'Til The End of Time [the Apprentices]
Title: 'Til the End of Time
Claim: Ansem's Apprentices
Written For: kingdom100, prompt- 006. Water
Type/Rating: fluff/lol and PG
Ienzo called it the seashore, Braig called it the beach, and Dilan called it the ocean - but they were all going to the same place on this baking June morning. Having spent the past three days drowning in a pool of sweat and brainlessness, Ansem finally declared an impromptu holiday, and the whole gang packed up and headed for the sea.
Braig was the first one out of the car - he'd been hanging out the window almost the whole time. "OH YEAH!" he shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Beach time!" In two seconds flat, he had grabbed his bag and took off for the sparkling line of water.
The others followed at a much saner pace, Dilan and Aeleus carrying two umbrellas and a cooler as well as their own bags. All five pitched in to make their little camp - the umbrellas placed perfectly to create maxium shade, an overlapping network of towels to lay on, and the cooler wedged in the sand within easy reach.
Xehanort, having done his duty, slid out of his white t-shirt and wandered down towards the edge of the shore... his skin tanned, it didn't burn, so he wasn't worried about the sun. Off in the distance, he could see a familiar figure bobbing in the waves.... Braig looked back and waved, grinning madly. Xehanort returned the grin and waded out to join him.
Dilan gave his shoulders and nose a cursory swipe with the sunscreen, then headed for the waves... halfway there, he saw a little pile of Braig's backpack, shirt, and sandals. With a sigh, he grabbed his friend's things and lugged them back to the umbrellas, and then headed out to join him.
Ienzo flipped on a pair of sunglasses, plopped down on his belly, and flipped open his book. He'd been reading all during the car ride, the book not even leaving his hands as they set up the umbrellas. Now he jumped right back into the story, ignoring the rest of the world.
Aeleus sat next to him and frowned. "You need to put sunscreen on."
"No I don't." It was an automatic reply; Ienzo didn't even look up.
"Yes, you do. Your skin is whiter than mine, and if I can burn, you can, too."
Ienzo ignored him.
Aeleus sighed, then poured some suntan lotion on his palms and rubbed his hands together. Then he placed his hands on Ienzo's back.
"Aaah! That's cold!" Ienzo jumped at the touch on his back, almost losing his page in the book. He glared at Aeleus over his shoulder. "Get off!" he snarled.
"I'm putting sunscreen on you. Go back to reading, you don't have to do anything." He began rubbing it in, subtly massaging at the same time.
Ienzo scowled. "Fine." He flopped back over and found his place again, ignoring everything except the story in front of him... but those hands on his back quickly became a comforting distraction.
Xehanort paused. The water was now up to his chest... and most of the people around him were elegantly (or, in some cases, quite INelegantly) drifting around, floating on the surface. He bit his lip. Braig was still farther in... He heard a splash next to him and looked over to see Dilan, bobbing up and down with the waves.
He frowned slightly, then turned back to looking for Braig - and spotted him, just in time to see a giant wave ground him into mincemeat.
Dilan chuckled. It was more from the alarmed look on Xehanort's face than anything... he took things way too seriously. "He'll be fine. It's just water."
Xehanort glared at him. "It looks dangerous," he muttered under his breath.
Dilan shrugged, swimming a little further out to sea. "Here he comes..."
Braig exploded from underwater, jumping up into the air, then splashed back down, making sure to get Xehanort as wet as humanly possible.
Glare. Of. DOOM.
Braig laughed at him. "C'mon, Snorty, it was funny and you know it."
Xehanort sighed. Braig was impossible, of course. "Whatever you say."
That was a dangerous thing to say to Braig, even in jest. "Then I say... we head further out!"
"Not too much further," Dilan cautioned. "Riptides are bad."
Xehanort was back to his scowling. "...I don't want to."
"What? Why?" Braig looked up at him, gold eyes wide.
Xehanort cringed under that honest gaze. "I... don't know how to swim."
"YOU WHAT?" Braig shot up from the water again. "Well, it's about damn time to learn!"
Xehanort's eyes widened. "What?"
"We're gonna teach you how to swim! Right, Dilan?"
Dilan smiled. "Sure."
"Well, it's a lot easier to swim in the ocean, because you can float. All you gotta do is jump right in, and keep moving..."
Back on the shore, Even finally plopped down next to Ienzo and Aeleus. "Where have you been?" the older apprentice said, one big hand still resting on Ienzo's back.
Even flapped his hands vaguely in the direction of the boardwalk. "I was playing Pac-man." Out of all six, he was the only one still mostly clothed... he had on a white t-shirt and a green flannel shirt over it, with the sleeves rolled up. He curled up in the shade, tucking his knees under his chin... then leaned over and rummaged through the cooler.
Aeleus watched him, interested. "Are you actually going to eat something? On your own volition?"
Even snorted at him. "I do eat sometimes, you know." He pulled out a sandwich and delicately opened it, eating each part separately.
Aeleus waited for the snide commentary from Ienzo... but it didn't come. He peered down at his friend, then smiled. He'd fallen asleep, his cheek pillowed on top of his crossed wrists.
Even frowned. He disliked the heat, but he also disliked uncovering himself any more than was strictly necessary... but the temperature was winning out. Ugh. It was just so hot. He finished off his sandwich, then stood up and stripped off his shirts. "Aeleus, where'd that sunscreen go?"
Aeleus lifted his hand from Ienzo's back to grab the bottle - then stopped as he heard a strange 'mmrrr' noise from the young man. He grinned and passed Even the sunscreen... then returned his hand to its original position. Ienzo smiled, in his sleep.
Even began sunscreening himself - he was horribly pale, and any inch of skin left uncovered was sure to be lobster-colored by the evening.
That is, until he felt the bottle yanked from his hands.
He whipped around, knowing exactly who he'd find there. "Braig!!"
Braig was... wet. And tan, and his hair was down, and he was holding the sunscreen and grinning like a doofus. An evil doofus. "Whaaat?" he drawled.
"Give that back!"
"Come and get it!"
And with that, they took off running, winding around blankets and umbrellas, tripping over sandcastles, and scaring seagulls into flight. They ran down to the other end of the beach - where the rocks got bigger, until there was more rock than sand.
Braig leapt over the craggy ledges gracefully, perfectly balanced. Even, on the other hand, stumbled and cursed his way up the rocks, finally collapsing next to Braig in a heap, completely out of breath.
However, the next words out of his mouth were, "Why did you stop?"
Braig grinned. He pointed down - and Even gasped, all thought of the climb evaporating. "Tide pool," Braig said, a superior smirk on his face.
Even's eyes shone. "Wow," he breathed. "Look! Is that a sea urchin?"
"Sure is." Braig leaned down for a closer look; he was just as fascinated as the young scientist. "Don't grab it by the spikes; they'll just come off."
"I know that," Even muttered crossly. "I'm not going to touch it. Starfish!"
"And mussels... mm, damn, that makes me hungry."
Even laughed. "Doesn't everything make you hungry?"
"Ha!" Braig snorted. "You're right! But mussels are taaasty." He pried a few from the rocks. "Hey, if we could find a bucket, there's probably enough out here to make dinner or something."
Even was examining a delicate conch shell. "Hmmm?"
"I'm serious. Have you ever tried them? Cooked with butter... oh man, now I'm really hungry."
"I don't like seafood," Even muttered.
"Have you ever tried it?" Braig pressed the question again, tossing his hair over his shoulder.
"...No."
"Then you should at least give it a go. Not all seafood tastes the same." Braig bounced around the rocks for a bit, hopping here and there. "Man! I wish I had a bucket."
Even frowned, poking his fingers into another shell. "Your hair looks funny."
"What, the highlights?" Braig shook his head; his hair was starting to dry out. It was an inch past his shoulder blades now. "Yeah, they only come out in the sun. I wish they were there all the time... I could dye them cool colors and stuff."
"Why don't you just bleach it?" Even was having trouble suppressing the urge to touch the sea urchin.
Braig was crouched over another pool a little lower down. "Huh? Oh. That'd be too much work... besides, I like the way they look in the sunlight. I just need to live somewhere that's sunny all the time." He popped off a few more mussels.
"Hm, good luck with that," Even replied with a sarcastic eyeroll. "Hey... where did you put that sunscreen??"
Braig grinned over his shoulder. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Aargh!" Even jumped up, the sea urchin forgotten. "Give it back already! I'm going to have weird sunburn patches!"
Braig stuck out his tongue. "Sucks to be you!" And he took off, hopping over the rocks back in the direction of their camp.
"YOU SUCK!"
Ienzo groggily lifted his head from his book. "....buh?"
There was a soft chuckle to his right. He looked over and blinked - shit, his hair was in the way again. "Muh?" He really wasn't doing too well on the talking thing, was he.
Xehanort reached over and patted him on the head. "You were asleep."
"...Oh." Ienzo pushed himself up to a sitting position, his sleepy muscles protesting the motion. "Where's Aeleus?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"I believe Aeleus and Dilan headed for the arcade... something about an air hockey tournament?" Xehanort pushed a strand of white hair behind his ear; the wind was fussing with it.
"Oh." He pouted and stared out at sea for a bit... then scooted over and poked sand through his toes. He wished Aeleus would come back... he was bored and he didn't like air hockey.
The sudden liftoff of a group of nearby seagulls was the only warning they got. Braig crashed into the blankets, sending up sand in clouds - and Even was right behind him, tripped over Braig's feet, and fell on top of him.
Chaos ensued.
Ienzo and Even were still screaming at the top of their lungs by the time Dilan and Aeleus got back, out of breath from an intense match, but very happy. Braig was simply laughing - curled up on his side, holding his stomach, and laughing. Xehanort simply watched.
Aeleus frowned down at Ienzo. "What's wrong?"
"He... They... got sand... up my nose!!!"
"It's HIS FAULT!" Even snarled, pointing an accusing finger at Braig.
Braig snorted. "You didn't have to fall on top of me!"
Dilan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, Even. Everything is Braig's fault. Isn't that the first rule of Radiant Garden?"
"No!" Braig sat up on his elbows. There was sand everywhere. "Rule Number One of Radiant Garden - Xehanort is a girly man!"
"I'm what?!"
"Rule Number TWO - Everything is Braig's fault."
Ienzo was finally calming down a little, mostly beacuse Aeleus was there. "Then what's Rule Number Three?"
Braig rolled his eyes. "Easy - Dilan sleeps with stuf-" But he never finished, because Dilan kicked sand into his face. "HEY!" He jumped up to a standing position in record time, then ran for Dilan, who had already turned and made for the ocean. "GET BACK HERE!"
The remaining four watched them go with a small amount of relief... it was quieter when Braig and Even weren't so close to each other.
Even was trying to shake the sand out of his hair, when he remembered. "Oh! Guys! Come this way - Braig showed me something awesome!"
They all got up, even Xehanort, though the comment hadn't specifically been directed at him. Aeleus grinned. "You and Braig actually had a conversation?"
Even stuck out his tongue. "Me and Braig get along fine, when he's not actively trying to piss me off."
"...Which is all the time," Ienzo pointed out.
"Almost all the time. Almost. There's a difference." He pointed at the rocky outcroppings - jeez, they'd run a long way. No wonder he was out of breath. "It's over there - you're going to love it, I promise."
"Is it a poisonous sea viper?" Ienzo asked casually.
"What? No!"
"Is it a rock lobster?"
"N- well, actually there could be rock lobsters. I didn't see one."
"What about jellyfish? Are you going to get us stung by jellyfish?"
"No! Just shut up and see for yourself!"
"Is it - "
"Ienzo." Aeleus's voice cut through their bantering. "Shut up."
Ienzo frowned, disgruntled, but shoved his hands in his pockets and obediently shut his mouth.
They crested the same ledge that Even had fallen on, and Even smiled as he saw Ienzo's eyes light up... for all that he was eighteen, he was still in many ways a little kid.
"Wow!" Ienzo clambered down the rocks, getting right up close to the pool. "Sea urchins! And mussels! And..." he named a bunch of other things that Even had never heard of. "...And no rock lobsters." He glared up at Even. "Why did you bring me here if there are no rock lobsters?!"
Even raised an eyebrow. "...Just enjoy the damn pool, Ienzo."
As it turned out, that was biggest one in the small cluster of tide pools. Ienzo and Aeleus talked about exoskeletons in low undertones, poring over the multitude of life forms in the pool. Even was busy trying to figure out how he could grab one of the sea urchins without breaking the spines off... or hurting his hand. It was a very intense train of thought.
Xehanort lay back against the warm stone and sighed, his thoughts filled with that fuzzy warmth that comes of being out in the sun all day doing nothing in good company. His eyes slid closed... the sun would be setting soon, and that would mean this day was over. It was a perfect day, and he never wanted it to end.
They walked along the beach as the sun dipped low in the sky, casting an orange glow over everything and everyone. They held hands, for once not caring who saw them or what they might say. They walked in perfect tandem, the taller one shortening his steps just enough, the smaller one picking up his pace.
They walked along the beach as the sun set, perfectly content to be together. "I love you," one said to the other, as one would say, 'The sky is blue today.'
He smiled back at him. "I love you too."
Claim: Ansem's Apprentices
Written For: kingdom100, prompt- 006. Water
Type/Rating: fluff/lol and PG
Ienzo called it the seashore, Braig called it the beach, and Dilan called it the ocean - but they were all going to the same place on this baking June morning. Having spent the past three days drowning in a pool of sweat and brainlessness, Ansem finally declared an impromptu holiday, and the whole gang packed up and headed for the sea.
Braig was the first one out of the car - he'd been hanging out the window almost the whole time. "OH YEAH!" he shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Beach time!" In two seconds flat, he had grabbed his bag and took off for the sparkling line of water.
The others followed at a much saner pace, Dilan and Aeleus carrying two umbrellas and a cooler as well as their own bags. All five pitched in to make their little camp - the umbrellas placed perfectly to create maxium shade, an overlapping network of towels to lay on, and the cooler wedged in the sand within easy reach.
Xehanort, having done his duty, slid out of his white t-shirt and wandered down towards the edge of the shore... his skin tanned, it didn't burn, so he wasn't worried about the sun. Off in the distance, he could see a familiar figure bobbing in the waves.... Braig looked back and waved, grinning madly. Xehanort returned the grin and waded out to join him.
Dilan gave his shoulders and nose a cursory swipe with the sunscreen, then headed for the waves... halfway there, he saw a little pile of Braig's backpack, shirt, and sandals. With a sigh, he grabbed his friend's things and lugged them back to the umbrellas, and then headed out to join him.
Ienzo flipped on a pair of sunglasses, plopped down on his belly, and flipped open his book. He'd been reading all during the car ride, the book not even leaving his hands as they set up the umbrellas. Now he jumped right back into the story, ignoring the rest of the world.
Aeleus sat next to him and frowned. "You need to put sunscreen on."
"No I don't." It was an automatic reply; Ienzo didn't even look up.
"Yes, you do. Your skin is whiter than mine, and if I can burn, you can, too."
Ienzo ignored him.
Aeleus sighed, then poured some suntan lotion on his palms and rubbed his hands together. Then he placed his hands on Ienzo's back.
"Aaah! That's cold!" Ienzo jumped at the touch on his back, almost losing his page in the book. He glared at Aeleus over his shoulder. "Get off!" he snarled.
"I'm putting sunscreen on you. Go back to reading, you don't have to do anything." He began rubbing it in, subtly massaging at the same time.
Ienzo scowled. "Fine." He flopped back over and found his place again, ignoring everything except the story in front of him... but those hands on his back quickly became a comforting distraction.
Xehanort paused. The water was now up to his chest... and most of the people around him were elegantly (or, in some cases, quite INelegantly) drifting around, floating on the surface. He bit his lip. Braig was still farther in... He heard a splash next to him and looked over to see Dilan, bobbing up and down with the waves.
He frowned slightly, then turned back to looking for Braig - and spotted him, just in time to see a giant wave ground him into mincemeat.
Dilan chuckled. It was more from the alarmed look on Xehanort's face than anything... he took things way too seriously. "He'll be fine. It's just water."
Xehanort glared at him. "It looks dangerous," he muttered under his breath.
Dilan shrugged, swimming a little further out to sea. "Here he comes..."
Braig exploded from underwater, jumping up into the air, then splashed back down, making sure to get Xehanort as wet as humanly possible.
Glare. Of. DOOM.
Braig laughed at him. "C'mon, Snorty, it was funny and you know it."
Xehanort sighed. Braig was impossible, of course. "Whatever you say."
That was a dangerous thing to say to Braig, even in jest. "Then I say... we head further out!"
"Not too much further," Dilan cautioned. "Riptides are bad."
Xehanort was back to his scowling. "...I don't want to."
"What? Why?" Braig looked up at him, gold eyes wide.
Xehanort cringed under that honest gaze. "I... don't know how to swim."
"YOU WHAT?" Braig shot up from the water again. "Well, it's about damn time to learn!"
Xehanort's eyes widened. "What?"
"We're gonna teach you how to swim! Right, Dilan?"
Dilan smiled. "Sure."
"Well, it's a lot easier to swim in the ocean, because you can float. All you gotta do is jump right in, and keep moving..."
Back on the shore, Even finally plopped down next to Ienzo and Aeleus. "Where have you been?" the older apprentice said, one big hand still resting on Ienzo's back.
Even flapped his hands vaguely in the direction of the boardwalk. "I was playing Pac-man." Out of all six, he was the only one still mostly clothed... he had on a white t-shirt and a green flannel shirt over it, with the sleeves rolled up. He curled up in the shade, tucking his knees under his chin... then leaned over and rummaged through the cooler.
Aeleus watched him, interested. "Are you actually going to eat something? On your own volition?"
Even snorted at him. "I do eat sometimes, you know." He pulled out a sandwich and delicately opened it, eating each part separately.
Aeleus waited for the snide commentary from Ienzo... but it didn't come. He peered down at his friend, then smiled. He'd fallen asleep, his cheek pillowed on top of his crossed wrists.
Even frowned. He disliked the heat, but he also disliked uncovering himself any more than was strictly necessary... but the temperature was winning out. Ugh. It was just so hot. He finished off his sandwich, then stood up and stripped off his shirts. "Aeleus, where'd that sunscreen go?"
Aeleus lifted his hand from Ienzo's back to grab the bottle - then stopped as he heard a strange 'mmrrr' noise from the young man. He grinned and passed Even the sunscreen... then returned his hand to its original position. Ienzo smiled, in his sleep.
Even began sunscreening himself - he was horribly pale, and any inch of skin left uncovered was sure to be lobster-colored by the evening.
That is, until he felt the bottle yanked from his hands.
He whipped around, knowing exactly who he'd find there. "Braig!!"
Braig was... wet. And tan, and his hair was down, and he was holding the sunscreen and grinning like a doofus. An evil doofus. "Whaaat?" he drawled.
"Give that back!"
"Come and get it!"
And with that, they took off running, winding around blankets and umbrellas, tripping over sandcastles, and scaring seagulls into flight. They ran down to the other end of the beach - where the rocks got bigger, until there was more rock than sand.
Braig leapt over the craggy ledges gracefully, perfectly balanced. Even, on the other hand, stumbled and cursed his way up the rocks, finally collapsing next to Braig in a heap, completely out of breath.
However, the next words out of his mouth were, "Why did you stop?"
Braig grinned. He pointed down - and Even gasped, all thought of the climb evaporating. "Tide pool," Braig said, a superior smirk on his face.
Even's eyes shone. "Wow," he breathed. "Look! Is that a sea urchin?"
"Sure is." Braig leaned down for a closer look; he was just as fascinated as the young scientist. "Don't grab it by the spikes; they'll just come off."
"I know that," Even muttered crossly. "I'm not going to touch it. Starfish!"
"And mussels... mm, damn, that makes me hungry."
Even laughed. "Doesn't everything make you hungry?"
"Ha!" Braig snorted. "You're right! But mussels are taaasty." He pried a few from the rocks. "Hey, if we could find a bucket, there's probably enough out here to make dinner or something."
Even was examining a delicate conch shell. "Hmmm?"
"I'm serious. Have you ever tried them? Cooked with butter... oh man, now I'm really hungry."
"I don't like seafood," Even muttered.
"Have you ever tried it?" Braig pressed the question again, tossing his hair over his shoulder.
"...No."
"Then you should at least give it a go. Not all seafood tastes the same." Braig bounced around the rocks for a bit, hopping here and there. "Man! I wish I had a bucket."
Even frowned, poking his fingers into another shell. "Your hair looks funny."
"What, the highlights?" Braig shook his head; his hair was starting to dry out. It was an inch past his shoulder blades now. "Yeah, they only come out in the sun. I wish they were there all the time... I could dye them cool colors and stuff."
"Why don't you just bleach it?" Even was having trouble suppressing the urge to touch the sea urchin.
Braig was crouched over another pool a little lower down. "Huh? Oh. That'd be too much work... besides, I like the way they look in the sunlight. I just need to live somewhere that's sunny all the time." He popped off a few more mussels.
"Hm, good luck with that," Even replied with a sarcastic eyeroll. "Hey... where did you put that sunscreen??"
Braig grinned over his shoulder. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Aargh!" Even jumped up, the sea urchin forgotten. "Give it back already! I'm going to have weird sunburn patches!"
Braig stuck out his tongue. "Sucks to be you!" And he took off, hopping over the rocks back in the direction of their camp.
"YOU SUCK!"
Ienzo groggily lifted his head from his book. "....buh?"
There was a soft chuckle to his right. He looked over and blinked - shit, his hair was in the way again. "Muh?" He really wasn't doing too well on the talking thing, was he.
Xehanort reached over and patted him on the head. "You were asleep."
"...Oh." Ienzo pushed himself up to a sitting position, his sleepy muscles protesting the motion. "Where's Aeleus?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"I believe Aeleus and Dilan headed for the arcade... something about an air hockey tournament?" Xehanort pushed a strand of white hair behind his ear; the wind was fussing with it.
"Oh." He pouted and stared out at sea for a bit... then scooted over and poked sand through his toes. He wished Aeleus would come back... he was bored and he didn't like air hockey.
The sudden liftoff of a group of nearby seagulls was the only warning they got. Braig crashed into the blankets, sending up sand in clouds - and Even was right behind him, tripped over Braig's feet, and fell on top of him.
Chaos ensued.
Ienzo and Even were still screaming at the top of their lungs by the time Dilan and Aeleus got back, out of breath from an intense match, but very happy. Braig was simply laughing - curled up on his side, holding his stomach, and laughing. Xehanort simply watched.
Aeleus frowned down at Ienzo. "What's wrong?"
"He... They... got sand... up my nose!!!"
"It's HIS FAULT!" Even snarled, pointing an accusing finger at Braig.
Braig snorted. "You didn't have to fall on top of me!"
Dilan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, Even. Everything is Braig's fault. Isn't that the first rule of Radiant Garden?"
"No!" Braig sat up on his elbows. There was sand everywhere. "Rule Number One of Radiant Garden - Xehanort is a girly man!"
"I'm what?!"
"Rule Number TWO - Everything is Braig's fault."
Ienzo was finally calming down a little, mostly beacuse Aeleus was there. "Then what's Rule Number Three?"
Braig rolled his eyes. "Easy - Dilan sleeps with stuf-" But he never finished, because Dilan kicked sand into his face. "HEY!" He jumped up to a standing position in record time, then ran for Dilan, who had already turned and made for the ocean. "GET BACK HERE!"
The remaining four watched them go with a small amount of relief... it was quieter when Braig and Even weren't so close to each other.
Even was trying to shake the sand out of his hair, when he remembered. "Oh! Guys! Come this way - Braig showed me something awesome!"
They all got up, even Xehanort, though the comment hadn't specifically been directed at him. Aeleus grinned. "You and Braig actually had a conversation?"
Even stuck out his tongue. "Me and Braig get along fine, when he's not actively trying to piss me off."
"...Which is all the time," Ienzo pointed out.
"Almost all the time. Almost. There's a difference." He pointed at the rocky outcroppings - jeez, they'd run a long way. No wonder he was out of breath. "It's over there - you're going to love it, I promise."
"Is it a poisonous sea viper?" Ienzo asked casually.
"What? No!"
"Is it a rock lobster?"
"N- well, actually there could be rock lobsters. I didn't see one."
"What about jellyfish? Are you going to get us stung by jellyfish?"
"No! Just shut up and see for yourself!"
"Is it - "
"Ienzo." Aeleus's voice cut through their bantering. "Shut up."
Ienzo frowned, disgruntled, but shoved his hands in his pockets and obediently shut his mouth.
They crested the same ledge that Even had fallen on, and Even smiled as he saw Ienzo's eyes light up... for all that he was eighteen, he was still in many ways a little kid.
"Wow!" Ienzo clambered down the rocks, getting right up close to the pool. "Sea urchins! And mussels! And..." he named a bunch of other things that Even had never heard of. "...And no rock lobsters." He glared up at Even. "Why did you bring me here if there are no rock lobsters?!"
Even raised an eyebrow. "...Just enjoy the damn pool, Ienzo."
As it turned out, that was biggest one in the small cluster of tide pools. Ienzo and Aeleus talked about exoskeletons in low undertones, poring over the multitude of life forms in the pool. Even was busy trying to figure out how he could grab one of the sea urchins without breaking the spines off... or hurting his hand. It was a very intense train of thought.
Xehanort lay back against the warm stone and sighed, his thoughts filled with that fuzzy warmth that comes of being out in the sun all day doing nothing in good company. His eyes slid closed... the sun would be setting soon, and that would mean this day was over. It was a perfect day, and he never wanted it to end.
They walked along the beach as the sun dipped low in the sky, casting an orange glow over everything and everyone. They held hands, for once not caring who saw them or what they might say. They walked in perfect tandem, the taller one shortening his steps just enough, the smaller one picking up his pace.
They walked along the beach as the sun set, perfectly content to be together. "I love you," one said to the other, as one would say, 'The sky is blue today.'
He smiled back at him. "I love you too."