Sitting on the Dock. [Reserved]

The warm wood pressed against his legs as Chase sat down on the dock, dipping his bare feet into the water. He leaned back on his hands, pressing his palms against the hot surface and titling his face up into the sun. He couldn't see that well--he had taken off his glasses, so they wouldn't fall in the water--but the sun beat down on his face and in his vision nevertheless. Turning his face back to the water, he exhaled, sitting up straight and kicking his feet a little bit. The water rippled around him, making huge circles in the water that billowed and expanded.

It was eerily quiet at the beach. He didn't mind one bit; he liked the quiet. But he was, well...bored.

Kazu was gentley singing to herself on the beach. She often did. No songs in particular, just songs she'd picked up here and there, some lyrcs she had made up herself. Kazumi actually had a very beautiful voice, but she didn't sing in front of people. Not often, anyway. The cold water rushed below her feet. It felt good on a hot day like this one. The wind blew back her brown hair out of her face, as she sat up on the rocks.

She then noticed someone sitting on the docks. "huh?" she asked tilted her head to the side. she leaped off the rocks, landing in the soft sand. She curiously made her way over, breaking into a jog as she thought she reconized the person.

Even without his glasses, Chase could see Kazu running over to him. He stood up, brushing the legs of his bathing suit off his the palms of his hand. The grain of the wood had left an impression in his skin, so he balled his hands into fists and left them by the side. When she got closer to him, he unclenched one hand and waved. "Hi, Kazumi," he said. "Nice day to be at the beach, huh?"

Kazu blinked a couple times. "eh...ya." she said. She was catching some breath she'd lost. "you like the beach?" she asked. She stood there, unsure weither to move or not. Concern and confusion filled her face. Had he heard her? she hoped not. But she couldn't be sure, either. She found a couple of stray hairs and placed them neatly back where they were. She was waring her biki under her purple tank top and white mini skirt, just in case she wanted to swim.

One corner of Chase's mouth turned up. "Er, yeah. I do like the beach, actually." He sat back down on the dock, sliding his feet back into the water. "Haven't been swimming in a long time, though. I thought I might go today." He patted the legs of his bathing suit to make a point, and sighed. "Yeah." He looked back up at Kazu and squinted. His vision wasn't the best at the moment, so he couldn't be certain of the expression on her face, but he thought she looked---upset, maybe? "Something wrong?"

Kazu shook her head. "erm, no." she smiled sweetly. "ya, swimming sounds fun, and it is rather hot today." "which is why i came down here." kazu presse dher pointer finger to her bottem lip. "hm. maybe i should go swimming now." she mumbled to herself. "the water's perfect right now and there arn't many major waves."

Chase nodded in agreement. "Yep, it is the perfect day for swimming." Without another word, he pushed off of the dock, sliding into the water with a splash. He sank down in the water, and then pushed off of the ocean floor and came back up to the surface. Shaking water out of his hair and rubbing his eyes, he looked up at Kazumi and said, "Well? Are you coming in or not? The water's fine!"

Kazu nodded. "ya, hold on a sec." she said. She took of her shirt and skirt, reveiling a very simple purple bikini. She then backed away from the docks, positioning herself. A rare dark smile crossed her face. She then sprange forward and jumped head first off the dock, divivng into the water. Popping up about 5 feet away a few mintues later. "that was fun~" she said closing her eyes and smiling cheerfully. Her now wet hair stuck to her back and face. She gatherd all of it and wrang it out.

Chase chuckled and slapped his hand across the water, spraying Kazumi with a splash of water. "You're it," he said, ducking beneath a wave and swimming underneath the dock, behind a support pole. Then he dove back in the water, swimming behind Kazumi this time, and splashed her again from behind. "You're slow," he said triumphantly, ducking away again and reemerging a few feet away. "Can't catch me!" he taunted childishly.

"N-no fair!" kazu yelled. She crosse dher arms and pouted, but then she smirk. "fine! but i shal show no mercy!" She laughed histaricly and dove under water. She stayed under, holding her breath as long as she could. She swam up behind him and jumped out from unde rin atempt to tackle him. She brought water up with her, using her arms and splashing him back.

Chase stood up easily, with Kazumi dangling off of him. "Haha. I'm stronger than you." He pinched his nose shut and dive-bombed the water vertically, submerging both himself and Kazumi, and then freeing himself from her grasp and kicking away with a splash. Circling back, he dove under her and picked her up, putting her on his shoulders and then coming up for air. "It's like a one-sided chicken fight!" he exclaimed, balancing the girl.

Kazu giggled. "ehh?" "no fair!" she started to playful pound his head. "you should be going easy on me, you have an advantage!" "i demand a remach! i will have my justice." she laughed again. She wrapped her arms around his chest so she'd keep balence. "i sware if you drop me, you'll be sorry." she said playfully sticking out her tounge.

"Your hits have no effect on me, little girl," Chase said, shaking his head and splashing water all over her. "Mwahahahaha!" He paused for a second, and then said, "You better not be sticking your tongue out at me!" He bent his knees so that he was closer to the water and then bent backwards, letting her slide off of his shoulders. "Chicken fights are only fun when there's actually someone to fight against," he explained, standing up to his full height again.

"eekk!' kazu screamed as she fell of his back. Since it was a suprise attack, she didn't have time to hold her breath she hurried to the surface and gapsed for hair, coughing voilently and trying to breath at the same time. She smiled at Chase with the back of her wrist to her mouth. "chicken fight, eh?" "trust me, i know what a chicken fight is, and you do not want to get in a fight with chickens, they're tougher than they look." she let out a chuckle.

Chase blinked for a second. "Wait, you mean actual chickens?" he asked finally, twisting his body to float on his back. He spread his arms out and continued, "No, I meant a chicken fight between people, doofus. You know, when two people get on the shoulders of two other people, and then the people who are sitting on the shoulders of the other people start to fight the other team? That's a human chicken fight." He added, "Just in case you didn't know."

"yes yes i know." she said. "i was just saying..." Kazu looked away and rubbed the back of her head. She blushed with embaressment. "I've never played before...so.." a sweat drop appeared on her head. "but ya, rela fights with real chickens is tricky." "they tend to peck and scratch really hard." "and i have the scars to prove it!' a smile appeared on kazu's face.

Chase bit his lip. "If there were two more people here, we could actually have one. I'm the best chicken-fighter in the history of the world, but I'm usually the one holding the other person, because I'm too tall." He grinned up at the sky, and then stood up again. His feet barely touched the ocean floor. "It's shallow here," he said, for the sake of conversation.

Kazu nodded "ya." she agreed. "and the best chiln-holder, eh?" she said with a smirk. She walked over to him and flocked him in the forehead, keeping her pointer finger there. A smug smile appeared on her face. "we'll jsut see how well you do, no?" kazu did a back flip into the water and swam on her back away. "want to go into deeper water?" she asked after a few seconds. she was staring at the sky.

Chase rubbed his hand against his forehead, scowling. "Ouch," he said, but his tone was light. He lifted his feet off the ground and doggy-paddled animatedly out to deeper water, which was entirely dark and cloudy. He could barely see the outlines of his legs in the water. He motioned to Kazumi. "Come on."

"aye aye sir!" kazu said and dove underwater. She popped up a few seocnds later in the deeper water. "man!" she said. "you ca't see anything down there!" kazu half-smiled. Then, she let out a shirek. "EEKKKK!" she yelled. "something brushed agenst my let!" "oh wait, i think it was just seaweed." she said letting out a sigh of reileif. "it's happend to me enough times i should know better." she said. A sweat drop appeared on her head.

Chase exhaled loudly. "Don't scare me like that!" he scolded, wagging his finger at her and frowning. "I thought I was going to have to punch a shark in the schnoz, or something." He flopped back in the water and kicked his legs, propelling himself further into the water. He looked at the shore, which was getting further and further away as he swam. He didn't like the shoreline; too crowded more often than not. He liked the open water.

Kazumi laughed hastraicly. "with that attitude, i bet you could!" "wow! chase-san is alot of fun!" kazu said closing her eyes and smiling. "kazumi's glad she met him!" kazu said speaking in third person for no appernt reason. "hey, want to have a breath-holding contest?" "whoever can hold his breath the lost, wins!" 'but i'm not going to take it easy on you, kay?" "i'm an expert, concidering i've lived on a farm all my life!"

"What does living on a farm have to do with holding your breath?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows. "Whatever." He grinned, and then said in a rush, "Readysetgo." He took a deep breath and disappeared under the water, closing his eyes and counting. One, two, three, four... He and his sister would have competitions like this a lot. He usually won.

Kazu went under at the same time. She started to count in her head as well. Her eyes were closed, she was relaxed, and didn't think-just did. The smell. kazu thought the answer to his question. She completely cleared her mind. Thinking of nothing. Then, that picture, that horrible scene flashed in her head. Her father..on the ground..barley breathing. Her eyes shot open and water rushed into her lungs. She quickly went to the surface coughing and hacking. Why...did i think of that all of a sudden? she wondered. why papa? why now? She gapsed and gapsed for air. Swallowed more than i thought.

Beneath the murky water, without his glasses, it was surprising that Chase could see Kazumi shooting up to the surface. But he did, and he followed her up, grinning. "I win!" he crowed, pumping his fist up into the air. Then he looked at Kazumi again; she was coughing and gasping for breath. He frowned and swam over to her, treading water by her. "What happened? Swallow ocean water, or get it up your nose?" he asked sympathetically. Many a time had the water gone down something it wasn't supposed to. The stinging wasn't pleasant.