Mint threw her snorkel and mask into the bucket on top of Di's and checked her shorts were alright. Nat was on his stomach on his towel wincing as Di lectured him in a loud voice about how stupid he had been. Isane looked on in mild amusement, a bottle of vinegar next to her along with some antiseptic cream. Shuuhei was sprawled next to him letting Matsumoto, Jai and Kira look at his leg. Ukitake was buying hotdogs down the beach with Kyoraku. Mint watched as the amount of hotdogs piled up on the counter top. They're really buying in bulk aren't they? She looked at the sky and noticed the sun was almost directly overhead. Wow. I hadn't realised we'd spent that much time on the reef! She tapped Di on the shoulder as Ukitake and Kyoraku came over with the hot dogs.

"What are we doing next?" Di thought for a moment.

"I think surfing sounds good." Raiden looked up from putting the sun cream bottle down to see the sunlight glint off a bald head.

"Huh? I know that head." He nudged Renji.

"Oi. Is that-?" Renji looked to see where he was pointing.

"Yeah! Oi, Di, look!" Di looked confused and shaded her eyes against the glare.

"Oh my god. It's Ikkaku." Mint looked too.

So it is! What the hell's he doing here?

"Oi!! IKKAKU!!" Raiden yelled down the beach. The figure turned and grinned.

"There you guys are!" Another figure shimmered into view and Mint saw it was Yumichika. He waved.

"We've been looking for you everywhere!" Renji and Raiden stood up as they made their way over.

"So, what the hell're ya doing here, Ikkaku?" Renji asked as Di joined them.

"We got bored in Soul Society. Too damn quiet, so we figured we'd find you guys and have some fun!" Ikkaku replied.

"Are Kenpachi and Yachiru here?" Di asked, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting to see Kenpachi storming down the beach spoiling for a fight.

"Nah. Fukutaicho's busy raidin' Ugendou and taicho's takin' a long nap." Mint looked horrified.

"Jyuushirou-san! Did you hear that?!" Ukitake looked up, his mouth full of hotdog.

"Yes." he mumbled, swallowing. "It's OK, Mint. She'll just steal my sweets as usual. I can always get more." Ikkaku stretched.

"Better than her torturin' me!" Di grinned, thinking back.

"Oh yeah...like when I gave her a permanent marker and she wrote 'cueball' on the back of your head...and the rest of your squad kept laughing at you and you didn't know why..." Ikkaku grinned back, evilly.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get revenge today, Di, wait and see." Renji rubbed his hands together.

"Sweet. I'm in!" Nat raised a hand from the towel.

"Me too." Di stood there with her mouth open.

"What the hell?! Why?! I didn't do anything to you!"

"You stop me from taking pictures!" Nat replied with a grin. She turned to look at Raiden who tactfully looked off in the opposite direction.

"Ya did prank them, babe."

"So are ya in Raiden?" Ikkaku asked with a grin. Di glared at him.

"I dunno..." Di stalked off in the opposite direction. Suddenly, she smiled, surprising Mint.

In that case...I'm not sorry I wrote that message on your back earlier! She cast a glance over her shoulder and smirked. Yup. The sun's tanned it nicely. Raiden turned to yell after her.

"Oh come on, babe-!" Renji snorted with laughter. Raiden whirled around. "What?! What the hell's funny?" Yumichika caught sight of his back too and raised a hand to his mouth.

"That's not beautiful." Ikkaku grinned.

"Now ya have an excuse."

"Will someone please tell me what the hell's going on?!" Raiden demanded.

"Well...Di wrote somethin' on ya back." Ikkaku replied, smirking.

"Saying?!"

"Property of: Di." Renji replied.

"In large letters!" Nat called.

Di skipped off as Raiden yelled, "DI!!! Get back here NOW!!"

Jai smiled at his hotdog. Yay! Food! I'm starving! He took a large bite out of it, noticing Raiden chasing Di around the beach. Matsumoto was making a fuss over Shuuhei's leg. Jai sighed, feeling a pang of jealousy. Maybe I should get injured! Then Rangiku-san would make a fuss over me! Oh yeah...I did...He concentrated on Matsumoto, ignoring what Shuuhei was saying. Suddenly he felt a gust of wind against his face and heard a harsh squawking sound.

"Argh!" he yelled, batting ineffectively at a seagull which was trying to steal his hotdog. The seagull squawked at him furiously, tearing at the hotdog. "Get off!" Jai yelled, making a fist and punching it away from him. Di stopped running and Raiden crashed into her as the seagull hit the sand and bounced twice. It lay motionless as the group stared in silence at it. "Is it dead?" Jai asked nervously, protecting his hotdog.

"We'd know if it was." Mint replied as Di looked shocked. Jai cautiously made his way over to it and poked it with his foot. The seagull suddenly burst back into life and flapped up again, screeching harshly.

"Ahhhh!!!!" Jai yelled, punching it back down again. Di winced.

"I heard something crack." Mint watched as the spirit of the seagull appeared next to its corpse.

"You killed it Jai." Jai looked worried and relieved.

"Serves it right! It was after my hotdog!" Di glared at him.

"Oh you're in deep shit. Firstly, that's animal cruelty, secondly, we're not supposed to kill things here and thirdly killing a seagull is hideously unlucky in New Zealand- you'll be cursed!" There was a dead silence.

"Cursed?!" Jai volunteered, looking slightly disbelieving. "How?"

"You'll be unlucky in all your ventures and love life." Di replied folding her arms. "It says so in the guide book. Killing a seagull's like killing an albatross over here." Mint rolled her eyes.

Yeah. A likely story. Jai looked panicked, especially at the mention of love life.

"How do I stop it! Did the guide book say?!" Di nodded, looking solemn.

"Yeah. You have to turn around nine times, anticlockwise, throwing sand over your left shoulder with your right hand. Then you have to run into the sea, shouting to drive off evil spirits and then you have to immerse yourself for ten seconds to cleanse yourself of the sin." Jai nodded frantically.

"OK, OK." Mint clapped a hand to her mouth as Jai did as he was bid.

Oh my god! He fell for it! Di watched in amusement as Jai ran into the sea screaming at the top of his lungs.

Serves him right for killing it. The group burst out laughing as Jai came back up.

"Di? There is no seagull's curse is there?" he said slowly. Di shook her head, shaking with laughter.

"Nope!"

"Argh! I'm getting you back for this!"

"Join the club." said Nat casually.

"It served you right! You killed it!" She noticed the group were still howling with laughter. "I don't know what you guys are laughing at! The cliff certainly isn't!" Everyone stopped at that.

"Ah...that's because rock can't laugh, Di-chan." said Kyoraku kindly.

"That cliff is the resting place for the spirits of those who died on those wrecks over there." Di said pointing out and over to the sand bars.

"Really Di-chan?" Matsumoto asked, turning to look and shielding her eyes against the sun.

"Yep. And they don't find it amusing when people start making fun under their cliff. They get angry."

"So...how do we stop that?" Ikkaku asked, glancing at the cliff while Yumichika made a not bothered face. Di inwardly grinned.

"You have to turn around nine times in front of the cliff and then kowtow in front of the cliff nine times in order to pacify them. Go! Now!" Mint snorted with laughter as Matsumoto, Kyoraku, Renji and Ikkaku started doing it.

Those idiots! I can't believe this! They're so gullible! In the middle of the turning around, Kyoraku realised that something wasn't right and calmly and quietly left the rest of the group to complete the task on their own.

"You guys were hilarious!" Jai choked as they turned back.

"DI!!!" Ikkaku yelled, dancing around in annoyance. Di collapsed with laughter. Ukitake smiled.

Oh dear. Di's certainly on a roll today.

Di was talking to the owner of the surfboard shack to try and get the surfboards when she felt someone writing something on her back. Go away! she thought furiously to herself but continued talking, not wanting to be rude. She finally walked back down the beach and glared at Ikkaku who was sunning himself.

"What the hell did you write on my back?!" Di snapped at him. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing for ya to be concerned about."

"Liar!" Renji walked past and grinned at Di's back.

"Hey! Nice one Ikkaku!" Di whirled round.

"What the hell's on my back?!" Ikkaku snorted with laughter. Di ran over to Mint who was sunbathing next to Ukitake.

"Mint!!!! What've they written on my back?!" Mint peered at her back and mentally groaned.

"It says, 'Raiden's woman'." Di raced into the sea in a fury and started scrubbing violently at her back as Ikkaku, Renji, Nat and Jai laughed at her.

It's OK, Di. Don't get mad, get even. she thought to herself. Oh I'm gonna get even alright.

Mint looked over at the surfboards stuck into the sand and grinned. She noticed that people were strategically avoiding them and giving them strange looks, especially in the direction of Ikkaku's loincloth. Mint pushed her sunglasses down and wriggled her toes in the sand as Jai buried the seagull in the sand near the cliff, Nat watching with interest. A shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Di again, not looking happy.

"Is it gone?" she asked, turning. Mint nodded.

"Yep. All gone. Sea water's amazing isn't it?" Di glared over in the direction of Ikkaku.

"Thank god Rice didn't see that!"

"'Thank god Rice didn't see' what, babe?" Di smiled at him.

"Absolutely nothing." Nat grinned evilly.

"Hey! Raiden! Come here a minute!" Mint rolled over onto her stomach.

Now what? Di gave Ukitake a once over and grinned.

"Aww. He's pink and asleep, bless."

"Yeah. The sun makes him sleepy." Mint said with a fond smile, watching as Nat raised the camera.

"This is what you missed!" Nat crowed. Di's eyes widened.

"Oh hell no!" she yelled, sprinting for the camera. Nat blanched.

"Shit. I can't move." Raiden grinned.

"Don't worry about it. I saw." Di came to a screeching halt, throwing up sand.

"God dammit, Nat! Gimme that camera- it's going in the sea!" Nat clutched the camera possessively.

"No. Besides he saw already." Di inwardly groaned.

Oh no. Raiden grinned.

"It was nice of them to give ya a label." Di sniffed and folded her arms.

"Like I've said, a thousand times, I'm NOT your woman!" Raiden looked puzzled.

"Then what are ya if you're not?"

"Your girlfriend!" Di snapped.

"I fail to see what the difference is." he replied with a grin. "I prefer 'woman'."

"You don't see Ukitake calling Mint, 'woman', do you?!"Raiden shrugged.

"Ya don't see Ukitake-san calling Mint anything. What's the big deal?" Di blinked several times.

"Yeah...you're right...you don't..."

"So...you're my woman!" Raiden concluded. Di thought to herself as she smirked back.

"So...what? You're my man?"

He's right...Mint doesn't really get called anything by Ukitake. She doesn't seem to care though. Actually...I think he called her 'dear' once and then stopped because she laughed. Raiden looked pleased with himself.

"Yeah. Now you're catching on!"

"Huh?" Di said distractedly, as Renji got hold of the permanent marker and then got into an argument with Jai over it. "What? That Ukitake doesn't call Mint anything?" Raiden looked confused. "No...that I'm your man." Di snorted with laughter.

"I'd sound stupid saying that. But anyway, what's the problem with Ukitake not calling Mint anything? I don't call you anything."

"Yeah ya do: Rice and baka Rice." Di laughed.

Oh yeah. I use it so often I forget.

"Whereas you have: babe, baby, kitten, mini-fukutaicho, princess and all variations of those." Ukitake opened an eye.

"Oh? You're right." he said, raising himself on an elbow.

"Course I am." Raiden replied. Mint sighed.

"You don't have to you know, Jyuushirou-san."

"Oh no...I should! Kyoraku's been bugging me to pick one too." Di grinned at Kyoraku who raised a cocktail glass to her. "I need some ideas though." Raiden grinned.

"I already gave ya 'Glasses'." Mint gave him a look.

"That's an insult!"

"No. It's a friendly nickname." Raiden said with a grin.

"Cute furry animal route!" Nat called from the towel.

"The cameraman from hell has a point." Di conceded. Ukitake smiled.

"Ah. Like you have 'kitten' as a nickname...right Di?" Di flushed a little.

"Yeah...sort of..." Raiden gave Mint a long look.

"Puppy." Ukitake shook his head.

"You can't get a good nickname out of that."

"Sure ya could! 'Mint, here girl!'-OW!" Di smiled, stepping off his foot as she did so.

"Heel, boy." Mint laughed.

"Thanks Di."

"Behave, kitten!" Ukitake sighed.

"She could be...a bird..."

"Polly want a cracker?" Raiden ventured.

"I'll cracker you in a minute!" Di replied, annoyed at his interruptions. Raiden looked confused.

"How do you cracker someone?" Di ignored him. Mint smiled at Ukitake.

"Maybe not." Di grinned.

"Hey! What about a rabbit!"

"What? Bunny-chan?" Raiden snorted. Ukitake beamed.

"Wait...I think that might work...how about Bun-Bun-chan?" Di smiled politely while Raiden cracked a rib trying not to laugh.

"Perfect." he replied with an equally straight face. Mint didn't look so sure about it.

"Umm...Jyuushirou-san...I don't think-"

"But Mint! It's cute isn't it? And you do sort of remind me of a bunny rabbit." Di's eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. She could feel Raiden shaking behind her.

"Hmm...Bun-Bun-fukutaicho sounds good." Raiden said, testing the name out.

"I think I preferred Glasses-fukutaicho." Mint muttered to herself.

"Hi Bun-Bun-chan." Di said with a perfectly straight face. Raiden hiccupped behind her.

They're both laughing at me aren't they? Mint thought to herself with a sigh.

"Couldn't you call me usa-chan instead?" Di raised an eyebrow.

"I prefer Bun-Bun-chan, though." Ukitake argued back gently.

"Hah! Di! I just thought of something! Bun-Bun-chan's 'buns' haven't risen too well!" Raiden cracked up completely leaving Di speechless and laughing in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just said that! And you used it in the wrong context!" She looked apologetically at Mint who was glaring at Raiden.

"Change it, Jyuushirou-san. Please! Before he gets any more ideas!" Ukitake sighed and looked at Raiden who was still clutching Di in an effort to remain upright.

"Oh alright...usa-chan it is then..."

You'll still be my Bun-Bun-chan in private! he thought with a smile.

"Hey! Di! I thought of another one! Baka usagi!" Di shushed him, still trying to stop laughing herself.

"I'm sorry Mint!" Mint shook her head in disbelief.

"Huh. Thanks a bundle, Di. Now I have three new nicknames."

"Sorry!" Di sang as Jai rushed over with a drink in one hand and the marker pen in the other. He suddenly tripped as he reached the edge of Mint's towel.

"Yikes!" He landed face-first in the sand as the drink splashed on Mint's legs.

"Hey!" Mint gasped, leaping to her feet.

Oh no! It's sticky! And the sand's sticking to it already! Nooo! Raiden continued laughing.

"Hah hah! Nice one quiffy!" Jai gave him a thumbs up from the sand while Nat snorted with laughter in the background.

"Are you alright, Jai-kun?" Matsumoto asked from her towel. Jai beamed, brushing sand out of his hair.

"Hai! Rangiku-san!" Di struggled to hold Raiden upright.

"Pull yourself together! You're damn heavy to hold up, Rice!" Raiden hiccupped again and wiped his eyes.

"I'm going to wash this off!" Mint called, running down to the sea and feeling the dark sand burning the soles of her feet.

Wincing, she heard Raiden shout, "Bye, Bun-Bun-chan!"

Grrr!!!! Stupid Raiden! Mint thought furiously, wading into the sea so she could wash the sticky juice off. Damn it! He was probably drinking mango ice tea! As she waded further out she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left foot. Ukitake and the rest of the group started as Mint screamed in pain.

"Mint?! What's wrong?!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. Di peered out to sea as Mint gingerly limped back to the water's edge, whimpering in pain. "Is there something wrong with your foot?" Ukitake asked, as he reached her, Di not far behind. Mint mutely held up her foot and gasped when she saw the spiny sea urchin stuck to the bottom of it.

"Ahhh!!! Someone get it off!!!" Di winced.

That looks painful. Raiden snorted with laughter and immediately stopped when Di glared at him.

"OK, OK." Di knelt and gingerly tried to tug it out.

Damn it's spiny! I need a pair of gloves or something! Mint bit her lip and winced.

"Stop wriggling it about, Di! Just pull the thing out!"

"OK, OK! I'm trying!" Di snapped, still trying to figure out the best way without getting injured.

"Move, babe- I got this one." Di moved to one side in confusion as Raiden knelt next to her. Mint groaned.

"Oh no, not you. You'll just make it worse!" Di noticed that Raiden had wrapped his hands in one of the towels.

Clever. she thought and smiled. Mint howled as Raiden yanked the urchin out.

"Ya know...we could eat this..." Di shook her head.

"Wrong type. Just put it back." Ukitake immediately supported Mint as she hopped around in pain.

"Thank you, Raiden." Raiden shrugged and hurled the sea urchin several metres out to sea.

"Yeah. Where's Isane-san?" Isane was on her knees, checking the bottom of Mint's foot.

Mint winced as Isane said, "You were lucky, Mint-san...although...I can see at least one spine left in there." Di shuddered.

This is going to hurt her like hell. Mint swallowed hard as Isane rummaged in her kit for a pair of tweezers and antiseptic. Matsumoto winced as Mint's scream of pain reached her ears.

"I'm sorry, Mint-san, please try to hold still." Isane said, holding her foot firmly. Mint nodded as Ukitake held her hand.

I wish she wasn't in so much pain...but...it has to be taken out.

"You're doing really well." he said encouragingly as Di called the others to her.

"I think we should go surfing." she said as everyone winced at Mint's yelps of pain.

"Good idea." Kyoraku replied, "Ukitake and Isane-chan can take care of Mint-chan. Right? So we all grab a board then, Di-chan?" Di nodded and noticed there was a rush for the one which wasn't pink with Hawaiian flowers on it. Ikkaku glowered at everyone.

"Why the hell did I get this one?!"

"I'll swap if you like, Ikkaku-san!" Kyoraku replied cheerfully.

Di gestured for them to walk into the sea with the boards.

"You first-" she began, stopping when Ikkaku sailed past her, paddling like a maniac out to sea. "IKKAKU!!" She yelled after him over the roar of the waves. "Where're you going?!"

"This is simple!" he yelled back. "Ya do this, right?" He tried to stand up, a wave caught him broadside and he tumbled off. Di winced as he got rolled straight back to them, board on top of him. Yumichika sighed as he washed up next to him.

"Yare yare, Ikkaku. Just listen to her for once."

"Arghh!!!" Ikkaku yelled. "There's sand in my loincloth!!" Di watched in amusement as he danced around in the breaker zone trying to wash it out.

Where's a camera when you need one?

Mint sat back on the towel, feeling tired and slightly in pain. Isane had rubbed some anaesthetic cream onto the sole of her foot before bandaging it. Ukitake looked at her in concern.

"Is there anything you need? Can I get you anything? A drink? Ice cream?" Mint smiled weakly at him.

"A drink and ice cream sounds good right about now." Ukitake beamed.

Yogatta. She sounds like her usual self now!

"Drinks and ice cream coming right up!" he promised and rushed off down the beach to get them. Mint sighed and rested back on her elbows watching everyone attempting to surf. She could hear Ikkaku and Renji the most keenly, mixed with Matsumoto's excited whoops as she managed to stay on the board for a few seconds.

Oh...I wish I was out there with them. She looked glumly at her foot which was thick with bandages and numb from the cream. Stupid sea urchin! Still...I wasn't expecting Raiden to be that helpful...She watched as Di carved the wave she was in and then smoothly sat down on her board after it broke on the shore. There were yells and Mint saw at least two people fall off their boards. Heh, wipe-out! she thought happily. Di paddled back out to help the nearest person who Mint made out to be Kira before paddling over to the other which was Raiden.

"Having fun so far, usa-chan?" Ukitake sat down next to her, passing her a large soft cream.

Mint licked it happily before saying, "It could've been better." She looked pointedly at her foot. Ukitake smiled gently.

"Well, bad things sometimes happen which you don't expect. We can still have fun here." Mint grinned.

"Yeah. No problem." She laughed as Ikkaku wound up face first in the sand again. "Ikkaku! Are you alright?" Mint called. He looked up and grinned.

"Of course! You forget, I'm the sanseki of 11th squad! Even the sea can't-" He broke off and started yelling. "Arrrghhh!! There's something in my loincloth!" Di drifted in and stepped out of the sea, stopping to laugh at Ikkaku.

"Hi Mint! Feeling better?" Mint nodded, licking the ice cream.

"Uh huh. Isane-san put some cream on it. Can't feel a thing now." Di stuck the board in the sand and sat on the edge of the towel as Ukitake left to throw his drink can in the bin. Mint smiled at her. "You know...Di...?" Di nodded.

"Uh huh? I know what?" Mint looked out to sea in time to see Raiden cut up Renji on the wave sending him tumbling.

"You should do something about Raiden." Di raised an eyebrow.

"What? As in break up with him? I thought you liked him." Mint shook her head.

"No! I just mean...don't you think you've been giving him the run around for long enough?" Di's eyes widened as she realised what her friend was saying.

"Mint?!" she flushed. Mint grinned.

"Ah come on. All I'm saying is that opportunities should be taken. Such as this one." She looked out to sea again. "Everyone's so busy trying to surf they won't notice two people are missing. And even if they do...I'm sure the people will be smart enough to go somewhere private." Di looked shocked.

I'm amazed she's encouraging me to go and do this. What's happened to Mint suddenly? Mint noticed Di's face and shrugged.

"Look. It's obvious that you feel exactly the same way about him. All I'm saying is...get in there." Di found herself laughing slightly hysterically.

"Ah ha. I guess I don't have a choice...what with peer pressure and all..." Mint sighed hard.

"Oh come on! I'm not asking you to do it. That's your own decision. Now's a perfect opportunity! Nat's incapacitated, and the rest of the Snoop Gang are trying to keep themselves on their surfboards!" Di bit her lip and looked out to sea at everyone.

She's right. It would be a good opportunity...She turned back to Mint who was grinning.

"Have I ever been wrong about situations?" Di shook her head slowly.

"Even if we did go off...I can't promise anything will happen..." Mint smiled.

"Oh I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I think Raiden can read situations as well as me." She looked up and grinned. "Ah, Raiden!" Di's heart skipped a beat.

I didn't even notice he was there. she thought, feeling her cheeks burn.

"I think Di wants to go for a walk." Di's heart stopped beating.

MINT!! Raiden raised an eyebrow.

"What? Has Di lost her tongue or something? Hey, kitten, ya wanna go for a walk?" Mint made eyes at her.

Go for god's sake Di!

Di heard herself say, "Yeah sure." Mint beamed.

"Great! You two have fun now! Don't rush yourselves! We've got plenty of time before we have to leave! See ya!" Raiden looked back, confused.

"Why's she waving like a maniac with that huge grin on her face?"

"I don't know." Di replied, still feeling highly disjointed mentally.

Kyoraku, bobbing up and down on the waves, saw Di and Raiden walking off down the beach together and grinned.

Oh? I can see that something's going to happen here. Shame that Nat's out of commission. Ah well. Go for it Di-chan!