Summertime buzz Eiko had no idea how Kasem convinced him to take a vacation at some random harbor, or that they should take a 45-minute bus ride just so Kasem could swim, or why Kasem was even fine with Eiko just lying on the sands in a kimono, but hey, at least it was fun watching him splash around, swim around, nobody with him. Aimlessly... He wasn't too sure what was so fun about that, but he had never been a normal kid.
Last visit to a foreign beach was all the proof he needed of that, but this wasn't that beach. This one, namely, had his boyfriend, and no pretentious idol, and it wasn't too crowded. It really was like a drea—
"Eikooooooooo!"
His eyes fluttered op— had he fallen asleep? Kasem was running towards him, drops of water shining on the curls of his black hair, and that, Eiko knew, was bad news, news only confirmed when the actor saw his beloved's knees spring downward.
"What are y—" Eiko rolled left, and moments later, he heard a violent plop in the sand, as a cloud of it flew out.
He stared at Kasem, at the glisten of his soaked back, then at his lacquer wood cup.
Sand... his cup...
"Kasem."
The other boy poked his head up from the blanket, smiling. "Yeah?"
Eiko pointed to the cup, Kasem looked at it, turned back, and his joy turned to a nervous grin. "Oh." He sprang up and kneeled, then shrugged. "Sorry." Eiko watched as his younger picked it up and gave him the cup, its upper layer clouded in yellow sand. "Didn't think that would happen..."
"Kasem..."
"I'll pay you for a refill." He crawled towards Eiko. "Or a clean. Or... something."
The other sighed. "What were you thinking, jumping around like that? You could've hit your head or hit a rock or something," he said. "And besides, you said you wanted me to treat you less like a kid, but how am we supposed to do that when you're doing things like—"
"Eiko, relax." Kasem grabbed his clenched hand, softening it into an open palm that his own hand fit perfectly into. "We're tough enough to take that hit, and besides, we're at a beach. Can't you just relax a little?" He paused. "I know I said that, but I meant more... I don't know, I meant where it matters, like decisions about what we do or my orders for food, things like that. We're just relaxing here, and I think you should have some time to... be that way, too, right? Not so stressed and trying to protect me and all that?"
Eiko breathed out and felt his whole body relax. Just how long had he been holding that tension, that panic? How long had he ignored the soft sand at his feet? Or even, Kasem's smile?
"I guess I am a little too tense..." Eiko said.
"You are, Eiko... but trust me when I say that I'm not that stupid anymore." Kasem leaned back. "Besides, you've known me for a year now." He smirked, and dove forward—
"Oi!" Eiko recoiled and watched as Kasem scurried off, his cup falling at his side. "Don't play with me like that!"
By now, Kasem had already gained a fair distance, and he spun around to yell at Eiko. "Then come and catch me!"
His fists clenched, and Eiko felt Kagustsuchi's godly indignation erupt forther. In a film, there would certainly have been a volcano bursting forth from him, but still, Eiko had to admit that it would be futile, trying to pursue a recent Hawk Scout — in Din Thi Di's vocabulary, that was leader and athlete alike, as Eiko had learned with his visits to the city's scouting base, watching his beloved outrun and outperform any other scout. In proper gear, the two of them were at least about-matched in run times, but wearing a kimono and geita... well, it was the principle of the thing more than the actual result. Eiko couldn't let an insult go unanswered.
Eiko only got a few feet, half-shuffling, half-sprinting in the restraints of his kimono, before he figured that there wasn't any way he could catch him, not in his outfit. Unless he took it off... but there was no way he would soil it in the sands, waste time folding it up, or anything of the sort.
Still, he moved as quickly as he could, stretching out only just enough to not feel the silken tension inside, and Kasem about-matched his pace, skipping backwards, until he stopped and yelled. "You gonna catch me any time soon?"
Eiko glanced to his side, at the stairs leading back up to the town. If he could just get him up to the streets and into the weaving ways, where smarts and luck rather than speed would be crucial, maybe then he'd have a shot... There was another set of stairs behind Kasem, a bit to his side, and Eiko walked at an angle. Kasem didn't move, not until Eiko paused and started heading straight towards him, and when he touched the cold stones, he glanced back, then proceeded up, but paused and stepped back down.
"For an actor, you have an awful poker face."
"Shut up and just let me catch you," Eiko said, "so we can get to breakfast."
Kasem stepped forward, and Eiko changed his direction; if the other stepped back, he would be stepping onto the stairs. "Guess you'll just have to eat it alone," the Talent-Architect said.
An awkward moment of silence passed. Then, Kasem clambered up the stairs, stumbled once and lost four more steps of distance, then hurried back up, lost into the streets. Eiko continued his fast-walk; by the time he got to the top of the stairs, Kasem was long gone, and he looked around, sniffing the air. There was mainly the marine aroma, just like Din Thi Di, but here it was even more wild and natural, unlike the gardens that his beloved was fond of; just earlier, Kasem had stared out at the bus, bare arms pressed against the glass as he no doubt imagined the beauties that could be cultivated with a little bit of effort.
There aside, was the aroma of seafood, and a vague memory of touch stroked his cheek, wrapped in an imaginary blanket fit for a nascent royal, and he stepped forward. Then, the memory faded into the winds, and he paused to look around again. He felt only the beat of his heart; pulse, pulse, pulse, and he knew that across whatever way there was, Kasem's was echoing in that similar resonance.
It was Mori's loneliness that pushed him onward, the memories of days spent hunting with them in unfilmed, unwritten interims that replayed in his sleepless nights, lives that played for him and him alone, as the way that his emotions flickered and burnt. Next to the swordsman was the cry of forgotten Kagutsuchi, whose plea to find Kasem came from a playful vulnerability, a belief that he had found someone to remember him. Fire gave life inasmuch as it destroyed, but nobody knew of the former trait. Or, really, much of Kagustuchi's humanity, but neither character searched out of fear. It was adoration more than anything.
The minutes passed steadily, and amidst gaps in the crowd, Eiko saw Kasem's black curls dawdling forward, in front of a chattering, spice-fragrant restaurant that jutted out into the beach. A side street lay in his path, and EIko smiled to himself. He ducked into an alleyway, navigating this way, that way, until he saw the light of the broader main streets. Once close to the corner, he ducked behind a leftover box and lay in wait.
When Kasem's ambling form came into view, Eiko slipped forward, the clack of his sandals masked by conversations, but still his boyfriend paused.
"Ei—"
Mori's instincts surged forward. Eiko's arms wrapped around Kasem while his legs slammed into the ground to counter his quarry's burst forward. "Gotcha." He held him for only a moment, and then let him go, watching as he stumbled out and turned around.
Kasem smiled and put his arms behind his back. "So you did," he said, stepping towards Eiko. "So you did. Not as fun as it usually is, though."
"You try running in a kimono without tearing it."
Kasem tilted his head. "Fine... but I mean, couldn't you have at least worn a hakama?"
"Forgot." Eiko shrugged and he turned towards the restaurant, glancing inside. Speaking of forgetting... "Did either of us bring our things?" He could at least feel the matcha-filled inro hanging from his kimono sash and the lanyard-hanging phone tight and across his body, but certainly not the towels to dry Kasem off, nor the bag that would have everything else. His boyfriend, meanwhile, had just his shorts. His phone wasn't even in his pocket.
Kasem grinned. "Welp... guess we better get going."
"You, more like it." He gestured down at his kimono. "I'll only be slowing you down if I try to keep up, and besides, we did want breakfast. I can reserve, while you get the stuff."
"All right then." Kasem stretched out his arm for a high five, but Eiko simply stared at it. An awkward second passed. "Well... time me."
Eiko took out his phone, opened his stopwatch, and faced it towards Kasem, who put one foot back — nothing as extreme as a runner's stance, but still something to start off with. Then, Eiko tapped the button, the stopwatch started ticking, and off his boyfriend ran, soon becoming hidden among the crowd. With that done, he turned to the restaurant, looking around for the host, who he would flag down.
"Is there a spot available for two, please?"