The visits a few times a month turned into twice every other week, to multiple times a week, until Kenmei was spending nearly every day with Judar at the cliffs. By now, the heat of summer was falling upon them, and this brought up a whole new situation that Kenmei had not prepared herself for. Judar had begun to nearly beg her to swim with him, and every day had become a nonstop bombardment of teasing, gentle coaxing, and half-hearted attempts to pull her into the water with no success. There were many reasons as to why Kenmei did not want to get into the water, but the most simple was one she just could not get him to understand:

She can't swim.

"What do you mean you can't swim? What does that even mean!" He was beyond pouting at this point, now just into full-on whining. "Look at you, you're all sweaty and stuff, just get in with me! I won't let you drown." He swam up to her knees, her legs dangling over the edge of the drop off. Though the water against her legs was cooling her off, it was true that the sun was making it nearly unbearable to be down in the windless little beach. With a sigh, she leaned back on her hands, shaking her head. "I can't swim, Judar! I just can't get in! It's too deep here."

Glaring up at her, he laid his chin on her knee, obviously thinking about how he could get her in without upsetting her. Kenmei sighed, not sure if the heat in her cheeks was from his touch or from the blaring sun. Another reason why she couldn't find it in herself to get into the water was because of her feelings for him. It was difficult for her to admit, but she had grown a huge crush on him, and the thought of him having to hold onto her in the water like that was too much for her to even think about. Even after all this time, he still had no recognition of personal space or what was appropriate to do, and just his head laying on her knees like this sent her stomach into a flutter.

She wanted to touch him, to stroke his cheek or run her fingers through his hair. Still, unsure of how he would react towards such affections, she held herself back. It was unknown to her if he felt anything similar towards her or not, and she was scared that he may never come back if she made him nervous. Instead, she smiled, shaking her head at him. "You're not going to get me in, Judar. And I told you, if you pull me in, I'll never bring peaches for you again."

Judar's eyes narrowed at her menacingly as if she had just committed a great sin. "You wouldn't dare do that to me." Kenmei gave a small jump as he gripped onto her ankles, feeling her heart begin to race. "Y-Yes I would, if you pull me in! You'll never get another peach from me ever again!" Judar continued to eye her, swimming backwards a bit while still keeping his grip on her legs. "But I won't lose you, right?" The stab to Kenmei's chest nearly made her faint, beginning to stutter. "N-no, I suppose you w-wouldn't." Her voice trembled just as violently as her body did, trying to find the energy to pull her legs from him.

A sly grin split his face as he tightened his grip. "Well, I don't really need peaches all that much then." Kenmei squealed as he gave only a slight tug, pulling her bottom closer to the edge of the rock. Judar began to laugh as she tried to wiggle herself away from him. "J-Judar, stop it! I'm seriously scared of getting in!" Kenmei finally got her legs free and scooted herself back until she was in the pebbles, eyes teary with fear as she glared at him. "I already told you!" Still laughing, Judar pulled himself up onto the rock, making his way into the pebbles to lay on his back beside her.

"Mei, why are you so scared? Seriously, I'm not gonna let you die." He put his arms behind his head for support, growing comfortable. His tail moved as if it were an unconscious function of his body, the end of it slowly rising and falling back against the ground. Kenmei sighed, laying next to him with her head against her backpack. "It's not just that, Judar. It's just… I can't do it." She kept her gaze locked on the sky as she heard him shuffle to lay on his side, her cheeks growing warm just at the thought of him looking at her. In the end, she didn't have much of a choice, as he gripped onto her face gently and turned her head towards him.

Gently squishing her cheeks, he narrowed his eyes at her in a playful glare. "You don't trust me?" His fingers were like ice against her flushed skin, having to shut her eyes in her embarrassment. She couldn't look at him, scared the words might begin to just spill from her lips. "J-Judar, it's more complicated than that." With a frustrated grumble, he moved his hand to rest against her cheek, and the butterflies in Kenmei's stomach nearly burst free.

"What is the problem, then? There has to be something else besides just being scared." Judar moved some of her hair from her face, forcing the sticky grip of sweat to release. Gathering her courage, Kenmei opened her eyes to look at him, instantly catching his gaze. It was intense and curious, as it usually was, but she could have sworn she saw something different in those crimson eyes. It sparked adrenaline inside of her, and taking in a huge breath, she sat up.

Before Judar could even ask what she was doing, she stood, beginning to unbutton her lilac chiffon blouse. In truth, she didn't know what she was doing, but she was sure of something. She was tired of being a coward, and if she continued with this type of attitude, she would never get anything she wanted. Though she was embarrassed and frightened, that longing in his gaze made her want to try.

Once unbuttoned, she placed the shirt on top of her backpack, leaving her in just her shorts and undergarments. She caught Judar's gaze for a moment as he stared up at her, the flushed color of his cheeks matching his scales. "Uh, what are you doing?" Kenmei avoided his gaze as she made her way to the edge of the water, taking a moment to pause and unbutton her shorts. "I-I'm getting in." She heard the clacking of pebbles as he followed her, but she didn't stop, stepping out of her shorts and tossing them behind her.

"Are you serious?!" Judars voice cracked in his shocked excitement, but Kenmei didn't give him time to catch up. She quickly made her way forward and jumped into the water, taking in a large breath before she vanished beneath the surface. As she felt the water surround her, panic grew in her core, but she did her best to keep calm. She could feel nothing but the pressure of the water against her limbs as she moved them to steady herself, the rumbling sound of the water clouding her mind.

Unsure if she was straight or upside down, she forced her eyes open, actually surprised that the burning sensation was not as severe as expected. Kenmei could see nothing around her, and the glistening surface of the water above her seemed like it was miles away. Still, as her lungs began to burn, she felt at peace under the surface, just as she had in her bathtub many months before. A loud sound of disturbed water caught her attention and she looked over, seeing the brilliant red of Judar's tail through the bubbles.

Though Kenmei felt like she was moving in slow motion, Judar moved towards her with speed and grace unlike anything she had ever seen. Even in the dark water, his color was vibrant and his beauty was endless. After taking a moment to stop and wave at her with a toothy grin, he took her by the arm and pulled her upwards, quickly breaching the surface. Kenmei took in a breath with a loud gasp, suddenly feeling panic grip her. Needing something to steady herself, she unconsciously latched onto him, her eyes shut tightly to try and ease the burning caused by the salt water.

Kenmei didn't realize that she was gripping onto his shoulders until she felt a supportive arm wrap around her waist. Bodies pressing together from his grip, she began to try and wiggle away, her embarrassment throwing her mind into a frenzy. "N-no, Judar, you can't hold onto me like this!" His grip only tightened in reaction to her struggles, his other arm coming around to rest across her upper back. "Wait- what are you talking about? Stop squirming like that!" Placing both hands on his chest, she tried to push herself back, but he still did not let go. "I-I can't let you hold onto me this way!"

"Kenmei!"

The volume and sharp tone of his voice made her cease her struggles, and she finally looked up at him. His features were blurry, and she wasn't sure if it was from the saltwater burning her eyes or the tears that were welling up in them. She could see that he was frustrated, and she took in deep breaths to try and calm herself. Judar let out a sigh, his grip loosening on her. "I can't let you go, because you can't swim. You almost hit rocks when you jumped in, you know. Stupid."

Beginning to feel ashamed at how she acted, Kenmei relaxed her body, looking away from him. "I'm sorry… It was all just so much at once." With a huff, Judar moved his hands to rest on her sides, pushing her out from him slightly. "If you don't want me to hold you, then fine. We'll do it like this instead." Once she was away from him, he gripped onto her arms gently, keeping her afloat. The awkwardness between them was almost palpable, and this entire situation did not go how she had planned at all.

She had expected herself to be brave enough to let him touch her like that, but it had been too much for her. It was something that she wanted more than anything, but her fear of rejection and her uncontrollable embarrassment set her back. With a small shake of her head, Kenmei swallowed the lump in her throat, blinking the tears away. "That's not true, I just…" Her voice tapered off into silence, her head hanging in defeat.

To her surprise, Judar pulled her back over to him, his hand sliding down her side and across her back until he was caressing her again. "If so, then let me." Kenmei felt as if her entire body was on fire as he held her body against his, and she was positive he must have been able to feel how heavily her heart was beating. She couldn't find it within herself to look at him, even with the intoxicating feeling of his hand sliding up her back. It was driving her completely mad, and she was actually surprised that the water hadn't begun to boil around them.

"I'm not that dense, you know."

Kenmei finally looked up at him as he coaxed her arms back up around his shoulders. Linking them behind his neck, she shook her head slightly. "I don't understand. What do you mean by that?" Judar began to swim backwards slowly, keeping his grip to move her with him. "It's obvious that you like me. That's why you wouldn't swim with me in the first place, and why you're always so shy. It's completely different from when you first met me, but not in a comfortable sort of way."

He chuckled as he thought about it, his eyes moving to watch the water. "Actually, you're more awkward than you were back then. It's a little infuriating." Frown crossing her face, Kenmei hung her head slightly, her eyes landing on his collarbone. "I'm sorry… Do you want me to stop?" Judar's grip tightened on her slightly and he shook his head. "What? Why would I want you to stop? I want you to just be open about it, you know?" Kenmei began to feel her eyes tear up at his words again, unsure of how to interpret them.

"Besides," he continued. "you never know."

"Never know what? I don't understand what you mean." Kenmei turned her gaze back up to his face. "We're too different… My feelings are stupid and childish…" She laid her hot cheek against the cold scales of his shoulder, soaking in the moment of getting to be with him like this. Although he was boney and cold, she felt comfortable and safe in his arms, and she never wanted him to let her go. Judar was silent for a moment, moving them about in circles, and Kenmei could only imagine what he must have been thinking.

"That's really kind of stupid." He finally spoke, and though Kenmei couldn't see his face, she could hear that he spoke with a sneer. "I don't care that we're different. Do you think I'd be like this if I did? No, I would have eaten you." Kenmei felt her stomach churn a bit at that comment. Judar made this joke often, and though he used it as a way to tease her, she was starting to think that it was something his kind actually did do. "Y-you wouldn't eat me, Judar…" With a soft chuckle, Judar laid his head on hers, and she could feel him smiling. "Nah, I don't want to eat you… But-"

Kenmei felt her heart skip a beat as he leaned further down, his lips trailing her neck as one of his hands began to slide up her side slowly.

"-I do want you."