Author's Note: Happy New Year to all of us! Since it's a new year, it's also time for an update with not one but two chapters! Please leave a review as well. Thank you! :D

Chapter 8: Beach Paradise With You

That afternoon, as they were carrying their bags, a black-haired adult greeted them. Takato was the first one to acknowledge him.

"Hey, Kai!" Takato greeted his cousin.

"Hey, Takato!" Kai said and exchanged high fives with Takato. He had last seen Takato only last Christmas and somehow, he noticed that he was not alone. "Say, you got company!"

Takato rolled his eyes towards his companions and smiled. "Yeah!"

Kai noticed that Jeri was with Takato so he gave the magenta-eyed young man a grin.

"Looks like you brought your girlfriend here, huh, Takato?" Kai joked and smiled at Jeri. "Hello! I'm glad all of you got persuaded by this good ol' cousin o' mine!"

The adults only smiled sheepishly and nodded. Not long after, an older man appeared in front of them. He was wearing a typical shirt and black pants.

"Grandpa!" Takato said with a smile and hugged him. "Good to see you!"

The older man smiled as well. "Good to see you, Takato!" he remarked. "You got friends! Welcome to Okinawa!"

Eventually, they decided to open up and start being friendly to the ones who would host their residence.

"Thank you, Sir," Henry answered in behalf of the group as he carried his suitcase and his bag.

"No problem!" the older man replied good-naturedly and walked towards the gate. "Welcome to the house where Takato's mom and Kai's dad live."

Alice looked at the house from head to toe. It was somehow brown, wooden and not like her traditional Japanese house. But it was big enough to host them and Takato's relatives anyway.

I wonder how they fit themselves in this kind of joke, Alice thought as she examined the house with her eyes. It's so big!

Then the older man urged the adults to come inside. Once they were inside, Takato began to introduce his friends to his grandpa.

"Uhm… Grandpa, this is Henry, Rika, Alice, Ryo, Kazu, Jeri and Kenta," Takato introduced and made the name identification one-by-one.

As they were inside, Kai instructed Takato to lead his friends to their rooms. This caused Takato to go upstairs with his friends.

"Say, Takato," Kazu started. "You've got some nice relatives here!"

Takato only smiled. "Thanks, Kazu. They're the greatest! That's why I always want to go to Okinawa because of them."

Takato distributed his friends into three rooms. The girls would stay in one room, Takato and Henry would be in another while Ryo, Kazu and Kenta would be in the last one. They went inside and placed their bags in the room. When they were finished, they went outside once again.

"Come on, guys!" Takato hollered as he was with Henry.

The eight adults followed Takato as he went downstairs. They saw Kai waiting for them.

"Takato, weather today's very erratic," Kai replied. "It's raining once again! Hope that this won't spoil your vacation!"

"Oh no!" Takato laughed. "That won't happen!"

Rika yawned because she was tired from all the traveling.

That night, Takato and his friends were in a dinner with Kai and Minami. They were in a quandary if they were going to the beach tomorrow morning because of the unusual weather shown earlier evening.

"So, why don't you go to the beach tomorrow?" Kai Urazoe offered. "If you get wet due to the rain, you won't get sick! It'll only neutralize the coldness that you'll feel!"

"Yeah! I agree with Kai. It's fun there!" Minami Uehara seconded her boyfriend's suggestion.

Takato and his friends never get to say no to beach parties, especially Kazu Shioda and Kenta Kitagawa.

"Of course, my dearest cousins!" Takato replied proudly. "We will go there!"

"Then it's settled! We're going to the beach tomorrow!" Kai replied in conclusion.

"That's right, Kai!" Takato's grandfather said cheerfully. "Go with them to the beach so they wouldn't feel lonely because they're going there alone!"

"I'm with you, Kai!' Minami replied ecstatically since she really wanted to go with the tamers tomorrow.

The next morning, the tamers woke up early because Takato would bring them to the beach. Kai was also going with them together with his girlfriend Minami.

"This is fun! Walking from the house to the beach!" Kazu remarked as he walked together with his friends. He was wearing a pair of brown board shorts as he was walking.

"It wouldn't be fun when it starts raining, Kazu!" Kenta complained. He was wearing a pair of white board shorts while walking.

"Don't be such a negative brat, Chumley!" Kazu scolded his friend. "We came here to have a vacation and not think of something else!"

The three male and female couples were busy walking as well. All of them were tired due to the journey that they had yesterday but now they had the energy to swim today.

"Say, who was the person who loves to sneeze?" Kenta said as he attempted to make a joke.

"Who?" the friends asked in unison.

"KAZUUUUUUUUU!" Kenta replied as he simulated the sneeze with himself. "I got you now, Kazu Shioda!"

The tamers only laughed. Rika suspected that Kenta did that because Kazu had been yelling at him earlier.

"Very funny, Kenta." Kazu snorted. "Very funny!"

"Thanks," Kenta said with a wink. "I really knew I was funny!"

"Stupendously funny, Kitagawa," Kazu replied with a snort. "Why would you make a joke about me?"

Kenta only shrugged since he did not also know the answer.

"Why don't we sing song and the lyrics would be passed to other persons like…" Kazu suggested. "I'm gonna sing a part of a song and then someone would continue it. The last word of the lyrics would be the start of another song."

Ryo suddenly found the idea interesting. He never knew that Kazu could be as creative as he could be.

"Alright… Show us a sample, will you?" Takato pointed out.

"Okay!" Kazu said as he thought of a song. "No matter what I do, all I think about is you then I'll go crazy over you!"

"You didn't have to cut me off! Now you're just somebody that I used to know!" Kenta supplied the missing lyrics.

"That's nice," Rika said in amazement. "Since when did Kazu learn how to use his brain?"

This sent Kazu looking at Rika oddly. "HEY! I'm using my brain!" he protested.

"Okay. I'm gonna start," Takato said.

Takato:
Just when I thought I was over you
Just when I thought I could stand on my own
Oh baby those memories come crashing through
And I just can't go on without you.

Jeri:
You are all I need to get me through.
Like a falling star I fell for you.
You have thought me how to love.
An angel sent from high above.
Now you that all I need is you!

Rika and Alice sniggered as Jeri sang the song. They had a hunch that the song was for Takato alone.

"Can we start another?" Kai asked a favor. "The song was too feminine for me to continue!"

"Go ahead!" Kazu replied obligingly.

Kai:
Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it's only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together

Minami decided to follow it as well.

Minami:
Together forever and never to part
Together forever we two
And don't you know
I would move heaven and earth
To be together forever with you

Not long after, they arrived at the beach wherein the sea was clear blue and the beach was plain white. The tamers were amazed with what they saw since the sun was shining and the sea was acting like a mirror with its luminosity.

"We're here already, guys!" Takato said to his friends.

"Come on, guys! Let's start unpacking our things so that we can swim already!" Ryo urged his friends so they could swim just like what he wanted.

Takato eventually stared at Jeri as she was walking towards a spot in the beach.

Eventually, the others started removing their bags from their bodies. Unfortunately, someone from them was not yet moving since he was busy looking at someone.

"Looks like Gogglehead's staring at someone!" Rika whispered to Henry, who also looked to where Takato was.

Henry sniggered as he saw Takato. If stares could melt, Jeri would have been like molten lava right now.

"I agree," Henry answered with a grin.

Apparently, Ryo saw what Henry and Rika were looking. He became amused with Takato turning into a statue just because of Jeri. He even signaled Kai to see what his cousin was doing as well. Only Kai shook his head since Takato's feelings for Jeri was even older than their grandfather.

"Do your best, guys!" Kai said encouragingly as he returned to Minami's direction so he could help her. "Make my cousin proud!"

The three tamers only laughed with Kai's comment about Takato.

"Oh, the beach is so beautiful!" Ryo commented loudly in order for Takato to hear. "Right, guys?"

"Right!" Henry and Rika answered in unison.

However, Takato was the worst person to be absent-minded. Because he was the one who would never hear a thing at all. And that was what Henry hated whenever they were in the office.

"WHAT?!" Takato asked back, not minding the confusion that he just got in.

"I said, the beach is so beautiful!" Ryo repeated in the same volume as earlier.

"Oh yes!" Takato remarked. "This is fun!"

Eventually, Takato went walking to another direction. At that moment, Alice also began to investigate the scenario and figured out that they were talking about Takato.

"What's wrong with Takato?" Alice asked in curiosity.

"No idea! But I think I know the culprit!" Ryo replied.

"Who?" Alice asked while raising an eyebrow at her crush.

Ryo went to Alice's ear and whispered the answer. Alice was not even surprised at all when he told her the name.

"Oh, I'm not surprised!" the blonde reiterated. "I'm only stupefied!"

"See?!" Ryo pointed out. "Now let's get going!"

Jeri was at the other part of the beach when she saw Takato walking towards her.

"Hey, Jeri!" Takato greeted her. Gosh. She looks nice today.

"Hey, Takato!" Jeri replied with her sing-song voice. "Thanks for bringing us here in Okinawa!"

"Sure! No problem!" Takato replied and smiled as well.

Jeri's heart raced as she saw Takato smile. During their high school years, he was deemed to be cute but now, he was handsome as well.

That's why I fell for him! His genuine smile and kindness to others! the brunette thought with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, the others had changed into their swimwear and ran towards the radiant sea except for Kenta.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Henry declared as he ran towards the sea with the others.

"Hah! The one who doesn't know how to swim is the ROTTEN EGG!" Ryo declared as they saw Kenta who was the slowest of them all.

"Oh no! Kenta doesn't know how to swim! So he's the rotten egg!" Kazu concluded using Ryo's syntax. "Kenta! You're the one who's the rotten egg among us!"

"HAHAHA! CHICKEN!" Rika concluded deviously as Jeri ran towards the sea with her. "Come on, Jeri!"

"HAHAHAHAHAH!" Alice only laughed as she ran as well with her female friends.

Minami went with the girls since they were the only ones who could she relate or be friends to aside from her boyfriend Kai.

"I'm with you," Minami replied. She was wearing an orange one piece tube swimsuit.

When they had ran and jumped into the sea and made different kinds of splashes, only Kenta was left near the shoreline.

"I'm just finding the right time!" Kenta protested because seven were already against him.

"REASONS!" Kazu pointed out. "Why don't you just jump already, Chumley?"

"YEAH, KENTA! JUMP ALREADY!" the other tamers chorused.

"Alright, already!" Kenta exclaimed as he ran towards the sea and jumped into it. The next thing he knew was he was already shaking in coldness.

"GOOOD! IT'S SOOOOO COLD!" Kenta screamed.

"So, wasn't it bad?" Kazu asked his partner in crime.

"No! It's damn cold, Shioda!" Kenta retorted as he kept on shaking with his arms crossed.

"Okay…" Takato replied with a shrug.

Not long after, they stayed in the water for a while.

Eventually, they went out of the sea because they decided to eat. The drinks were already on the table as well as the food but the one thing that distracted them the most was Kazu singing the song "You Give Love A Bad Name".

Kazu:
Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name (bad name)
I play my part
And you play your game
You give love a bad name (bad name)
You give love a bad name
You give love a bad name

"If this rains, you're gonna get it, Kazu Shioda!" Ryo swore as he was trying to monitor the weather. That time, the clouds were getting darker.

"It won't rain, Ryo," Alice answered optimistically. "Trust us!"

"But still we have an automated entertainer, you know?" Takato pointed out with a chuckle.

"The sweet life!" Rika remarked as she continued drinking the soda that she had in her bag.

"I know! We really need this! After what happened last week, we sure needed a break!" Henry answered with a smile.

"HAHAHA!" Rika could only say. She was very much of a haggard person when she ended her week last week and during her birthday of course.

"Oh well! Look at the dweebs… Obviously looking for a taste of their own medicine…" Alice remarked as she pointed towards Kazu and Kenta who were already singing the same song all over again.

"Oh no, Alice!" Ryo replied with a grin. "I'm used to Kazu with a crazy monster inside his brain!"

"Because you three used to be housemates before?" Alice completed for him.

"Yes!" Ryo laughed with Alice's comment.

Eventually, the tamers were beginning to get warm since the sun was shining overhead. They decided to frolic in the sea while swimming.

Ryo was trying to get Alice because she was playfully running away from him. The blonde was running fast and he could not catch up with her speed. It was as if Alice got wings on her feet.

"Stop it, Ryo!" Alice exclaimed in merriment as she ran. "Stop running after me!"

"I'm gonna get you, Alice McCoy!" Ryo replied smugly. And your heart too!

Alice's heart raced at Ryo's comment. Was he serious? About getting me?! This is too good to be true!

However, this gave Ryo the opportunity to jump on her causing Alice to get surprised because of the added weight on her back.

"What the heck?" Alice asked as she looked at Ryo who was grinning broadly. "Ryo, get off me!"

Ryo did not pay attention to Alice's request. "I told you that I'm gonna get you, Baby Girl!"

Alice blushed and tried to hide it in order to avoid further embarrassment caused by Ryo's remarks. However, Ryo noticed the redness on Alice's fair cheeks.

"You're blushing!" Ryo teased. "That's cute!"

It's your fault why was I blushing, you idiot! Alice thought as she tried to look away already.

Not long after, Henry mischievously ran towards Rika and carried her in a bridal style. Rika was surprised with what Henry just did.

"What the… Henry!" Rika exclaimed as Henry carried her in the bridal style.

While carrying her, Henry's feet eventually reached the ocean. With this, he mischievously threw Rika on the water causing Rika to shout as she got inside the water with a splash.

"Henry Wong!" she exclaimed as she fell to the water. "What do you think you're doing?!"

With that, Henry only laughed while Rika smiled dryly. She wanted to get back for what Henry did to her.

"Two can play at this game!" she replied deviously in which Henry only laughed.

While he was laughing, Rika shoved the water towards him using her hands. Henry stopped laughing when the salty water splashed into his mouth and Rika only laughed at him. Henry smiled at Rika and he stepped forward causing Rika to jump back to the water and swim with her arms paddling forward. But when Rika rose to the surface and stood up, she did not see Henry.

Where could that Blue Hair be? She thought as she tried to find Henry.

However, Rika felt that a hand grabbed her foot so he sank into the shallow water. It was actually Henry who then raised her from being sunk in the sea. Rika coughed a bit after accidentally drinking the salty water.

"You idiot!" Rika berated Henry and smacked his arm.

Henry laughed and hugged Rika tightly. Rika eventually did the same to him and hugged him back.

"I wish time would stop and let me be with you every day," he whispered seriously in Rika's ear.

Rika stopped because she did not expect that he would say that to her. Henry broke a bit and placed his hands on Rika's shoulders while looking into her violet eyes.

"Don't leave me again, okay?" he said with his grey eyes looking at Rika's. "And if there's a problem, please tell me. You can confide me."

Rika smiled and nodded. This time Henry hugged her even tighter with Rika returning it as well.

"Thank you for making me happy, Henry," Rika said seriously. "You're the best person I wanted to be with."

"I told you that I can be your friend!" Henry answered with a smile and broke away from Rika.

At that moment, Alice and Ryo wondered to where Henry and Rika were. They already saw that the couple was splashing water towards each other.

"Love is beautiful," Ryo said to the blonde.

"Yeah! I wish they'd still be together after what happened," Alice said wistfully as she saw the couple and how she envied them because of their undying sweetness.

I wish we could be like that, Ryo thought. he was already close to his girl but he was a chicken because he could not tell her his feelings for her.

"Woooo! So what we go out!" Kazu sang.

"So what we smoke weed" Ryo continued.

"We're just having fun!" Rika added.

"We don't care who sees!" Alice also sang.

"So what we go out?" Henry continued.

"That's how it supposed to be!" Takato finished.

"Living young and wild and free!" then all of them chorused.

When they got home back to the Urazoe residence, the tamers decided to play something since they were still full and they did not have the mind to eat.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Takato urged.

All of the others wore shocked looks on their faces as they heard Takato's proposal of having a truth or dare in someone else's home.

"Are you serious?" Kenta asked, thinking that it was the impossible thing that could happen here.

"Of course, I'm serious!" Takato answered and turned to look at his cousin and his girlfriend. "So, Kai? Are you and Minami in for a truth or dare game?"

Kai found the idea interesting and Minami showed agreement to it.

"Sure!" the couple said in unison.

Ryo took a bottle from his bag as the ten of them sat down in a big circle. To his left was Kazu, Kenta and to his right were Takato and Henry. Beside Henry were Rika and Alice. Kai and Minami sat near Alice with Minami taking the spot right next to her. However, when Ryo spun it, the bottle stopped at him.

"Pfffft! I'll be the one who's gonna start!" Ryo snorted since he did not want to go first but he had no choice but to take over. "Alright. I choose Takato. Takato, truth or dare!"

Takato did not have any choices if he chose truth or dare. He was afraid of what they would do to him.

"Truth!" Takato said boldly. Ryo also knows about my feelings for Jeri! Crap!

Ryo decided to take things seriously and let out a smug grin at the magenta-eyed young man.

"Oh yeah! Tell us the truth. Do you or do you not like Jeri Katou?" Ryo said because it was definitely obvious that the chestnut-haired man was in love with the brunette. He just wanted a subtle and concrete answer from Takato himself.

Jeri was surprised with Ryo's question. Could it be the thing I'm dreaming of?

Takato sweat dropped with the question. However, he had to answer it since Jeri was looking intently at him as well. He took a deep breath and answered it.

"Yes," he said, finally. "I like Jeri Katou."

Kai and Minami suddenly felt proud of Takato for telling the truth. Jeri was already blushing when she heard Takato's confession.

It's true! He likes me! Oh my god! Jeri thought and her heart was fluttering in joy.

Takato suddenly stood up from his spot and gave Jeri a hug. He eventually sat down beside her while the brunette was leaping with joy.

"Jeri Katou, I really really like you. Actually, it's already love. I really love you, Jeri," Takato confessed since the inevitable had just happened already and took the brunette's hand in his. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Oh joy! Jeri thought as being with Takato overwhelmed her.

With this, Jeri nodded happily. "Thanks, Takato!"

Takato only wrapped his arms around Jeri in joy.

"Takato, it's your turn to pick a person," Ryo commanded.

Takato was looking for a certain person but his eyes went to Henry. He also had one thing to aski him regarding the woman beside him.

"Henry, truth or dare!" Takato asked the blue-haired young man.

"Truth!" Henry answered with conviction.

"If there would be a chance, would you ask Rika out again?" Takato asked him with the most serious question that he got.

Rika felt pale even if she wanted the answer to be yes. She was still attracted to her ex-boyfriend and was very much in love with him. Henry felt his heart race as he tried a perfect answer without anyone getting hurt.

"Of course, I will!" Henry answered as he looked at Rika with a smile.

With this, Rika's cheeks turned into a deep shade of crimson. He still likes me. I'm trying for a perfect timing to do admit my feelings for him! After what happened in the beach today, I now had a hint with it! What shall I do?

"Aww! Rika!" Alice and Jeri chorused as they heard Henry's sweet answer.

"Okay, Henry… You be the one to choose!" Ryo requested his blue-haired friend.

Henry had no other choice but to pick Rika. Even if the idea was daunting, he still wanted to ask what Rika liked about him. He never asked that thing when they were still together in high school.

"Rika…" Henry said with a smile as he picked his love. "Truth or dare!"

"Truth!" Rika answered with conviction.

Henry thought of a question that would neither hurt nor insult her.

"What part of me you liked the most?" he asked her casually.

Rika mentally smiled at herself. Because Henry was the nicest, patient and lovable guy that she knew, she did not just like him. In fact, she loved him for him.

"Hmm…" Rika mumbled as she was thinking. "Your sensei-like lessons in life and the way you apply it for yourself."

Henry laughed but felt proud that Rika liked him for what he does.

"Thank you," Henry said with a smile. "Your turn, Rika."

Rika gave a devious grin as she spotted her next victim. She decided to choose Alice. She wanted to know the truth behind her liking for Ryo.

"Uhmm… Alice!" Rika said deviously. This is gonna be fun! What shall I ask her?

Alice became startled as her name was called. Knowing Rika and she just entrusted her secret to her, she did not know what to do.

"Okay!" Rika answered as she chose her question carefully. "Alice! Truth or dare!"

Alice decided to choose dare or otherwise she did not know how to handle the situation.

"I pick truth!" Alice declared. Who knows what Rika will do to me!

"Okay! Who among the three guys is your crush?" Rika asked straight to the point. She referred the three as Henry, Takato and Ryo.

Alice thought for a moment since it was the moment of truth already. It would mean that she liked Ryo more than as a friend.

"It can't be Takato because he got Jeri. It can't be Henry because he's yours," Alice answered and found an answer. "Oh! It's Ryo! Hey, Ryo! You're my crush!"

Ryo coughed a bit as he did not know if Alice was joking or serious.

You're my crush too, Alice, Ryo thought as he felt his heart race faster because of what he just heard.

"Okay, Alice. Your turn!" Rika prodded.

Alice saw her victim and decided to get Ryo tell the truth.

"Since I told that Ryo's my crush, I pick Ryo," Alice sneered. "Ryo, truth or dare."

Ryo let out a smug grin. "TRUTH!" he declared.

"Okay…" Alice thought of a question that would make her feel safe around Ryo and the other people. "What is the hair color of your crush?!"

Ryo was taken aback with the question given to him. Since his answer was all about Alice, he decided to only give a hint. The shining golden hair was still striking his cold and blue eyes.

"Yellow." Ryo smiled. "Her hair color is yellow. Blondie."

Alice froze on the spot. Yellow? My hair color's yellow! Nah! It can't be me. There's someone out there who has a yellow hair color!

"Okay," Takato said, sensing that the game would be over. "Ryo, can I randomly pick someone here?"

Ryo realized that two people were not yet finished by the dare.

"Of course, Takato! You can continue the dare!" Ryo replied with a smile on his face.

Takato scanned the area and saw that his cousin would be the most appropriate one to pick as a dare.

"Kai Urazoe!" Takato smirked. "I pick Kai Urazoe!"

Kai felt nervous with what Takato would do to him. Besides, Takato already had seen him kiss Minami so what was the point in picking dare. If he chose truth, who knows what Takato would ask him in front of his friends!

"Uh. I pick truth, Takato." Kai smirked nervously.

Takato rubbed his fingers altogether in enjoyment. "This is going to be fun! Okay! How many girlfriends did you have before Minami?"

Kai breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Takato's question.

"This is interesting!" Minami remarked as she never tried asking Kai that kind of question.

Kai took a deep breath before answering Takato's question.

"One and I'm proud of it!" Kai answered proudly.

"You're such a prude, dear cousin!" Takato teased. "Are you serious that you had one girlfriend before Minami? Minami can accept the truth, right?"

Minami only gave a smirk to Takato. She did not mind if Kai had multiple girlfriends before her. As long as he was not having girlfriends while he was being in a relationship with her.

"I am!" Kai protested.

"Okay!" Takato concluded. "It's your turn to pick someone, Kai."

Kai smirked as he had no choice but Minami alone. This is going to be fun!

"I pick Minami, of course!" Kai declared. "Truth or dare?"

"I choose truth!" Minami answered boldly.

"If I ask you to marry me, what will you say?" Kai asked.

"Yes. But not now." Minami winked.

This caused Kai Urazoe to smile widely as well.