She belongs to the ocean. Tooru thought fondly, watching the swell of waves reaching up to embrace Saya's legs, her peals of laughter ringing clearly across the water.
"Tooru!" The girl cried out, holding out her arms. A gust of wind caught her hair, blowing it toward the shore as if every part of Saya's body were reaching for her.
Yet with that sight, a sudden panic hit her. I can't join her. Tooru felt her heart begin to race. If the ocean takes her, I can never join her; we'll never be together again. The finality of the word "never" struck her with a cold, empty feeling and before she could think clearly again, she found herself in the water, holding Saya tightly, fighting the urge to sob.
"Tooru?"
The uncertainty in her voice was enough to snap her back to reality.
"Are you okay?" A pair of amber eyes regarded her with deep concern.
"I'm fine." Tooru tried her best to keep her voice light-hearted and even. "Hey, let's… let's do something else? Like go shopping or just lie out on the beach."
Saya's eyes lit up. "Oh there was a beautiful hat shop in town that we passed on the way here!"
"Let's go check it out then." Tooru agreed readily.
"Sure! It's not like the ocean is going anywhere." The girl replied with a giggle, and Tooru felt her heart sink at the thought.
.
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"Mommy, look!" Kazuki held up a seashell to her mother's face. A hermit crab stuck one jointed leg out desperately as if reaching for help and upon the sight of it, the little girl shrieked and dropped it, jumping back as the crab scuttled away.
Nataku laughed and ran after it as Karen tried to explain that it was just a crab and nothing to be afraid of, but Kazuki shied away from the water's edge after that, suddenly distracted by a girl nearby, whose long locks she had braided back.
"How did you do that?" She asked in amazement.
Kotori giggled. "Want me to show you how?"
"Can you do my hair like that?" Kazuki asked, open-mouthed.
"Hmm, it's too short to do all of it like mine, but we can do a little braid right here." Kotori pulled a lock of hair away near her face.
"Okay!"
"I'm sorry hon, is she bothering you?" Karen ran up beside the two of them. "I turned around for just a second…"
"She's fine!" Kotori answered brightly. "I was just going to braid her hair if that's alright?"
"Oh sure!" Karen watched Kotori patiently play with Kazuki's hair and listen with rapt attention as Kazuki rambled on about the beach and the hermit crabs and the way the water tasted funny, nothing like the water in the bath or the pool.
Kotori chuckled. "You've been drinking bath and pool water?"
"Yeah, it gets in my mouth."
Karen shook her head. "You're good with kids." She addressed Kotori. "And she seems to have taken a liking to you. Would you be interested in baby-sitting from time to time? I mean, we already have a baby-sitter but sometimes he's busy…"
Kotori nodded vigorously. "I love children!" She replied enthusiastically. "I would love to watch Kazuki sometime!"
Karen studied the girl carefully, wondering at the nagging voice at the back of her mind, trying to get her attention and remind her of something.
"Oh, you know there is a bonfire going on tonight over by the western lodges." Karen announced, pushing aside her worries for the time being. "You're more than welcome to join us if you want. We'll have food and fireworks and games if you and your family want to come."
"Oh that sounds lovely!" Kotori agreed.
Karen chuckled "And of course it would be nice to have an extra pair of eyes on the little ones." She nodded at Kazuki and Nataku who was jumping over waves as they swept up the sand toward him, giggling with glee.
Kotori laughed and rose to join them, lifting Kazuki's out of the water just enough that her toes could skim the waves as they rolled in.
.
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The day was beginning to draw to a close, as sunset bathed the beach in warmer tones by the time Yuuto was able to drag Satsuki away from her laptop once more and even she seemed just the tiniest bit impressed. She even leaned in a little closer to him, a surprisingly public show of affection for her as she admired the roll of the tide upon the shore. Everything was going just swimmingly until a woman's voice called a few feet away.
"Yuuto Kigai? Is that you?"
Oh shit. He thought frantically and tried to remember whose voice it was before he caught sight of its owner. Worse, Satsuki spotted her first.
"Who is that?" She demanded, taking in the woman's bouncing curls and equally as bouncy bosom as she approached.
Damn, Yuuto had forgotten how dusk accentuated those red lips.
He coughed in a mockery of discretion. "Karen!" he called back cheerfully then quickly turned to Satsuki. "This is an old friend of mine from school, Ms. Kasumi- ah- no." He paused and glanced at her. "Not Kasumi anymore is it?"
"Karen Aoki now." She grinned, taking in Satsuki's furious glaring. "With two kids." She added loudly for the younger woman's benefit.
Satsuki did not reply, busy sizing Karen up.
"Wow, I haven't seen you in years, imagine meeting you out here." The redhead laughed. "On a romantic weekend getaway?"
"You bet." Yuuto winked gratefully.
"Have you two eaten?" Karen continued. "We've been working on making dinner in Sakurazuka's beach house if you want to join us tonight."
"We don't want to be a bother." Satsuki replied coolly.
"It's no trouble! We're just sort of throwing everything we've all got together." She laughed musically.
"Sounds great."
Satsuki glared daggers at Yuuto before facing Karen again. "Then please, allow us to help." She added through gritted teeth. "We should do our part as well, shouldn't we?"
Yuuto sighed. He hated cooking, and she knew it, but if that was the price he had to pay to get a chance to talk to Karen once again without having his testicles removed by a robot, then so be it. So in resignation, he and Satsuki followed the ever cheerful Karen back across the sand toward a building that was more manor than house.
.
.
There was something comfortingly distracting, Subaru found, about having everyone gathered in the kitchen at once, working on their own tasks. Kamui and Kakyou were at the table, cutting up cucumbers, Hokuto was mixing the batter for cookies while Seishirou was at the stove, preparing some mysterious meat that he refused to name. It was nice, Subaru thought, to have everyone within sight perhaps. He knew that everyone he cared about was here, and they were safe, with Hokuto and Seishirou arguing over which power ranger was the best and Kakyou and Kamui were talking about school and how nice vacations like this were.
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by Hokuto turning to him and abruptly asking a question. "Hey, so does Mitsuki still work with you?"
Subaru started, hoping she had not noticed that he had not been preparing the rest of the salad for several minutes now. "Yeah. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you- she got married recently."
"Really? That's great! To the guy she was dating in college?"
"Yep. The same one."
"Well good for Mitsuki!"
Seishirou noticed Kamui's confused look and explained, "Mitsuki was Subaru's first love."
Subaru blushed the same color as the tomato he was cutting up. "She was a crush!"
"But you liked her for years." Hokuto dismissed his argument with a wave of her hand, nearly cutting Kamui's cheek with her knife in the meantime. "I don't think you really ever got over her until you met Seishirou."
Subaru smiled down at the cutting board, lost in fond memories.
"Hey can some of you give us a hand here?" Sorata poked his head in the door.
Kamui brushed aside the onion he had been chopping. "Yeah, I'm finished."
"Me too." Hokuto quickly wiped her hands on a towel and joined him, hopping down the back doorsteps.
Seishirou watched them leave then turned back to the stove. Subaru pushed away from the cutting board to wrap his arms around him from behind. Seishirou glanced over his shoulder in surprise at the top of Subaru's head as the younger man pressed his cheek to his back.
"I'm yours." Subaru whispered.
Seishirou twisted slightly so that he could wrap his arm around Subaru's shoulders and kiss the top of his head. "I know."
Subaru looked up at him and shadows filled a pair of nostalgic green eyes. "Sometimes I'm not sure you really do."
Seishirou narrowed his eyes and smiled, taking Subaru's hand in his own and pressing a firm kiss to the back of it. "Oh I think I do."
Subaru's eyes widened in a most satisfactory way but before he could say anything, Arashi walked in.
"I have had it up to here with you!" She screeched out the door at what everyone could assume was an overbearingly affectionate Sorata.
"Up to where exactly?" Seishirou inquired with joking curiosity.
Arashi turned the approximate color of the strawberries she was carrying.
"That's none of your business." She snapped and proceeded to nearly drop the bowl as she stumbled to the sink to wash them off.
Subaru rolled his eyes and walked outside. He was overwhelmed by the nostalgia that struck him as he caught sight of the crowd gathering around the picnic table, playing Frisbee, and generally laughing and joking with one another.
Aoki, Karen, Yuzuriha, Kakyou, Sorata, Kamui… they were all there… All just living their happy lives…
Dizziness swept over him as he remembered the events of a couple of weeks ago.
But could it last?
He had the overwhelming sensation of having been underwater for some time. He had been holding his breath effortlessly at first and was just now beginning to feel the pressure, the desperate need to surface and escape this lovely atmosphere. If he didn't he would drown in it.
You're wanting to run away again. A voice at the back of his mind whispered. Remember what happened the last time you ran away?
He clenched his jaw and stepped down from the porch.
.
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"Hey Mister Kigai, could you come help me set up the picnic table?" Sorata laughed awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "It's brand new and actually came in several pieces and well… the directions don't really make sense so I thought maybe you- "
"Sure thing." Yuuto answered quickly, grateful for an excuse to escape, and left the room, leaving Karen and Satsuki sitting at the table in awkward silence.
"So you knew Yuuto-san?" Satsuki broke the silence first before the crickets could kick in.
"Yeah we met at boarding school."
"Oh. What's he like?"
"He's selfish, lazy, hedonistic, unfaithful, irresponsible, unreliable and a total player."
Satsuki tilted her head. "So you don't like him much?"
"Oh no, I love the bastard."
Satsuki glanced at her curiously.
"How to explain it… He's really not a horrible guy you know? Like I said, he's selfish, but he's not unkind to others. He was the first friend I ever really had."
She laughed as Satsuki's incredulous look. "I'm serious. I was teased a lot in school. Yuuto was the first person there to show me kindness." She laughed again. "Mind you, he might have just been trying to get into my pants so take it how you will. Either way, I was a lot happier after I met him."
She smiled fondly, lost in memory for a moment then gave Satsuki an appraising look. "You don't strike me as the type to be looking for a husband…"
Satsuki shook her head vehemently.
"That's good then." Karen chuckled. "I can't see him ever popping the question in the first place but even if he did somehow get dragged into a wedding, there's no way in hell he would remain faithful to his wife, much less play the role of provider/father."
Satsuki snorted as she tried to imagine this unlikely scenario herself.
"Well well, what an unlikely yet not unpleasant surprise!" Yuuto chuckled as he entered the kitchen. "My ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend getting along?" He suggestively snaked an arm around each woman's waist. "Just think of the fun we could have if it were the three of us, ladies."
"I'm afraid it would not be so much fun for me." Aoki replied, coming up behind them with a forced smile.
"Did you get the table set up?"
Yuuto laughed. "It's all ready to go. Shall we?" He offered an arm to Satsuki most gallantly and led her out the door.
Karen turned to her husband. "Did he set it up?"
"No, I did."
"That's what I thought." She kissed his cheek, bringing a faint smile to his lips. "Are you alright? You seemed a little out of it earlier."
His brow furrowed momentarily but he quickly smoothed his features. "I'm fine." He replied too quickly.
Karen usually let him play the strong provider, let him be the pillar upholding their family, but something in his voice sounded off, like just the tiniest crack in the foundation. She knew he could tell by the look on her face that she had heard it and he turned to gather bowls and plates to take outside.
"Did you wake up when Nataku came in our room last night?"
He paused. "Why?"
"I thought I heard you say his name."
She saw his fingers curl around the paper plates protectively as though they were porcelain. "Maybe I realized it was him when I was half-asleep." With that, he swept out of the kitchen, avoiding her gaze, leaving Karen dismayed. Her husband had never been one to share his every thought but he never kept serious secrets from her either; it simply was not in his nature to be enigmatic, but rather an open book. What could have possibly gotten into him?
She frowned and gathered up a stack of cups and cutlery to take out herself and upon stepping out onto the porch was amused at the sight of Yuuto trying to convince his latest girlfriend to try a bit of dragon fruit despite her highly suspicious glare at it. She leaned against the doorframe with a fond smile, letting the scene wash over her.
Yuuto was not a warm and caring person, never had been and never would be. Never would he wish for another person's happiness from the bottom of his heart or devote himself to fulfilling their deepest desires. Nor did she think he would ever really love someone enough to make any true sacrifices for their sake. On the other hand, he would never hold a grudge, never wish with all his being for another person to suffer. He didn't love, but he also didn't hate.
The crash of a wave upon the shore caught her attention and Karen reflected that Yuuto was rather like the ocean's waters, always being carried along by whatever current came his way without resistance. Although the ocean was deep; she chuckled to herself, thinking that he was in truth far too shallow, and thus perhaps more like a puddle.
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Satsuki's lips as she finally tasted the fruit. Evidently it was more to her liking than she had originally anticipated and Karen found a gentle smile of her own in response. Inadvertent kindness, she thought. Yuuto may not try to help others, but sometimes he does so in his own way without intending to. He may not have wished to bring the girl joy, but something in Karen sensed that he was going to do so anyway. It might even be better that way, that he did not enter the relationship with romantic notions, as Karen suspected that Satsuki was the type would have rejected him outright if he had indeed gone in with noble intentions.
She stepped off the porch and out into the fray.
.
.
It had been a warm and wonderful day and Kotori felt that few things could make the day better than ending it with a feast fit for kings and watching a bonfire with the little girl she had met earlier.
She had even seen Kamui earlier, although there had been too many people between them, not to mention two small children demanding her attention, for her to approach him or get his attention. Still, it was nice to see that he was out at the beach on vacation with his family as well, even if she couldn't quite figure out which of the people around him were in fact his family. She had, luckily, gotten the chance to talk to Yuzuriha, Sorata and Arashi at least, pleased to find that they too had all come together with an older friend of theirs. Kotori could have sworn she had even seen Hinoto at one point, although she had been quickly lost in the crowd and after just a flash, she was left wondering if it had merely been her imagination.
"Hey, Kotori-chan, how old are you?" Nataku suddenly demanded, pulling her away from her thoughts.
"I'm almost sixteen." She replied perkily and giggled at the wide-eyed expression Kazuki leaned back to look up and give her.
"Wow, that's old." Nataku replied with wonder.
"I hope I get to be sixteen someday!" Kazuki chirped.
Kotori laughed. "You will be someday!"
"Not necessarily." Nataku added gravely.
Kotori didn't know what to say to this troubling remark, but before she had to respond, someone above them called her name.
"Ah, Kamui-kun, you know Kotori-chan?" Karen approached them both as well.
"We… go to school together." Kamui answered cautiously.
Kotori beamed. "We're in the same class!"
Karen glanced at her then at Kamui, and back at her again then gave a mischievous grin. "Well, Kamui-kun, I was just asking Kotori-chan earlier if she would babysit Nataku and Kazuki sometimes when you were busy but on second thought, how would you feel about babysitting them together? They can be just such a handful, you know."
Kamui's cheeks flushed, and Kotori wondered if perhaps he was standing too close to the bonfire. "That would be fun!" she declared.
He nodded and Karen leaned down to collect Kazuki. "come on kids, let's go bother Aunt Hokuto for a while before she drives her poor brother up the wall."
The children protested mildly but allowed themselves to be led away, leaving Kotori and Kamui alone suddenly and an awkward silence fell between them.
"It's so funny, seeing you outside of school like this." Kotori was the first to speak.
Kamui nodded again, flushing even brighter.
"Want to join me?" She patted the bit of driftwood she had been sitting on.
"Sure." He mumbled and sank down beside her.
"They're such funny children, aren't they?" she giggled as she watched Kazuki and Nataku immediately take to a pair of matching sparklers handed to them by a boisterous woman in a strange summer dress that appeared to have been made of fake seaweed. "And so similar. It's odd, but even though they're different ages and genders, you could sometimes swear that they're like twins. I guess that's family resemblance right?"
"You and your sister a lot alike." Kamui answered thoughtfully.
"Saya? Yes, people have no trouble telling that we're related when we go out. And you?" She turned to face him. "Do you have any siblings?"
Kamui shook his head.
"Really? I guess I thought the guy you were talking to earlier was your older brother."
"Subaru?" Kamui indicated the man in question. "No, he's… my cousin."
"Oh I see! I thought he seemed too young to be your father!"
Kamui snorted. "Way too young."
"So how do you know Aoki-san? Are you related to her too?"
"No, she works with Subaru's sister." He nodded toward the woman in the seaweed dress.
"Oh I see." Kotori hummed. "So who is he?" She pointed at the friendly-looking man now chatting with Karen.
Kamui started when he saw Yuuto.
"Is something wrong?"
"No!" He answered a little too quickly. "He… I don't know who he is."
Even Kotori could see that it was an obvious lie, and she turned to further question Kamui, but before she could say a word, a flash of movement caught the corner of her eye and she heard someone cry out. Both of them turned around just in time to see Karen and the man she had been speaking with falling and that split second of lost balance seemed to last an eternity, as if everyone could see what was about to happen, and everyone was powerless to stop it.
They disappeared among the flames of the bonfire.
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Author's Note: I meant to mention by the way that when Karen says she's known Yuuto since boarding school, it's a reference to another story I have in the works called "Little Red Corvette" about the two of them as teenagers. Hopefully that one will also be posted soon. ^_^