Koushirou paused from eating for just a moment, long enough to look back at
the two boys finally making their way to the make-shift camp site. Well,
it looks like things have gotten back to where they should be. Good thing
too, I don't know if I could kill Ken after all. He resumed his eating as
Iori and Ken ambled up to the site.
"It's about time you two got here," Tai said with a mouth full of sandwich.
"We had a little catching up to do, Taichi," Iori said. Tai nodded a polite 'whatever' and continued stuffing his face. Iori and Ken sat down on the blanket and began eating as the waves pounded the shore. The others finished as they were still only half done and began preparing to swim. Shirts were tossed to one side by the boys and the girls stepped out of their clothes and neatly set them aside while Ken and Iori continued eating.
"Either they eat really fast or we eat really slow, Ken," Iori said as they all headed into the water after begging the two stragglers to hurry up.
"Well, Tai eats fast as anything. The others didn't eat all that much, I bet. They're too anxious to get in the water." Ken finished his sandwich and chased it down with a swig of coke.
"I can't say I blame them. The water is so nice here, better than anyplace in our world," Iori told him as he took his shoes off.
Once he had the shoes and socks off, Iori tossed his shirt in the community pile. "Ken, come on. The water is calling us."
"I'll be in after while, Iori, I just ate and I don't want to get cramps. You go on."
"You'll be fine, Ken, come on."
"No, I'll wait. You go on. I will be in a little while."
"Alright. Don't wait too long."
Ken laid back on the towel and shut his eyes. He expected to hear Iori running down the beach, but instead he squinted into the sun to see the boy fumbling with the drawstring on his shorts. Iori finally got the knot undone with a grunt or three and shimmied his way out of the shorts. What is he doing? Aren't those his shorts? Ken thought as Iori stepped out of the longer shorts and stood there, grinning at Ken, wearing only a small orange boomerang of fabric and a smile.
"See you in the water, Ken-chan," he called as he raced off to the surf line, leaving Ken to stare in awe. I never took Iori to be the kind of person to wear anything like that. He is so conservative all the time. Wow. Ken finally got his breath back when Iori dove into the water. It looks like he's worn it before because he hasn't any tan lines. Ken pushed his hair back and sighed.
The group in the water was having an extremely enjoyable time. Ken watched as some of the guys were playing a game of 'Throw Iori'. He couldn't help but grin as Iori went flying through the air after Tai nearly put him in orbit. His arms were flailing and he was bicycling his legs, only to splash back down in an ungraceful heap. Laughter reached his ears and he couldn't help but laugh with them.
Iori glanced over at Ken and saw him still rooted to the same spot on the beach. "I'll be back guys," he said and swam away from the circle of boys, swimming underwater and scaring the fire out of Sora, before walking out of the surf. "Ken, I think you've waited long enough now," he said as he sat down next to him.
"I don't know, Iori. I don't think I can yet."
"What? What are you talking about? You've been sitting here for almost an hour now. You don't have to wait any more than a half hour, in case you forgot."
"I know, Iori. I just. . ."
"Just what, Ken? You can tell me."
"It's silly. Don't worry about it. Go on back in the water and enjoy yourself."
"No way! I'm not going anywhere until you get in the water with us."
"Iori, please. Just go on back out there."
"Um, no." Iori crossed his arms and looked at Ken.
Oh man, how can I refuse him? He looks too adorable. Ken watched a single drop of water make its way from the side of his neck and slowly run down Iori's chest before disappearing in the fabric around his waist. Now he'll surely think I'm a loser if I tell him this
"Ken? Hello? Earth to Ken. . .Anybody home?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about something."
"Wanna share your thoughts?"
"You'll think I'm stupid if I tell you."
"You can't be any stupider than you are now, sitting on the beach and not getting in the water," Iori said and laughed at him.
"Hey!" Iori only grinned at him. "You still want to know?"
"Of course. Tell me."
"I. . . I never learned how to swim."
Iori looked at him for a second, trying to figure out how that would make him stupid. "That's all? You can't swim?"
"That's it. I've been scared of the water since I was little. I never could learn how."
"Well, would you let me teach you?"
"You'd teach me?"
"Of course I would, Ken. I can't have you sitting up here all alone while we are having fun. Come on, let's go. It's really not that hard."
"I don't know, Iori."
"What about if we stay in the shallow waters? I'd have to be a lot shallower than you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about." Iori placed a hand at about chest level, showing where he'd stay and then moved the arm over to Ken, placing it just above waist level. "See, you'll be fine."
"Well. . ."
"That's settled then." Iori reached over and quickly tossed Ken's shoes aside, looking at him. "Come on, get the lead out, Ken!" Ken grinned back at him and finished removing the unnecessary clothing. How could I say 'no' to that? he wondered as he took his shirt off and folded it neatly.
"Maybe Kari brought a floatie you could use," Iori told him jokingly as they ran to the water.
"I don't think that will be necessary, Iori-chan. I'll just hang on to you." they shared a grin as they neared the tide line. Ken made as to slow up but Iori grabbed his hand and led him in. Iori disappeared in the white water and Ken shivered as he was assaulted by the warm/cold of the water.
"See? It's not that bad is it Ken?" Iori asked as he surfaced behind the older boy, watching as he jumped nearly a mile high.
"No, not as bad as I thought it would be. It could be warmer though."
"You'll get used to it in a minute or two. It's really warm here."
"Hey Ken! Nice of you to join us!" Takeru yelled as he soared through the air, having replaced Iori in the 'Throw Iori' game, it seemed. Takeru splashed down much like Iori had done earlier.
"Okay. Lesson one. Lay on your back and float, Ken," Iori told him.
"I'll sink."
"No you won't. I'll have my hands under you."
"Okay," Ken said, quite less than surely. He lay back and floated. He felt Iori's little hands lightly touching his back and relaxed. He started to sink just a little but Iori's hands steadied him.
"Take a deep breath, Ken, you'll float better." Ken did so and floated higher in the water. Iori kept Ken floating on his back for a few minutes until Ken got used to the water.
"Okay, now for step two. Turn on your stomach and kick your legs, Ken," Iori told him. "Put your hands out in front of you like you're flying."
"Alright." Ken rolled over and started and began kicking ungracefully. Iori had adjusted his hands so as not to be completely groping his friend, settling for one hand under Ken's stomach.
"Kick them like they are a pair of scissors, Ken, that way will work better for you." Ken nodded and began kicking in a more graceful and useful rhythm. Ken quickly got the hang of kicking, so Iori moved on.
"Okay, step three. Bring your arms forward like you're reaching for something, then cup your hands and pull them back as hard as you can." Ken started doing what he thought was right until Iori put his hand on one of Ken's arms and guided it through the proper motion. Ken got it down and was now moving through the water with Iori walking beside him with the one supporting hand.
It's too bad that he is picking this up so fast. I could do this all day. His skin is so soft but I can feel the muscles beneath flexing with each movement. Once Iori thought he'd let Ken practice enough, he lowered his hand just enough to let Ken slide over him while he swam. Of course in the process, Iori's little hand rubbed across something that he didn't quite intend. He grinned at the feeling and watched as Ken swam a few feet away before realizing that Iori wasn't supporting his weight anymore.
Ken stopped where he was and looked at Iori. "I swam! I really swam. Thank you, Iori." Iori beamed at him and swam over to where Ken was.
"It was nothing, Ken-chan. I just wanted to help you."
"Well, you did. Thanks." Ken pulled Iori into a deep hug.
"Thanks yourself, Ken," Iori said as they broke apart. "Now what do you say we go on over and play with the others? Maybe we can play a bit of 'Throw Ken'."
"I'd like that, Iori. Let's go." The two of them swam off side by side back to the group of children and joined them.
Awwww.kawaii. I hope you all enjoyed my little Ken/Iori friendship story. It was a gift for Yoshiki, writer of the 'Harsh' series of stories. There will most likely be a lemon-filled fifth chapter posted on Media Miner in the not too distant future. My pen name over there is 'everlight'. I've not posted there yet, but I will in the near future. Just hang on, Yoshiki, it'll be there.
Oh, and the three step method was the way I taught kids to swim back when I was life guarding. It worked fine as it did for Ken. It took a bit longer sometimes because they weren't as strong as Ken is, usually being around 6 or so. But oh well. . .
Man, that was a great job. I got to swim all day, lay in the sun and get an awesome tan, and watch people go by wearing the bare minimum of clothing allowed by law. All I had to do was yell at the few kids who didn't realize I meant business when I said 'no running' the first time. Too bad it didn't pay good enough or I'd still be doing it now!!!
Anyway, thanks for reviewing!!
energy
"It's about time you two got here," Tai said with a mouth full of sandwich.
"We had a little catching up to do, Taichi," Iori said. Tai nodded a polite 'whatever' and continued stuffing his face. Iori and Ken sat down on the blanket and began eating as the waves pounded the shore. The others finished as they were still only half done and began preparing to swim. Shirts were tossed to one side by the boys and the girls stepped out of their clothes and neatly set them aside while Ken and Iori continued eating.
"Either they eat really fast or we eat really slow, Ken," Iori said as they all headed into the water after begging the two stragglers to hurry up.
"Well, Tai eats fast as anything. The others didn't eat all that much, I bet. They're too anxious to get in the water." Ken finished his sandwich and chased it down with a swig of coke.
"I can't say I blame them. The water is so nice here, better than anyplace in our world," Iori told him as he took his shoes off.
Once he had the shoes and socks off, Iori tossed his shirt in the community pile. "Ken, come on. The water is calling us."
"I'll be in after while, Iori, I just ate and I don't want to get cramps. You go on."
"You'll be fine, Ken, come on."
"No, I'll wait. You go on. I will be in a little while."
"Alright. Don't wait too long."
Ken laid back on the towel and shut his eyes. He expected to hear Iori running down the beach, but instead he squinted into the sun to see the boy fumbling with the drawstring on his shorts. Iori finally got the knot undone with a grunt or three and shimmied his way out of the shorts. What is he doing? Aren't those his shorts? Ken thought as Iori stepped out of the longer shorts and stood there, grinning at Ken, wearing only a small orange boomerang of fabric and a smile.
"See you in the water, Ken-chan," he called as he raced off to the surf line, leaving Ken to stare in awe. I never took Iori to be the kind of person to wear anything like that. He is so conservative all the time. Wow. Ken finally got his breath back when Iori dove into the water. It looks like he's worn it before because he hasn't any tan lines. Ken pushed his hair back and sighed.
The group in the water was having an extremely enjoyable time. Ken watched as some of the guys were playing a game of 'Throw Iori'. He couldn't help but grin as Iori went flying through the air after Tai nearly put him in orbit. His arms were flailing and he was bicycling his legs, only to splash back down in an ungraceful heap. Laughter reached his ears and he couldn't help but laugh with them.
Iori glanced over at Ken and saw him still rooted to the same spot on the beach. "I'll be back guys," he said and swam away from the circle of boys, swimming underwater and scaring the fire out of Sora, before walking out of the surf. "Ken, I think you've waited long enough now," he said as he sat down next to him.
"I don't know, Iori. I don't think I can yet."
"What? What are you talking about? You've been sitting here for almost an hour now. You don't have to wait any more than a half hour, in case you forgot."
"I know, Iori. I just. . ."
"Just what, Ken? You can tell me."
"It's silly. Don't worry about it. Go on back in the water and enjoy yourself."
"No way! I'm not going anywhere until you get in the water with us."
"Iori, please. Just go on back out there."
"Um, no." Iori crossed his arms and looked at Ken.
Oh man, how can I refuse him? He looks too adorable. Ken watched a single drop of water make its way from the side of his neck and slowly run down Iori's chest before disappearing in the fabric around his waist. Now he'll surely think I'm a loser if I tell him this
"Ken? Hello? Earth to Ken. . .Anybody home?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about something."
"Wanna share your thoughts?"
"You'll think I'm stupid if I tell you."
"You can't be any stupider than you are now, sitting on the beach and not getting in the water," Iori said and laughed at him.
"Hey!" Iori only grinned at him. "You still want to know?"
"Of course. Tell me."
"I. . . I never learned how to swim."
Iori looked at him for a second, trying to figure out how that would make him stupid. "That's all? You can't swim?"
"That's it. I've been scared of the water since I was little. I never could learn how."
"Well, would you let me teach you?"
"You'd teach me?"
"Of course I would, Ken. I can't have you sitting up here all alone while we are having fun. Come on, let's go. It's really not that hard."
"I don't know, Iori."
"What about if we stay in the shallow waters? I'd have to be a lot shallower than you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about." Iori placed a hand at about chest level, showing where he'd stay and then moved the arm over to Ken, placing it just above waist level. "See, you'll be fine."
"Well. . ."
"That's settled then." Iori reached over and quickly tossed Ken's shoes aside, looking at him. "Come on, get the lead out, Ken!" Ken grinned back at him and finished removing the unnecessary clothing. How could I say 'no' to that? he wondered as he took his shirt off and folded it neatly.
"Maybe Kari brought a floatie you could use," Iori told him jokingly as they ran to the water.
"I don't think that will be necessary, Iori-chan. I'll just hang on to you." they shared a grin as they neared the tide line. Ken made as to slow up but Iori grabbed his hand and led him in. Iori disappeared in the white water and Ken shivered as he was assaulted by the warm/cold of the water.
"See? It's not that bad is it Ken?" Iori asked as he surfaced behind the older boy, watching as he jumped nearly a mile high.
"No, not as bad as I thought it would be. It could be warmer though."
"You'll get used to it in a minute or two. It's really warm here."
"Hey Ken! Nice of you to join us!" Takeru yelled as he soared through the air, having replaced Iori in the 'Throw Iori' game, it seemed. Takeru splashed down much like Iori had done earlier.
"Okay. Lesson one. Lay on your back and float, Ken," Iori told him.
"I'll sink."
"No you won't. I'll have my hands under you."
"Okay," Ken said, quite less than surely. He lay back and floated. He felt Iori's little hands lightly touching his back and relaxed. He started to sink just a little but Iori's hands steadied him.
"Take a deep breath, Ken, you'll float better." Ken did so and floated higher in the water. Iori kept Ken floating on his back for a few minutes until Ken got used to the water.
"Okay, now for step two. Turn on your stomach and kick your legs, Ken," Iori told him. "Put your hands out in front of you like you're flying."
"Alright." Ken rolled over and started and began kicking ungracefully. Iori had adjusted his hands so as not to be completely groping his friend, settling for one hand under Ken's stomach.
"Kick them like they are a pair of scissors, Ken, that way will work better for you." Ken nodded and began kicking in a more graceful and useful rhythm. Ken quickly got the hang of kicking, so Iori moved on.
"Okay, step three. Bring your arms forward like you're reaching for something, then cup your hands and pull them back as hard as you can." Ken started doing what he thought was right until Iori put his hand on one of Ken's arms and guided it through the proper motion. Ken got it down and was now moving through the water with Iori walking beside him with the one supporting hand.
It's too bad that he is picking this up so fast. I could do this all day. His skin is so soft but I can feel the muscles beneath flexing with each movement. Once Iori thought he'd let Ken practice enough, he lowered his hand just enough to let Ken slide over him while he swam. Of course in the process, Iori's little hand rubbed across something that he didn't quite intend. He grinned at the feeling and watched as Ken swam a few feet away before realizing that Iori wasn't supporting his weight anymore.
Ken stopped where he was and looked at Iori. "I swam! I really swam. Thank you, Iori." Iori beamed at him and swam over to where Ken was.
"It was nothing, Ken-chan. I just wanted to help you."
"Well, you did. Thanks." Ken pulled Iori into a deep hug.
"Thanks yourself, Ken," Iori said as they broke apart. "Now what do you say we go on over and play with the others? Maybe we can play a bit of 'Throw Ken'."
"I'd like that, Iori. Let's go." The two of them swam off side by side back to the group of children and joined them.
Awwww.kawaii. I hope you all enjoyed my little Ken/Iori friendship story. It was a gift for Yoshiki, writer of the 'Harsh' series of stories. There will most likely be a lemon-filled fifth chapter posted on Media Miner in the not too distant future. My pen name over there is 'everlight'. I've not posted there yet, but I will in the near future. Just hang on, Yoshiki, it'll be there.
Oh, and the three step method was the way I taught kids to swim back when I was life guarding. It worked fine as it did for Ken. It took a bit longer sometimes because they weren't as strong as Ken is, usually being around 6 or so. But oh well. . .
Man, that was a great job. I got to swim all day, lay in the sun and get an awesome tan, and watch people go by wearing the bare minimum of clothing allowed by law. All I had to do was yell at the few kids who didn't realize I meant business when I said 'no running' the first time. Too bad it didn't pay good enough or I'd still be doing it now!!!
Anyway, thanks for reviewing!!
energy