.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you think everyone would do; just regretting one thing after another, only thinking about what they didn't do and wish that they did?"

"W-well I….." Fai looked away. "That's not what I'm saying, Kuro."

"But you were thinking it; weren't you?"

Fai gulped. "M-maybe. It's just that you know; I knew nothing but regret. I regret a lot of things Kuro-san; more then you can count." He looked into those red eyes that sucked him in since they first met. "So it's no surprise Kuro-puu. I'm—"

"An idiot."

"What?" Fai was blinking to see if he heard that correctly. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me wizard; you are an idiot and a coward." Kurogane tightened his hold on Fai. "You always look into the past and always regretting not doing this or not doing that and I'm not the only one who can see that. You never seem proud of yourself; you always wallow in your own self-pity because you think you won't amount to anything because of what you didn't do."

"Kuro…" Fai could feel tears stinging his eyes. He almost cried right then and there if not for what Kurogane said next.

"But…I have regrets too. I know there are some things that I feel sad over because I didn't have the power to what I can do now. However, I will not feel sorry for myself for that happened in the past. It's called the past for a reason mage; stop looking back and stop talking about regretting what you couldn't do. How about for once you do what you can instead of whining of what you can't." He leaned his forehead on Fai's; never breaking eye-contact. "I have my own reasons for not wanting to go but it's not anything I call 'regret'. I'm here aren't I; with you of all people."

Fai blinked…then smiled…then giggled..then laughed loudly. "Kuro-rin, you were never great with comforting people~! I thought that you would just yell at me for being pathetic like you always do~!" Then he calmed down a bit. "But I guess you're right. It's been too long since I never regretted anything. Now I regret too much."

Kurogane faintly smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips with Fai's. "You don't have to anymore. And you're not pathetic; you're just an idiot."

"Hyuu~! But I'm your idiot right?" There's that goofy smile on Fai's face.

The ninja chuckled. "Right; and don't you dare forget it."

"Hey look guys! More fireworks~!"

The two looked up and saw many colorful sparks lighting the night sky. Series of blue, green, red and other extravagant colors come together in a symphony of light. Fai and Kurogane watched in amazement of those explosive things painting the night sky.

Then suddenly Fai leaned up and kissed Kurogane on the cheek.

Kurogane blushed. "The hell was that for?"

Fai sighed in glee. "Nothing. Just wanted to do that." He then smiled. "So Kuro-boo, did you have a fun day at the beach~?"

Kurogane shifted his eyes. "Maybe, but it's not something I will regret; ever."

Fai laughed. "Me neither~!"

The two continued to watch the fireworks with lighter hearts and better consciousness.

Somehow unaware that Watanuki and Doumeki was arguing about said fireworks being launched too early.

So much for the coincidence and inevitability theory.

END

(1)- Subtle spoilers for new fans to the fandom

(2)- from the XXXholic episode when the gang went to the beach and Watanuki refusing for help even though he knew that he couldn't go into the water because of his attraction to spirits. The ocean is no exception.

Again; sorry if this story is less then my normal writing skills. I failed miserably. T_T

Don't forget to review, check out my other stories and check out my profile; i have a poll that might be of interest. ^_^

Until Next Time~!