Unpredictable
***Author's note: Sorry for taking so long in updating! ^-^ Finally the vacation begins! And guess who they meet?? (I'll give you two guesses ^-~)
Chapter 2: Love at First Rescue
Laughter and voices filled the atmosphere in which the sun bore down upon. The ocean seemed drunk in happiness as its large waves washed beautifully up to shore, splashing the many individuals standing on the shore's edge. Women were tanning, children were playing, it was a paradise that no one wanted to leave. No one there seemed to care who was around, instead everyone laughed together.
Quatre stood on the soft, warm sandy beach basking in the glorious rays while watching the people interact with joy. He felt at peace there because no one was running up to him saying he was Quatre Winner, the richest young boy of the colonies. He had bumped into so many people and politely apologized and they just smiled and accepted it with gratitude without caring who he was or where he came from. This was the feeling he had yearned for so long and finally he was able to rest peacefully without worrying about duties or people acting strangely around him.
Suddenly, Quatre yelped as something cold washed over him. Through the haze of his now soaked hair he could see Duo grinning at him holding a large bucket that appeared to have been full of water recently now just part way full.
"Duo!" Quatre glared.
Duo smirked, "Sorry Quat, thought you'd like to test how cold the water was."
"Well, it's very cold!" he huffed indignantly.
Duo laughed and turned around, "It's beautiful isn't it?"
Quatre blinked and turned to see the ocean in all its glory. Each wave was like it was timed perfectly coming to shore in large, clear mounds of water. Many kids were currently jumping into each wave and laughing at how the current pushed them back.
"Yes, Duo, it is beautiful. And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," Quatre said, smiling serenely.
Duo smiled and shook his head, "You deserved this. You really work too hard. Besides, I didn't go through that much trouble, remember?"
Quatre smiled back, "I know, but it means a great deal to me."
Duo's eyes softened as he put the bucket down and held out his hands.
"Come here buddy."
A soft and yet unnoticeably sly smile graced Quatre's features as he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms loosely around his friend. Duo rubbed his bare back, not realizing Quatre's hands slowly unfolding and rising behind his back.
Duo pulled back a little and smiled a goofy grin, "You know, you really shouldn't be out here without sun block."
Gentle turquoise eyes narrowed in a gesture of playfulness, "Are you saying I need a tan?"
"No, Quat, I know you can't tan. Your skin's fine the way it is. In fact, it just adds to your personality."
"Oh yeah? And what's my personality?" Quatre asked, his eyes darting to his hands which were currently going up Duo's back, making sure not to touch lest Duo turned around.
Duo scrunched up his face in thought, "Naturally you're a kind, sensitive person. Your light hair, bright eyes and fair skin makes you look that much kinder."
"Really? And that's a good thing, is it?" Quatre's smile widened.
Duo didn't seem to notice his friend's unusual glittering eyes as he smiled down at him.
"Of course Quat, in fact I'd say only one word sums up your character."
"And what's that?"
"You're cute," Duo winked.
Quatre's smile turned sweet as he stared at his friend with admiration.
"Oh, Duo...you're very kind but you sound like my sisters. Actually, I know a word that would describe you too," Quatre lifted his arms and rested his forearms on Duo's shoulder, feigning innocence.
"Oh? Well, I've got to hear this. What is it? Sexy? Stunning? Irresistible?" Duo joked.
"Actually...," Quatre bent his feet so he was standing on tip-toes able to look Duo in the eye.
Quatre kept his face smiling only slightly as he stared into Duo's wide, violet eyes that seemed to have a tint of blue in them. Their faces were about only six inches apart and Quatre skillfully leaned down so their foreheads were touching.
"What, you don't think I'm irresistible?" Duo grinned reaching his hand up to brush Quatre's blonde hair out of his face.
Unnoticed hands crept higher behind Duo's back as Quatre smiled gently, his face softening and his eyes brightening till they looked angelic. Feeling even braver to distract Duo's attention, Quatre leaned down and pressed his lips softly to Duo's cheek.
"What was that for?" Duo asked, a soft smile on his face now.
Quatre knew that when Duo's face softened tenderly his vulnerability and unawareness grew, so he took advantage of that.
"You're such a wonderful friend, Duo," Quatre's smile brightened his face so his complexion stood out more against the sun.
"You are too," Duo hugged him tighter. "So, what word describes me?"
With gracefulness of that of a cat, Quatre bent down towards his ear, pressing their cheeks together.
"Wet..."
In one swipe before Quatre's words sunk in, he raised his hands all the way over Duo's head and poured the rest of the water from the bucket on his head. The water flowed down Duo's body, covering his Speedo and body in cold ocean water. His braid was now soaked thoroughly and his bangs flopped annoyingly in his eyes. In the time that the water was poured, Quatre had stepped back to avoid getting any more wet than he was. Duo on the other hand had no time to react and was standing there dripping wet with his mouth hanging open in surprise. Soon, that surprised look turned into a wide devilish grin.
"Nice move, Quatre. Never expected you to use your charm against me," Duo crossed his arms over his chest. "And I was about to add the word "angelic" but I guess I was about to speak too soon."
Quatre shrugged lightly folding his hands behind his back after dropping the bucket.
"I thought you wanted to go in the ocean," he said innocently.
Duo's eyes narrowed as he shook his head to get his bangs out of his eyes.
"Hmm...I think someone's going to go in first..."
Sand flared up from the beach as Quatre took off running, knowing the stare Duo had given him as a warning for him to run as fast as possible. Duo wasted no time in rushing after him to claim his revenge.
The beach was miles and miles long, but even so, Quatre couldn't keep running forever, especially when the thick sand was slowing him down. Feeling the adrenaline pumping his blood, he ran along the shoreline to help increase his speed. Quatre turned his head around to see how far Duo was behind him, his blonde hair flying around his face from the wind. Quatre's footsteps gradually slowed down until he stopped and turned around completely. Duo was no where to be found. His adrenaline finally died down as he hoped his friend was okay.
"Duo?" Quatre called out. "Du— Ahhh!"
Quatre squealed as he was lifted up in a strong grip, too strong for him to break since his hands were trapped.
"Yes Quat?" a cheery voice sounded from behind.
"Duo you jerk! Put me down!" Quatre shouted, struggling to break free of the death grip held on him.
He could hear Duo laughing, "Come on, Quat. If I let you go then it wouldn't be any fun. Besides, I have to get my revenge you know."
The water splashed against Duo's legs as he carried him toward the ocean. Quatre struggled harder, wiggling as best as he could.
"Duo stop!" Quatre shouted, not wanting to be thrown in the ice cold water after he had dried off from running.
In a half spin, Quatre was hung upside down facing the water. Duo's smiling face came into view above him.
"And why should I?"
Despite the disadvantage Quatre had at the moment, he was still gifted with incredibly good wit and was able to think of something within ten seconds.
"Because....if you put me in the water and we're both wet, we won't be able to go into the building to eat," Quatre smiled, still hanging upside down.
Duo's wicked grin faded into a look of defeat and hung his head.
"No fair, you know food is my weakness."
Quatre smiled, "Well you know strength is my weakness."
Duo flipped him right side up, "Quat you know darn well you're strong, especially for someone whose family is pacifist."
Quatre shrugged, "Maybe, but I'm not stronger than you."
"All right, how about we forget this for now and get something to eat. Those shuttles really didn't have anything appetizing," Duo held his stomach.
A soft chuckle escaped Quatre's lips as he tried to hold it in. Duo glared and threw his arm around him pulling him alongside him as they both walked back toward the entrance of the beach.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The jubilant laughter surrounded them as couples and families sat around talking and eating contently. Luminous rays flickered now and then inside the outside restaurant on the edge of the beach. A lulling breeze floating by as Quatre leaned into it, letting his hair lift off his face. The small table shook as a presence interrupted his relaxation. Quatre turned to see Duo sitting down next to him in hand with their drinks.
"Here you are Quat, one Tropical Fruit Punch," Duo set the glass of rich, foamy orange-red liquid in front of him.
Quatre smiled gratefully as he took the drink, turning back to staring at their surroundings.
"And don't worry, I told them to leave the rum out," Duo winked, knowing his friend was very sensitive to alcoholic beverages. "I'll call it the virgin Tropical Fruit Punch drink, just for you Quat."
"I wouldn't tease me either, Duo. You're not old enough to have any alcohol either," Quatre reminded him.
"I know that, but I don't mind. Drinks taste just fine without adding that sort of ingredient."
Duo noticed that Quatre was only half paying attention, a serene smile playing at his lips as he looked in another direction.
"Whatcha looking at?" Duo asked curiously.
"Just everything, Duo. This is such a beautiful restaurant with an ocean view and it's right on the edge of the beach," Quatre's eyes shined.
"Yeah, it is. Well this guide tour map of the hotel recommended Hemingway's," Duo said folding the brochure. "The waiter suggested that we go on a cruise ride or something. That might be fun. He told me that there's a lot of scuba diving that goes on here."
In a graceful turn, Quatre was facing him with a knowledgeable expression, "Most Caribbean islands have scuba diving because they have such fantastic underwater life."
As Quatre spoke a grin was plastered on Duo's face, "Then let's go scuba diving."
"I don't know, Duo. I wouldn't want to come face to face with a shark. Besides, I don't really know how to scuba dive. A boat ride sounds nice though," Quatre suggested.
"All right, we should find someone with a boat then who will offer us a ride. I'll go see if the waiter knows anyone," Duo said waving a hand toward the waiter.
The waiter caught his eye and walked over to their table, smiling as he recognized it was the cheerful braided boy and his cute friend.
"Is everything all right?" he asked them.
"Great," Quatre answered with a polite smile as he sipped his beverage.
"Actually, we were wondering if you knew anyone here with a boat who would give us newcomers a ride," Duo said brightly.
The waiter smiled, "You're in luck. There's a couple of guys that were here just a few minutes ago that are well-known for taking tourists on boat rides. Their names are Hiroto and Eli. Their boat is called The Dream Team. It's not official and they usually do it for friends, but you two seem like wonderful boys so I'm sure they'd take you. Their boat is near the entrance of the beach on the waters all ready, if you hurry you might be able to catch them."
"Thanks!" Duo said, leaving the tip on the table. "All right, Quat, let's go!"
"What about my drink?" Quatre asked, staring at his partially empty drink.
The waiter smiled, "Don't worry about that, I'll keep it here for you until you get back."
"Really?" Quatre's eyes sparkled happily. "You're so kind."
"No problem, you two are probably the best customers I've had all day," he winked at Duo who smiled in return.
Without hesitating, Duo grabbed Quatre's hand and took off running back toward the beach. The thick, warm sand blew up around them as they ran as fast as they could to where the boats were docked. Several of them were just sailboats but there was one speed boat that looked just about ready to undock.
"Hey, wait up! Dream Team!" Duo shouted.
A couple heads shot up from the boat as Duo kept shouting, much to Quatre's embarrassment, until they approached the boat from the dock both panting for breath. Sure enough, the boat they were approaching was titled The Dream Team in cursive letters.
"Duo, how did you know it was them?" Quatre asked quietly.
Duo shrugged, "I didn't, I was just hoping it was."
As they approached the actual boat a man appeared smiling down at them.
"And who might be calling The Dream Team?"
"Just some tourists," Duo smiled. "The waiter over at Hemingway's said you might be able to give us a little ride."
The boy looked around twenty with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was taller than Quatre by a little but shorter than Duo, who was two inches taller than Quatre. Just then another male appeared with black hair and brown eyes and was even taller than all of them.
"Hey Hiroto, what's going on?"
Hiroto smiled, "We have company."
"Sorry if it's inconvenient," Quatre apologized, feeling they were holding them up.
The other boy with black hair, who was most likely Eli, smiled down at him.
"Well, I don't think I've ever met someone who apologized so nicely. I think the two of you would be all right to come aboard," he said. "What do you think Hiroto?"
"Agreed," Hiroto answered. "Climb aboard. Oh and don't mind Sakura, she's just our driver. If she gets too annoying just ignore her."
"Hey! I heard that!" a young woman appeared with long auburn hair and hazel eyes. "Don't make me hurt you Hiroto! I'm older than you, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes while helping Duo and Quatre up onto the boat. "Don't mind her, she's just my sister."
After Quatre and Duo had gotten aboard the boat and they were finally undocked, Sakura took to the wheel and the boat sped off at incredible speed. During the ride, Quatre pointed out scenery to Duo as the beach got farther and farther away. When the boat finally stopped they could still see the beach but the people were much smaller.
"All right, this looks like a good spot," Eli said looking down at the water.
"A nice spot for what?" Quatre asked.
He turned and smiled at him, "For scuba diving, uh..."
"Quatre," he smiled.
"I'm Duo," Duo grinned with a wave of his hand.
"Ah, well I'm Eli. And Hiroto and I are professional scuba divers, and the Cayman Islands have been our favorite spot in the Caribbean so far," he smiled.
"That's gotta be an amazing hobby," Duo voiced.
Eli nodded enthusiastically, "It's wonderful. It is mainly a hobby but we also get paid for taking wonderful pictures of life in the reefs. It's mostly so that people make sure that these underwater creatures stay healthy and well-inhabited. Actually, Hiroto mainly takes the pictures I just like swimming with the creatures," he laughed.
"You finally admitted it," Hiroto said, appearing before them in his scuba gear. "It's because my older sister Sakura is a professional photographer so I learned a lot from her."
Sakura smiled brightly, "You sure did. Just make sure you guys don't do anything stupid like chasing sting rays again. We're not supposed to be this far out because the life guards can't really see us."
Eli shrugged, "We've been doing this for years and nothing has happened before. Well, except for when I almost got stung by a sting ray, but other than that it's pretty safe out here."
"Actually we have a mission right now that we're getting a pretty fair amount of money for, if you two don't mind," Hiroto winked.
"Not at all," Quatre smiled back, speaking for Duo as well. "In fact, we just like relaxing out on the ocean."
"Great," Hiroto smiled.
"All right, you guys ready?" Sakura asked, making sure the boat was stable.
The two boys both gave her the thumbs up.
"You two can stay up here if you'd like, we're only going to take a few pictures. We won't be long," he said as they both fell in backwards into the water and disappeared.
"What are they going after?" Quatre asked, peering into the clear waters.
Sakura sighed, "I think they're just taking pictures of the reef so that researchers can make sure it's healthy. They also just like to play around with the creatures under the water, which isn't so good because not all of them are harmless. In fact, I was a bit hesitant to bring them out here this time because of the attacks."
"Attacks?" Duo asked turning from peering into the ocean water to look at her seriously.
"Yeah, there haven't been that many, but for some reason the creatures have been a bit restless. They're usually good with tourists and people always being in the waters because this area has been a vacation spot for ages. It might be that some of the creatures are nesting closer to where people swim and they're just getting territorial."
"Is that why there are lifeguards?" Quatre asked.
"That's probably the biggest reason, yeah. I mean, there have always been lifeguards because there are so many people and there's plenty of room for accidents waiting to happen, but the lifeguards set up this year are different. They aren't lifeguards like the kind that watch over people at pools, they're the kind that go on like navy ships and help there. I believe they're trained in many, many areas like how to deal with dangerous underwater creatures to hunters, and of course basic CPR."
"There are hunters?" Quatre sounded intrigued and hurt at the same time.
Sakura nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, not everyone cares about the creatures living here. The lifeguards now are supposedly trained to stop and arrest poachers and other people illegally hunting."
"These lifeguards sound a lot like soldiers," Duo observed.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they've also had some military experience, even if it was just aboard ships or whatnot," Sakura voiced. "But a lot more tourists have come with them here because they feel safer. I'm surprised you guys didn't hear about them."
"No, that's probably because we didn't buy the tickets online," Quatre sent a small glare toward Duo who smiled innocently.
Sakura was confused for a moment before she smiled knowingly, "I see. Well then I'm glad I got the chance to tell you. In fact," she looked at her watch, "they should be coming up soon. I don't want to be caught away from the sight of lifeguards in case they take away our scuba licenses for a little while."
"Oh good, there they are!"
Tons of bubbles were floating up from under the water until two heads burst through.
"Hey, did you guys get good pictures?" Duo asked.
Hiroto shook his head taking off his mask, "No, we have to go back now!"
"What's the matter?" Sakura asked, his tone serious.
Hiroto and Eli climbed the ladder back up onto the boat.
"There are a bunch of Caribbean Reef sharks down there and they don't look too happy," Eli said. "Something has them upset and we couldn't stay down there to investigate. We barely got two pictures of a reef when Hiroto spotted one headed our way. Luckily, we distracted it by throwing a red toy torpedo and swam away."
"What, why are the sharks angry? That doesn't make sense. Caribbean Reef sharks aren't highly dangerous unless you enter their territory or if they feel threatened. Something must be bothering all the creatures," Sakura said.
"Yeah, well I'm not hanging around here to find out, let's go back," Eli said.
"All right, everyone sit do— "
WHAM!
Sakura's words were cut short as the boat rocked violently. They were all grabbing onto the rails now so they wouldn't fall.
"What was that?" Duo asked.
"It was a male Caribbean Reef shark. They're attacking our boat because they're angry. He must've been able to follow us back here by smell," Eli said, throwing his scuba gear down. "We have to get out of here before they damage the boat."
"This boat isn't big enough to hold out against several sharks hitting it," Hiroto said. Then he turned toward Duo and Quatre who had very nervous looks on their faces.
"Duo, Quatre, are you two all right?"
Duo nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I'm all right."
"I don't feel so good," Quatre said, kneeling down until he was sitting on the boat floor.
Hiroto quickly approached and wrapped an arm around him.
"Don't worry Quatre, we'll be all right. If they damage our boat we'll just call the lifeguard station, all right?" he soothed.
Quatre nodded as he helped him to a seat and sat next to him.
"Hey Eli, do you have any of that anti-nausea stuff?" he called to him.
"I'll get it," Sakura offered, "just get moving! I took the line off the buoy."
Eli immediately started turning on the engine. It choked a few times but didn't go on. He tried several more times only to get the same result.
"What's wrong with it?" Hiroto asked.
"I don't know. Unless there's something jammed in the engine I can't tell. And I'm not willing to swim down there and find out," Eli said.
"Why don't you call the lifeguard station. It's better than waiting for the engine to work. The sharks might really damage the boat by the time we get it working," Duo suggested.
"Good idea, Duo," Hiroto said, rubbing Quatre's back.
Sakura approached with medicine and Quatre took it gratefully, feeling the knot in his stomach lessen at the sound of calling for help.
"Are you feeling better?" Hiroto asked him.
Quatre smiled weakly and nodded, "I'll be all right. I guess I've just been pretty sheltered so I don't get into these kinds of situations a lot."
"Hey, don't worry. I understand completely. It's nerve wrecking to me and I've been doing this for years," he winked.
"Yeah, he was a big baby about it the very first time I suggested this career," Sakura smiled.
Quatre's smile widened at their attempts to cheer him up as Duo sat down on the other side of him to comfort him. He could feel another warm arm placed around him and felt his nerves relaxing.
"All right gang, good news. The lifeguards are on their way," Eli announced.
"How long will it take them?" Quatre asked, trying not to sound worried but he really wanted to get off the boat.
Hiroto squeezed him tighter for comfort, "About five minutes."
"I told you this was a bad idea, bro," Sakura added, glaring down at him.
Hiroto held up his hands in defeat, "All right, all right you win. If you both like we could treat you to dinner. Because we scuba dive here often and give tourists rides they gave us some coupons to one of the best restaurants around."
Duo grinned, "I'm up for it. You Quat?"
"It sounds good," Quatre said. "We've been meaning to check out some of the more fancy restaurants."
"Well, look who showed up on time," Eli stated.
They all turned to see a larger boat speeding toward them. They could just barely make out writing on the side of the boat in bold letters. The boat skidded along the ocean surface so smoothly Duo thought they were floating at first.
"The lifeguards?" he questioned.
"Yep. We've never actually met them, but people who have met them said they do their job extraordinarily well, but their personalities lack," Hiroto said.
"I guess you'd have something in common with them," Sakura muttered.
Quatre laughed softly trying to cover his mouth.
"Hey, you made him laugh," Hiroto grinned.
"Yeah and about time. We got to get ready to jump onto their boat," Eli said.
Hiroto and Duo helped Quatre stand as they waited there for the boat to approach. Eli decided to yell and wave his hands to get them to hurry up. The boat was now only ten feet away and slowing down in order to stop beside them.
"All right, get ready," Hiroto said, picking up his scuba gear and license. "Quatre you can get off firs— "
WHAM!
The boat jerked as another hit impacted it suddenly. Duo had grabbed the railing just in time and Hiroto and flung back into Eli while Sakura was holding the wheel. Quatre, however, hadn't been holding onto anything. He was thrown off balance, his leg hitting the railing. He screamed as he flipped over the railing and plummeted into the cold ocean waters.
"QUATRE!" Duo shouted.
"No, Duo!" Hiroto stopped him from jumping in after.
Eli ran to the end of the boat.
"HELP! He's in the water with the sharks!" he shouted.
Duo looked up from staring into the water helplessly to see the lifeguard boat stop. A figure jumped on top of the boat and threw off his clothing until he was clad in his Speedo. Duo could only see a glimpse of tan skin and clearly defined muscles as he leaped gracefully into the water.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The cold water rushed over his body as he plunged under unable to scream anymore. It had happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to react. Quatre opened his eyes to see the beautiful clear ocean underwater and noticed he was fairly deep. The invisible current of water pushed him around as he fought to find where the boat was. His eyes widened enormously as he spotted a sulking figure only about ten feet away swimming in his direction. Quatre tried his best not to panic and looked down at his Speedo. It was a dark blue, luckily not a bright color to attract any unwanted attention.
Quatre unconsciously swam back further, hoping to just appear invisible to the thing coming toward him. Quatre looked around him and saw that the boat was pretty high above him and more than ten feet away. He wouldn't be able to swim fast enough to reach it before...
He could feel the terror rise in him as he pushed him arms forward and back to wade underwater, slowly backing away from the approaching figure. He could tell there was only one, at the moment, but it didn't make him feel that much better. He was too scared to tear his eyes away from the beast gradually making its way toward him. As it approached he could see the sharp fins and familiar snout as the shark's beady eyes bore upon him. The shark was at least seven feet long if not longer. Quatre could only open his mouth and freeze as the shark came into view now only five feet away and growing steadily closer.
His mouth opened as he tried to scream as the shark's mouth opened slightly, hundreds of teeth visible. The shark charged right at him...
Quatre turned his head and closed his eyes, hoping it would be quick and painless. However, nothing happened. He turned slowly and opened one eye before the other and looked up to the shark now biting a red raft recklessly. Before Quatre could blink he felt strong arms around him as he was lifted toward the surface.
Another shark suddenly came into view from behind the boat, followed by a couple more shortly after. Quatre unconsciously pushed his body closer to whoever was holding onto him tightly. Suddenly, he could feel himself becoming light-headed as his oxygen began running out. He felt his limbs growing limp as his vision blurred. Quatre could just make out a hand in front of him pulling on something as a large red lifejacket appeared and blew up, causing the sharks to attack it instead of them. His eyes drooped as he felt his body becoming heavier even in the water. His head lolled back easily underwater, his hair floating softly about his head, as his arms slid down his sides.
He was so close to losing consciousness he barely registered his body being hoisted up. He knew that whoever was saving him wouldn't be able to get him to the surface in time. Just then, even under water, he felt a warm hand grab onto his chin. Surprisingly, instead of blacking out his vision was beginning to come back. His mind wasn't so jumbled anymore and the confusion was leaving him. Quatre opened his eyes, wondering why he was feeling better. Was he above water? Was the lifeguard really that fast that he got to the surface in time? His eyes gently focused before him as the dizziness began to subside. If he hadn't been underwater he probably would've gasped, but instead his eyes widened as he realized they were still underwater and the lifeguard had his lips pressed to his.
Quatre was so shocked he almost forgot to breathe in the oxygen entering his mouth from the lifeguard. The lifeguard pulled away and with quick speed threw out another red life jacket to distract the sharks as he swam up with surprising ease while holding onto Quatre.
They broke the surface in less than a minute, Quatre gasping and coughing for air. He felt a little sick to his stomach from the terrifying experience. Suddenly, he felt his body being heaved up onto the boat.
"Quatre! You're alive!"
He looked up weakly to see Duo's wide, concerned eyes.
"You saved him!" Hiroto said looking past Quatre to someone near him.
Quatre wondered who he was talking to. It was then he realized that someone was still holding onto him.
It's the lifeguard. He risked his life to save me.
"Thank you," Quatre said, tilting his head up.
His mouth felt dry as he stared up into one piercing green eye. Because of the angle, the boy's hair covered his other eye. He was about the same height as Duo only a slightly more defined build.
"Are you all right now?" the mysterious boy asked quietly.
His voice was quiet and stern yet soothing and he said it with such ease that Quatre almost forgot to answer.
"Y-yes, I'm all right, thank you."
The boy above him nodded ever-so-slightly.
"You should've known better," a stern voice spoke up.
Quatre turned to see another unfamiliar boy staring at them with crossed arms. He had dark brown hair and shocking blue eyes that were a dark cobalt but seemed to stand out most compared to the rest of his features. He was wearing jeans, despite the hot weather, and a jacket over a green tank-top. The jacket had Cayman Lifeguard on the arm, but other than that was just a plain blue jacket.
"We're really sorry, please don't get them in trouble," Hiroto said. "They're newcomers and we just wanted to give them a ride."
The boy with blue eyes closed his eyes then opened them, "Then we'll hold you responsible. These waters are not safe until base finds out what's wrong with the sharks and other underwater creatures."
"We know, but please don't take our scuba diving license away. We'll go someplace else," Hiroto begged.
The boy's eyes narrowed, "You deliberately put two lives in danger, one could've died today."
Hiroto bowed his head.
"It's okay, we shouldn't have forced them to take us on a ride," Duo spoke up. "It was our choice to come out here."
The boy's eyes turned and bore into Duo's for several seconds before he turned around.
"Come on Trowa."
The boy beside Quatre followed him off the boat to their own.
"You're not taking our license?" Hiroto asked.
The boy turned around again, his eyes piercing into them before turning back.
"We'll give you a ride to shore. Don't let us catch you out here again."
The group of them trudged onto the lifeguard boat as they were taken back to shore. Hiroto and Eli apologized more than ten times to Quatre who just shook his head and told them he was all right. Duo had his arm wrapped around him for comfort.
"Here are the coupons I told you about," Hiroto said handing the coupons to them. "You guys should enjoy yourselves tonight."
"Thank you," Quatre offered a small smile.
The lifeguard boat was much faster than any of them had expected. They were back to shore in no time. Sakura, Eli and Hiroto all said their goodbyes as they shook hands with Duo and Quatre. As they waved goodbye to them, Quatre caught sight of the lifeguards getting off the boat. He saw the one, Trowa, who had saved him, had put on his lifeguard uniform like his partner. The two of them walked out of the beach as if nothing had happened.
Quatre felt a friendly arm wrap around him as Duo hugged him tightly.
"Hey, Quat, are you feeling any better?"
The wind pushed his wet, blonde bangs out of his face as he sighed, "Yeah, I'll live. It was just terrifying that's all."
Duo nodded against his head, "I know. I should really take better care of you. But if it makes you feel any better while we were waiting for you to be rescued that stoic, unemotional lifeguard told us the shark's haven't killed anyone, but there have been many serious injuries. So, on the bright side, you wouldn't have died...maybe just lost a leg or two..."
"Gee, Duo, that makes me feel much better," Quatre quipped sarcastically.
Duo chuckled in his ear and ruffled his hair, "Come on, what do you say we finish up those drinks, huh?"
Quatre nodded and they made their way back to the restaurant. The waiter saw them and immediately brought Quatre his drink as Duo ordered another one. While the waiter was making Duo's drink, Quatre stared out at the beautiful ocean which had almost been his doom. It was gorgeous, despite what had happened, but he knew he wouldn't want to go back into the ocean water for a couple of days until the mild trauma faded away. He knew Duo wouldn't have any objections. He could feel Duo's guilt rising within him for not paying better attention, but he didn't blame him at all.
"Are you still thinking about what happened?"
Quatre snapped out of his daze to see Duo watching him with a concerned expression. He knew Duo wasn't going to get much sleep if he kept worrying that Quatre had been permanently damaged. The truth was that most of the fear and trauma had all ready washed away. Thanks to Quatre's hectic life he was used to overcoming things pretty easily. But Duo didn't have a sixth sense like he did, so he couldn't tell that Quatre wasn't worried about that anymore.
"No, Duo, I'm not," Quatre gave his friend a sincere smile. "It's not your fault you know, you just wanted us to have fun. And...well, we have plenty of time for that. I did have fun before the boat ride, and up until I was almost eaten."
Duo's eyebrow rose, "Thanks Quat, you sure know how to cheer someone up."
Quatre burst into laughter at his friend's sarcasm. Duo's expression eased into a large grin moments after as they sat laughing together. The waiter came by and set Duo's drink in front of him.
"So, how was it?" he asked, not seeing the amused and startled looks in their eyes.
"Well, a lot more exciting than I wanted," Quatre's smile grew into a grin.
The waiter didn't ask questions, but smiled instead.
"Do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked casually.
Duo waved the coupons in the air, "Actually yeah. We have coupons to go to the sister resort: the Mirage Hotel to go to a very nice restaurant."
"Well, you two sure know how to get the best of the best, don't you?" he smiled. "That hotel is stupendous, though always filled up. However, the restaurants are to die for, so you'll have a wonderful time. In fact, it's so high quality most people that even work here go there to eat and relax, usually on breaks."
Duo smiled, "Sounds like we'll be having a blast this evening."
The waiter smiled and nodded before returning to his customers. Quatre drifted off again in his thoughts once the waiter left and began twirling the straw in his drink absent mindedly. Duo watched him for a few minutes.
"Quat, would you mind telling me what happened?"
Quatre turned to him with a confused look. Then it dawned on him that he was talking about what happened with the shark incident.
"Well, I fell in and thought I was going to die and then that lifeguard, Trowa I think his name was, saved me."
Even though Duo had no sixth sense, he could tell there was a lot more to it than what he was saying.
"Well, how did he get away from the sharks?"
"He used red life jackets that distracted them," Quatre answered hesitantly.
"And how were you able to stay under the water for four minutes like that?" Duo asked curiously.
Quatre froze as the memory passed before his eyes. A cold sensation came over him as if he had plunged back into the ocean. Soft warm hands caressed his skin and the vision became clearer as Quatre felt the pressure of his lips against his...
"Quat? Hello? Where'd you go?"
"Huh? Oh, I um...don't remember," Quatre said, looking down at his drink to hide the faint blush creeping to his cheeks.
"Uh huh...," Duo's grin widened into a smirk as he leaned down toward him. "Come on Quat, what happened?"
"Nothing Duo, I can't— "
"Lie," Duo interrupted.
Quatre didn't answer.
"You never lie Quat, we tell each other everything," he said looking hurt.
The guilt was welling up in his stomach as he tried to ignore it, but Duo was right they always told each other everything no matter how embarrassing. Quatre sighed in defeat and lowered his head.
"He kissed me," Quatre blurted out.
His eyes went wide as he realized what he said, "I mean, h-he, you know, gave me air underwater so that I wouldn't pass out....to save me...."
Quatre's babbling did no good as Duo could see through it all. His smirk was only widening even more as Quatre's cheeks turned hot.
"Oh, the mouth-to-mouth thing. No wonder you looked a little dazed when you came up," Duo teased.
"Duo!" Quatre snapped. "It was not like that! I was about to die and had I passed out I probably could've gone into a coma or something serious. And besides, I couldn't really feel anything underwater," Quatre tried to defend himself.
"Yeah, then why is it on your mind, huh?"
Quatre opened and closed his mouth several times not being able to answer. He could feel his cheeks burning so he covered his face with his hands.
"Duo...," Quatre half-whined, resting his head on the table.
"Aw, Quat, I didn't mean to insult you. I think that's great you like someone. Bet those colony officials couldn't imagine their Quatre Winner, president of the Preventers and Winner Foundation, heir to the throne of his mother's palace , falling in love."
"Shh! Duo, keep it down. And I am not falling in love," Quatre insisted with a huff. "And just to answer your question they'd probably be appalled not happy for me."
Duo's smile faded slightly, "You mean they won't let you date? Have you ever gone out with someone?"
The question wasn't answered right away as Quatre twirled his straw around again.
"It's hard when you're well-known for several things, a big one being money. You have to watch out for those who will take advantage of you," Quatre started softly. "They would remind me of that as I got older. Not that it mattered because I was always too caught up in work. A lot of times I got sick from stress but my sisters took very good care of me."
CLUNK!
Duo set his glass down a bit harder than he intended out of surprise. He scooted closer to his friend.
"You mean you've never dated?"
Duo's face was pushed away a bit by Quatre's hand as he tried to put on an angry scowl. Failing, he let his head drop to rest on his arm, sighing heavily.
"No, I haven't."
Without hesitation, Quatre was pulled into a warm embrace and turned to see his friend's caring face inches from his own. Duo's eyes had softened as his hand began caressing the blonde locks that were still damp from the previous event.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," Duo smiled warmly.
Quatre sighed and leaned his head on Duo's shoulder.
"I know," he muttered into his bare arm. "I just feel so inexperienced and it's making me self conscious."
Swiftly, a finger lifted Quatre's chin up so he could face gentle violet eyes.
"Don't feel that way. It's their fault for locking you up in your work....willingly of course, but we can still blame it on them," Duo's lips curved upward, bringing a small smile to Quatre's face.
"He was just doing his job though," Quatre said softly. "What am I thinking, I don't know what the first step is in a relationship."
"You're serious about him, aren't you?" Duo said, his joke face gone.
He had joked about Quatre falling in love just to ease the tension. Quatre's eyes lowered guiltily.
"I don't know, Duo. I don't know if I'm just overly grateful he saved me or not. I don't know why I'm thinking about it so much. It could just be because it was terrifying. I have no idea how to handle relationships at all. I mean, I don't even know what the first step would be."
Duo's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Well, I'm no expert but the first step to me would be, do you have a preference?"
Quatre's head dropped to rest on his arm, propper up on the table. He careflessly was stirring his untouched drink while speaking.
"That's a difficult question to answer because there's no exactly yes or no to that. Mainly I would think my preference was women, though I have yet to meet a woman who's not after my money or something else," he said with slight bitterness. "And I don't think I'm attracted to men because when I look around I see very handsome guys but it's just looking at any normal person. It doesn't feel any different," his blue-green eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds.
"...but?" Duo prodded gently.
Quatre's eyes opened gently, "I don't know. He's different. I can feel something stirring inside of me, but I'm not sure what the feeling is. Is it gratitude or do I really like him? I haven't been really attracted to a woman or a man; neither occurred to me actually, and gender still doesn't seem relevant. It's just him. If he were a girl I'd probably be just as attracted to him. I don't know, Duo," Quatre covered his face with his hands.
"So it's not because he's a guy that you're attracted to him, is what you're saying," Duo tried to get him to continue.
Quatre fell to the bait and nodded, "Yeah, I mean he's definitely attractive, but there are lots of attractive guys and girls here. It's something about him. I think that maybe it's my sixth sense that was reaching out to him and I'm getting attracted to him by that."
"Oh boy, that's going to be hard to read," Duo said, nodding in understanding.
He knew that Quatre's sixth sense was very powerful at times, but usually during stressful situations. The vacation was hardly stressful....well, maybe almost being eaten had something to do with it. But Quatre was also right that Trowa was doing it because it was his job to save people's lives, so why did Quatre's sixth sense find something in Trowa that was causing an attraction?
"I guess the only suggestion I can offer is to try and talk with him. You can usually sense what people are feeling, right? So if you talk to him you can see if he's interested at all, whether for a friendship or a romantic relationship," Duo offered.
Quatre sighed, "Duo, I don't even know if the guy is interested in other guys."
"That's true, usually preference matters to people. Unfortunately, for you your sixth sense seems to be attracting you to something inside, whether male or female. You'll just have to try and get close to him to see. After all, he is a lifeguard, maybe if I push you in the pool and you pretend to drown he'll save you again."
Quatre sent him a glare along with a roll of his eyes.
"I was only trying to help."
"Well stop!" Quatre sighed exasperated. "I'm just so confused with my emotions right now. I mean, I feel so...so...."
"Turned on?" Duo inquired.
SMACK!
A smack was received in answer and Duo rubbed his sore arm, the smile still never leaving his face.
"Don't worry Quat," Duo said, trying to cheer him up, "you never know till you try. Who couldn't like you?"
Quatre looked up at him with a sweet and grateful smile. Duo secretly smirked to himself before replying.
"Then again you might be too cutesy for him."
Orange liquid went flying from Quatre's glass onto Duo, who had no time to react. He casually wiped up the droplets from his leg, taking one and licking it.
"Mmm, tastes like fruit punch."
Duo laughed at the scowl playing on Quatre's normally delicate features.
"Lighten up Quat, you've got nothing to worry about. You're gorgeous, smart and the sweetest person I know. There's not one person who wouldn't want to befriend you. Whether or not he's interested I'm sure you're the only person who can warm him up."
"Duo...," Quatre's eyes had softened until they were shimmering with tears.
Duo pulled him into another hug, "Besides, it looks like his friend needs some warming up as well. Gee, can you say personality disorder?"
Quatre laughed and playfully hit him on his shoulder, "That's mean, Duo."
Duo smiled, glad he could cheer him up.
"Well, until we meet the two unemotional robots, you want to check out this hotel?"
Another smile graced Quatre's features as he nodded, "Yes, let's go."
TO BE CONTINUED....
^-^ More fluff and surprising events coming up soon! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out by next weekend. Unfortunately, I have a couple other stories I REALLY need to update. But it shouldn't be too much longer! ~Candy
****IMPORTANT author's note: It's not anything major, but if you really want to see where Duo and Quatre are staying, since for some reason I can't post site addresses on here I posted them on my bio info thingy. I have yet to find a good picture of their room, but there's a picture of the shark Quatre encountered, and two of the beach and ocean. *sighs dreamily* I wish I could go where they are!! *pouts* Well, I'll update ASAP!!
To Reviewers:
Mariana1: ^-^ Well, I guess it didn't take too long for them to show up. I was going to make it a little later, but then I thought that would be too random for all sorts of stuff to happen and THEN they meet. It's much more fun with them out to get Heero and Trowa, ne? *takes muffin and gives cookie* Thanks! Oh, don't worry, there will be LOTS of fluff, some humor and action, and surprising events before the lovely lemony goodness. But I promise, until the lemons, it will be entertaining. And there WILL be fluffiness before it too. ^_~
GWLuverGurl: Thanks so much! I'm glad you really like this. I tried to hurry, really I did. ^-^ I won't make you wait too long for the next chapter!