Ai closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as she exclaimed "Sorry! I know you don't like rough contact, but you were choking so I had to!"

Kǎi waved his hand in a dismissing matter as if to show the mermaid that he didn't want her to fuss over the matter anymore. "I understand, Ai."

He still had a default frown on his face even when he asked. "I presume you would do the same with any of your friends?"

The blond mermaid nervously giggled with her arms behind her back. "How did you know?"

The angel had a soft smile as he replied. "We've spent a few days together; I've picked up on your exuberant personality by now. Do you think I would ask you to be with me if I wasn't aware of your character?"

Ai blushed as he said that, and she felt warmth radiating from her chest. Her midnight blue eyes turned to the side before looking at those of silver. "I… Suppose not…"

She then got a mischievous look in her eyes as she swam to his side and playfully asked "What? Are you shy even though we have kissed before? Or are angels that prudish?"

He frowned. Given that merpeople weren't as fully clothed as angels were, he supposed it was understandable Ai would think such a thing.

"I suppose you could say so. However, it's not like we are complete strangers to intimacy. We also reproduce."

Ai's expression was still playful even as she looked up at the higher levels of the ocean. "Oh~, but you angels aren't so eager when it comes to intimate topics?"

Kǎi smirked as he said, "And who pray tell, gave you such an idea?"

The mermaid twiddled her index fingers as she said, "I don't know, a certain, serious angel maybe?"

Kǎi's wings enveloped around her, allowing her no escape.

Ai flushed. "W-What are you doing?!"

The angel smirked and said, "Are you sure angels aren't so eager when it comes to intimacy?"

"I, I, I…"

He leaned his head closer as much as his white feathered wings would allow.

"Angels do not care for private issues such as intimacy between others but rather that of their own in private."

He pulled her waist in closer and gave her a passionate kiss.

Her midnight blue eyes widened, confirming the sight that Kǎi's lips was intensely pressing against hers before she closed her eyes to revel in the feeling of it.

He then pulled away his lips and wings, freeing her before using his wings to push himself in another direction while she was still in a daze from the fact that he, a stiff angel, had initiated a passionate kiss.

Kǎi then called out "Break's over!"

Ai then frowned the moment he said those words because it prevented her from confronting him about their kiss earlier. She held her fists up as she pouted. "You… Horrible man!"

Kǎi then playfully smirked before going back to the place where he floated above as he waited for the merpeople to use their water manipulation to gather more corpses. The ocean was not a place to hold onto such things as the death aura would have a negative effect on its inhabitants as it was a refuge that embraced all beings but there was no shore for the ocean to discard the human corpses onto. Even when the rivers flowed into its being, the ocean would remain at its usual level, but it was the constant rain levels brought by Heaven that caused the ocean to become vaster than it was before.

Although the merpeople did not talk often about how much they loved their sea aside from when he first met the group and they expressed an eagerness to aid him in his difficult task and Mei had said "Besides, this is our sea. We have to do our part to take care of it." It was clear that they cared about it and for each other enough to collaborate with him to undertake such a task that almost seemed hopeless given the circumstances.

He had admired the beauty of it as he began to watch Ai from afar and now that he was in it, he could marvel at the sights of it from within. The yellow soil in the sea never seemed to truly dissipate as the rain continued to pour the soil in but it distinguished this sea from the other seas in the lower realm. Had it not been for the flooding of waters, this sea would have remained constant, small, and with a pure aura like it used to.

The merpeople split into different directions to gather up to their place where they did water manipulation. Lín with Ruǎn yù. Mei with Yìngyù. Qing with Zhihao. Her heart had such a wonderful, fluttery feeling at seeing all her dear friends in love and the couples being together as they continued their task. Being in love was wonderful and it was divine to see that her friends could share in that feeling as well. She felt Kǎi's hands on her shoulders and she blushed at the contact. She turned to look back and smile at him.

The angel gave her a soft smile. "Let's get back to work."

Ai nodded. "Yes."

After being happy for her friends and seeing the sight of them in love and feeling his warm hands on her bare shoulders, Ai had forgotten all about her frustrations towards him earlier.

Ai mischievously smiled as she asked "Oh~, so earlier, that kiss was to prove that angels aren't so prudish right, you naughty man~?"

Kǎi chuckled deeply with his eyes closed. "Only in private do we entertain such intimate matters."

Ai was pleased with that answer, and she felt bold enough to take his hand into hers. The angel's eyes gave away a look of surprise, but he didn't mind as he liked the feeling of her softer, smaller hand in his. His hand was rougher than hers, but the heat radiating from it was much warmer than a merman's. Almost as if part of the golden sunlight was infused into this perfect being. Perhaps that explained why his power radiated the color of gold. She was reminded that his powers shone gold like the Kun-Peng in her dreams…

"Kǎi?"

"Hmm?" He looked in her direction.

She shook her head. "Never mind."

She wanted to ask him where his powers came from, but she felt like some things were better left a mystery.

When he saw the content smile on her face as she said, "Never mind." He decided not to pry into the matter. He also reciprocated a content smile. The time they had wouldn't last forever so he would cherish every moment they had together until their task was completed.

Note: I was inspired by pages 453-454 which talks about a fisherman describing why he loves the ocean in Old Path White Clouds by Thích Nhất Hạnh.