I don't own most of the characters. They belong to Adachitoka sensei!

The days flew by quickly and I still haven't learnt much about what love is. I would walk around, staring at couples and trying to observe what they do but nothing seemed to come to me. I grunted as I watched a couple kissing away in a park, wanting to slam them to the next galaxy. "There you are," Akito said as he sat down next to me, holding two steaming cups of coffee. I thanked him and sipped at it, grimacing as the bitter taste flooded my mouth.

"I thought you didn't like coffee," Akito said as he drank his. "Yeah. But I need it to stay awake," I said as I tried not to spit out my coffee. We watched as the couple broke off and stood up, walking hand in hand out of the park. "So you still trying to figure out above love?" Akito asked. "Yeah. And I'm not making much progress… man its so annoying to see people smooching about!" I grunted as I drained the cup and tossed it into the trash.

"But as the goddess of love, I thought you should know all there is to it about love," Akito said. "I do. It's just that I don't know how to reciprocate those feelings anymore. I understand the concept, yes. But I don't know why people love now. I have seen so many happy couples break up because of petty things like money and work so I thought I was doing them a favour by doing what I did," I said as I leaned back on the bench. The weather was getting slightly warmer now so I just wore a shirt and a cardigan.

"I'm no god of love, but from what I understand, people love because they choose to," Akito said as he looked at the ground. "Love may be a natural thing felt by all humans but for a relationship to work, the person needs to be able to work with the other through all their problems. I understand as a goddess of love, you give the green light for them to get together but it isn't your fault that their relationship doesn't last. It is up to them to mend their relationship if something goes wrong, not just rely on a goddess who doesn't know them intimately," Akito said.

I stared at him as he spoke, his words filling me like wave of music. The way he said it, the words he spoke, it brought to much meaning to my heart as he talked. It was true that I merely blessed the relationship, but I never gave it a thought that they were really the ones who decide if the relationship lasts. "Well, that's just advice coming from a Shinki anyway," he said as he stretched. "That was pretty deep advice. I'll take it then," I said and he smiled. "Well, we better get going. We're supposed to meet Yato-san and the other's right?" he said as he offered me a hand. I stared at it for a while, red staining my cheeks as I took it. As we walked away, I mentally scolded myself for having such thoughts.

….

"It's time for a va-ca-ti-on!" Kofuku sang as we rode in the car. It was already the summer holidays and Hiyori was on vacation so she decided all of us should go to the beach for the day. "The sea! The sea!" Kofuku sang as Daikoku concentrated on the road, praying under his breath. Driving the goddess of poverty for a holiday was a heavy burden for him since she wrecked havoc wherever she went. I pity the guy…

"Oh! There it is!" she squealed as she wind down the window, the sea breeze hitting our faces. She shrieked as we drove down to the beach, the sea stretching for miles beyond the horizon. "Remind me why I ended up being stuffed in the boot," Yato grunted as Daikoku pulled him out from amongst the luggage. "It's because a free loader like you doesn't do any work around the house and if you were to be in the car, you would be singing all your crap songs and making me go nuts," Daikoku growled as he deposited him on the sand. Yukine smirked as his master coughed out sand while Hiyori patted him on the back.

"She's a free loader too, you know," he blurted pointing at me and Akito. "Well, at least she helps cook once in a while," Kofuku called out as she pulled on her hat and ran for the beach. "My lady, be careful! There's sharp shells there!" Daikoku yelled as he chased after her. "Ready to go?" Tenjin said as he pulled up next to us. Akito turned pale when the female Shinki filed out, dressed in beach clothing. I glared at them and they didn't even think of trying to get near him after that.

"Well, then! If everyone is here, let's go party!" Yato yelled as he yanked off his clothes and dove into the sea. He laughed as he waded through the water, waving at us to come join him. "Come on in! The water is great!" he called as the waves knocked into him, causing him to curse and splutter. "Kofuku! This is your doing, isn't it?!" he demanded. Kofuku nearly giggled as she built a sandcastle, her Shinki glaring at Yato until he decided to submerge himself.

"Yay!" the female Shinki yelled as they pulled off their clothes and dove into the water. They giggled and laughed as they splashed at each other, water flying around them. Hiyori and Yukine were under an umbrella, Hiyori trying to explain something to Yukine, who blushed as he tried not to look at her in her bikini. "Come on, Akito. Let's play some volleyball," I said as I removed my outer wear to reveal a black bikini. Akito quickly uttered something as he removed his shirt, grabbing the ball on our way there.

"We're at the ocean! Shouldn't we be swimming or something?" Akito asked as we took our positions. "I don't really like to swim. Come at me!" I shouted as I readied myself. He sighed as he threw the ball in the air, slamming it towards me. I caught it, hitting back at him. We continued to play for a long time until the sound of another car pulling up came from nearby. "Sorry we're late!" a man called out and I turned to the source and gulped.

Bishamon, the goddess of war stood there, dressed in a fiery red bikini, which her Shinki, a man in a uniform was trying not to look at. She eyed our little party for a minute before opening the back of the car, where several Shinki stumbled out and ran to the beach, some jumping into the water. "Oh, you must be Aiko," she said as she shook hands with me. "Its an honour, Bishamon-sama," I said. "Please. Just call me Bishamon," she smiled. How often I wished I could swap my job for hers. Her Shinki, whom she introduced as Kazuma was already making conversation with Akito.

"Oi, people! Lunch is ready!" Tenjin called from his barbeque, wearing a flowery apron over Hawaiian shorts. I wished he would wear a shirt though… those old man abs were disturbing… "Yahoo!" Yato yelled as he came out from the ocean before stopping dead in his tracks. "Crazy chick…" he muttered as Bishamon glared at him. "Yatogami," she growled and I sensed the electricity building between them. "Hey hey. Let's go eat some lunch shall we?" I grinned, grabbing Bishamon by the wrist and dragging her to the picnic table. Man I had heard the rumours about them hating each other but I didn't know it was that bad.

We sat around the tables, munching on the seafood Tenjin had barbequed. I sighed with satisfaction as I patted my stomach, stuffed with fish and squid. "How do you stay so thin when you eat so much?" Bishamon wondered aloud as she slowly ate her fish. It was true that my stomach always remained flat even though I ate a lot but I didn't really bother to find out the reason. "So the rumours of you being a binge eater were true," she continued as I gaped at her.

"What?! Where did you hear that from?!" I shrieked as she revealed a copy of Tamagahara gossip magazine. As I scanned the page, I caught sight of a familiar name and growled. "Keiko… I'm coming for you later…" I growled as thunder rolled above my head. "Anyway, its just a gossip magazine so I didn't take it seriously. But I take the news about you probably getting banished are true?" she asked and I sighed. "Yeah…" I said. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be that hard to learn about love. Maybe you can Kazuma about it. He's a very knowledgeable person," she said as Kazuma choked on his food.

"Well, now that we're full, let's go play again!" Yato yelled as he grabbed my arm. "Oi, wait! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" I shrieked as he dragged me to the ocean. "We're just going for a swim," he grinned as he dragged me closer to the water. My heart started to race when the fear began to set in. "Come on! Let go of me!" I shrieked, struggling to break free of his grip. Oh man… let go of me will ya?!

"Heave ho!" he yelled as he tossed me into the water, my body landing with a splash. I surfaced, my head breaking the surface as I tried to swim. "Help!" I screamed as I tried to paddle but the fear overwhelmed me. The feeling of being in the water with no idea what was beneath me… it terrified me. "Come on! It's not that deep!" Yato called as I shrieked. "Please! I can't swim!" I yelled as a wave passed over me. It knocked me under, sending me tumbling into the depths below.

"Oh shit!" he yelled, his voice muffled as the water blurred my hearing. As I sank, I could hear the muffled sounds of shouting as people tried to come to my aid. My vision became blurry as air escaped from my lips. Am I going to die like this? How stupid… I thought as a splashing sound came from above me. Akito… I whispered in my mind as a hand reached towards me. But that wasn't Akito's hand. No… its impossible.. he shouldn't be here… "Take my hand!" he yelled as I slipped into the darkness.