• SIDE STORY 2 - LIFE'S A...BEACH?

    You would think somebody's attitude would change within the seasons. Nope. Not these particular people.

    Kagoshima, Japan in the summertime. Freaking hot as Hell. It just so happened to be the hottest day of the summer when Matsuda and Orihime proposed we flew nine hundred and eighty-six miles from Sapporo, Hokkaido to Kagoshima, Kyushu (which are both in Japan). Made me wake up early yet again, and we packed our stuff and took off right away. I was wondering why Kai had taken me out shopping to buy a swimsuit. Matsuda probaby asked--forced--him to. I didn't like to swim, though; I was an aquaphobic.

    Just to piss Kai off when we were shopping, I held up an incredibly skimpy bikini and smiled widely, "How about this? Does this suit your taste buds?" I asked sarcastically, and kind of sexy.

    Obviously my sarcasm and his sarcasm didn't meet on the same level, "You're my bride! Not my whore!" he freaked.

    That's when I freaked. I slapped him upside the head and hissed in his ear, "I'm not a bride, I'm a Blood Bride, you retard!" it was embarrassing to call me a bride in front of everybody when I really wasn't.

    So yeah, that was our shopping trip, worst shopping trip of my life. Before we left for Kagoshima, Matsuda made more sunlight suppressent pills for Kai and Kira. Of course, now I wouldn't mind if Kai "forgot" his pills so that he would roast in the sun. Unfortunately, he remembered and brought them along.

    It just so happened that I had to sit next to Kai in the airplane, seeing as there were only two seats per row on each side of the aisle. I didn't know who I felt more sorry for, though, myself for being seated with Kai, or Kira for being seated with Takeuchi. Takeuchi kept speaking above everybody, trying to say anything to set Kira off. It worked for a little bit after Kira finally made a thunderous blow to Takeuchi's head. Takeuchi only boomed out in laughter after all the other passengers on the plane turned towards him and Kira, wondering where the deafening sound came from. Obviously Kira wasn't used to being around so many humans all at once so he didn't realize how hard and how loud he hit. I swear the pilots almost used the emergency landing because they probably thought one of the engines broke off.

    I rolled my eyes and switched the song on my iPod--the iPod that Matsuda bought for me but I had to share it with Kai--to "Ichirin no Hana" by High and Mighty Color.

    Kai rose one eyebrow and stared at me after the screaming parts of the song, "You like screaming?"

    I looked away, a little embarrassed, "So I like Rock music and a little Death Metal,"

    Kai smiled, "Show me Death Metal music,"

    I obediently searched the song list in my iPod and switched the song to "What's Up People?" from Maximum the Hormone. It only amused Kai more once the booming scream showed up in the beginning and the chorus and the incomprehensible fast talking in the verses. I even managed to show off some songs in different languages such as English, German, and Russian by mouthing the words. The songs I played from my favorite band, Tokio Hotel, I bobbed my head to the beat and even spazzed out a few times, pretending to be Bill Kaulitz. I also moved around swiftly when I was mouthing the words to "Suno no Oshiro" by Kanon Wakeshima.

    After Kai listened to the different songs, he memorized them after the first time and mouthed the words the second time they came around, only pissing me off more on this hot day. I shut off my iPod and put it away and Kai only laughed at me. He said something to me in French I couldn't comprehend and we rode the rest of the way to Kagoshima with my arms crossed and Kai's arm around my shoulders, trying to cheer me up between chuckles and small kisses on my head.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    I about ran out the lobby screaming when we arrived at the hotel. It was much too nice. It was more of two mansions put together than a hotel. Pure-glass chandeliers hung in every hallway and room, all the floors except for the floors in the bedrooms were all a light beige marble, the counters were marble, there was at least two gourmet chefs in the kitchen, from what I heard. There was a spa (which I would spoil myself at later) and our room was on the top floor with a perfect view of the beach.

    "C'mon, put your swimsuit on," Kai bugged me, annoyed.

    "If I wasn't so exhausted from the heat already, I'd have hit you for sounding so perverted," I sighed.

    But, without arguing, I obediently scrambled into the bathroom and stripped myself down and slid my bikini on. I quickly grabbed a beach towel the hotel had in the linen closet in the bathroom that was almost as big as Kai's bedroom and covered myself with it and exited the bathroom. Kai only laughed at me and I yelled at him for mocking me being self conscious. What pissed me off more was that Matsuda checked us in to three rooms; one for him and Orihime, one for Kira and Takeuchi...and one for Kai and I. I couldn't have been more embarrassed that day. Kai only laughed about it and shrugged it off, but to me, it was forever etched in my brain, but thank the Gods that there were two beds.

    Kai and I met up with the others downstairs and I felt self conscious again as I saw Orihime in her bikini and I envied her perfect figure, even after having a child. She was still so slender, like a teenager's figure...but not my figure, I was too bony in Kai's opinion. We got to the beach after grabbing some chairs from the hotel and setting them up with an umbrella to shade Orihime and I. Kai sat on the sand right next to me while I leaned my chair back and put sunglasses on so I could tan properly. I looked over at Kai.

    "You're not swimming?" I asked.

    "I don't swim," he said casually, almost bored.

    I glared at him, "Then why did we even come here?"

    Just as I had asked that, Takeuchi sprinted--at a human sprint--to the ocean waters and dove in, laughing his head off along the way. I nearly freaked out when he didn't come up to surface again for anther five minutes but I was too scared to go in after him. Kai sighed and rolled his eyes.

    "Relax, Arisa, we can hold our breath for a long time," he sighed again.

    I looked to my other side as Orihime felt around the umbrella and took it down herself, exposing us to the sunlight. I looked down at Kai again in worry.

    "Are you feeling okay?" I asked.

    "Yeah. I feel like any other day." he shrugged.

    I tossed the suntan lotion bottle to him and turned my back towards him and moved my hair over my shoulder, "In that case, put suntan lotion on my back," that was a little embarrassing to ask...especially in front of Orihime.

    Kai chuckled and in the next instant, the cold of the suntan lotion and the frozen feeling of Kai's hand were moving all over my back. I withdrew with a shriek.

    "Good God, Kai, that was cold!" I shouted at him.

    "Look who you're asking to do this!" he shouted back.

    He continued to spread the suntan lotion on my back, only making me shiver every second. He finally finished and I lie back down on my lounging chair again and sighed. Kai went up and left somewhere, but I didn't really care where he went because I knew he wouldn't go far. After a few minutes, I looked around to see if Kai was anywhere nearby and there was no sign of Kai or Kira or even Matsuda. I leaned over to Orihime quickly and whispered to her.

    "Orihime, how do I get Kai's attention a little better?"

    "You're asking me?" she wondered curiously.

    "Yeah, you've been married for over three hundred years. How do you get Matsuda's attention?" I pushed.

    "Well, aside from the fact that I'm blind," she started, pointing out the obvious, "I try to make myself look as sexy as I can."

    I almost laughed, but I pursed my lips together instead of being rude, "Go on. How do I do it?"

    Orihime leaned over to me, "When Kai comes back, sprits yourself with my water and ask him for a drink, look sexy and he'll be back before you blink...with your drink," she winked at me.

    I bit my lip and pointed at her drink, "That water?"

    "It's the only bottle between you and I, right? Hurry up, he's coming back." Orihime leaned back in her chair and started to pretend tan.

    I hesitantly grabbed the water, completely against what I was going to do just to get Kai's attention a little, but I would die laughing if it worked. Kai, Kira and Matsuda headed our way and I quickly opened the cap to the water and poured it all over my head and chest, shivering as it trickled everywhere. Kai and Matsuda and Kira all stopped and stared at me as I postitioned myself awkwardly to look like some anorexic supermodel as best as I could. I fanned myself with my hand and gave Kai my best look, nearly dying of embarrassment.

    "Hey, Kai, could you get me a drink?" I said in a half whisper.

    I sat and waited for Kai to answer but him and Kira and Matsuda stared at me as if I were drunk and high at the same time, dancing on a rooftop with no clothes on.

    Kai finally stored and crossed his arms, "Get your own damn water!" he scoffed.

    "What?" I turned to Orihime and glared at her, ignoring the way Kira was staring at me with an eye twitching, "I thought you said it would work!"

    "It should have," Orihime tapped her chin and looked up, "I guess Kai is harder to get to than I thought."

    I couldn't believe she could just assume that so casually without yelling at Kai first or anything. The next instant I turned back to Kai, Kira was nearly standing on top of me with an ice cold bottle of water with a big grin on his face, as if he were possessed.

    "Uh," I grabbed the water, "Thanks?"

    Kai punched Kira on the head with the same deafening pound, turning heads again, "Get lost, Kira," Kai sighed.

    Kira hesitantly left, his eye still twitching. I guess that little girl charm worked on Kira rather than Kai. I scanned Kai up and down and noticed he was only wearing his black khakis and a white, long-sleeved collared shirt.

    "Like I said, I don't swim," he said nonchalantly.

    After a few minutes of pouting my myself, I turned my attention to the shoreline where the water overlapped the sand and Kai and Kira were standing at the edge and Takeuchi was still enjoying himself in the water, trying to be a smart-a** and doggy-paddle the whole time. Out of instant nowhere, Kai and Kira started to slowy unbutton their shirts and remove them like male supermodels...hot male supermodels. Their figures glistened in the sunlight as they continued to remove their shirts in slow motion.

    Okay, I was beyond pissed off, "Hey, you loser, if it doesn't work on you, then it shouldn't work on me!!" I shouted at Kai, "Put your clothes back on and get your a** back here!!"

    I could see Kai and Kira chuckle, but they continued to tag team and remove their shirts, drawing too much attention to themselves. It was about time I lost it when a stray teenage girl a little older than me touched Kai's arm and started flirting with him. Kai frowned at the girl and I threw down my magazine and sunglasses and darted as fast as I could towards Kai and crashed into him. If he were human, I'd have knocked him into next week, but I nearly knocked myself out instead.

    "Don't touch...him," I demanded through gasps, "Keep your hands away from him you little--"

    Kai shushed me by pressing his finger against my lips and wrapped an arm around my waist. His cold arm froze me where I was and I couldn't believe how he could still be so cold on such a hot day. Kai didn't say anything to the girl and the girl glared at me and took her leave. I turned towards Kai with a saddend look.

    "Were you meaning to get their attention?" I asked sadly.

    Kai chuckled half-heartedly, "Of course not,"

    We both looked over at Kira and as soon as he was finished removing his shirt in slow motion, the girls ambushed him. He reached out towards Kai, "Hep me!!"

    Kai frowned at Kira and he grabbed my hand and lightly smiled at me, "Come on, let's take a walk," he sounded as though he had caved in during a conversation.

    We walked onto a pier and Kai stood at the edge, looking out into the ocean and the halfway-setting sun. I stayed on the bench on the pier, well away from the railings, in the off chance I would somehow manage to flip over the railings and drown in the water.

    Kai looked back at me with curiosity, "Why aren't you standing over here?"

    I paused as a couple walked by, holding hands and chattering about whatever, and it was only Kai and I left on the pier.

    I shifted around, "I don't like water,"

    Kai frowned, "We're fifty feet above the water, you'll be fine," he sighed.

    I hesitantly left the safety and comfort of the bench and stood next to Kai who--despite the fact that he's a Vampire--I felt safer and more comfortable with. He grabbed my hand once again and looked down at me and I looked away and blushed, embarrassed once again by my typical human appearance.

    Kai leaned down and kissed my head, "You look fine,"

    That brought a little color to my cheeks and I leaned on his arm as the sky turned to a red-pink-orange-yellow pastel-colored sky. The ocean was becoming a little rougher, due to the approaching night time and I knew Takeuchi would enjoy that the most.

    "So, are you having fun?" Kai asked casually, leaning over so his elbow was propped on the railing and his chin was rested in the palm of his hand. He peeked over at me.

    "Yeah," I answered half-truthfully, "I'm upset that I'm an aquaphobic. I'd love to swim and play games with Takeuchi and everything, but it's just another thing that makes me more pathetic."

    Kai frowned at me at the "pathetic" part, "What happened to make you fear swimming?"

    I looked down, "I've...seen bad things," I sighed, "I was at a hotel in Tokyo when I was about six and some girl a couple of years older than me drowned right in front of me because she couldn't swim. I was in the shallow end, so I could stand, but she was in the deep end. I stood there, not knowing what to do, so I didn't do anything."

    Kai stared at me with sympathy as I continued, "So that's why I don't swim. I just think that I'll be drowning and everybody would be like I was, just standing and staring." I smiled healf-heartedly, "Of course, there are worse ways to die."

    I slapped my hand over my mouth as Kai frowned at me, pain lingering in his eyes. I should have known better than to say something like that, knowing Kai would take it the wrong way.

    "I'm-I'm sorry I was so cranky and mean this morning. It was the heat." I looked over at Kai but his expression didn't change.

    Great, I knew I said something too harsh. Kai touched my cheek with his free hand and kissed my hand that he was still holding and he stared at me with melancholy eyes, "You think I'm too weak to break the contract?"

    I shook my head right after he said "weak", "Don't say that, Kai. You're not weak." I shifted around again, "I didn't mean to bring that subject up. I'm just saying there have been worse ways that someone has died. Fire or suicide or rape or mur--"

    Kai had cupped my face in both of his hands and pressed his lips against mine as light as a feather and pulled away again, "It's okay. I took it a little far."

    I smiled and then my face fell when I saw what looked like a subtle burn mark on his right shoulder, the shoulder that was facing the sunset, "Kai, are your pills wearing off?"

    Kai rolled his shoulder around, "Yeah, I think so. We better head back so we can get back to the hotel."

    Good God, our bedroom we're sharing. I raised my hand quickly, "I get window bed!!"

    Kai smirked, "Not unless I beat you there," he grabbed my hand again.

    "That's not a fair fight," I complained, "You can teleport and you're fast."

    Kai chuckled, "I'll give you a ten minute head-start,"

    I frowned at him and he turned around and crouched over and I jumped onto his back. We didn't teleport or run, but we walked back to the others and awaited to do the same thing again the next day.