Tropical Beaches Are Danger

Just as Masaru moved to eat his own popsicle, Mia spoke up and he looked over; the tidepools? That seemed like it would be a good idea.

"That seems fine; there should be things in them, maybe you'll find one full of sea creatures in it!" Masaru smiled, his attention going to Hideki as the other Captain began to speak as well.

He was about to go back to trying to eat more of the popsicle, but when Hideki brought up going in the water he gave a nod.

"Ahh, Mia and I were for a short while earlier."

Yuzuki's agreement was nice and Hideki and Masaru both seemed fine with it as well. Mia let out a relieved sigh, her body relaxing at the lack of having to explain or put up a fight. She wanted to tell her father about them, maybe find something cool to take back and give him... Still she had to explain a bit more as to why she was so nervous about asking... "I hope I'll find ones with animals in it! And also... I'd like to go...alone."

She added her agreement to Masaru's words, her face turning red as she found some interesting sand at her feet while speaking. "W-We were. I can't swim though... N-Not well at least..."

----------------------

"Of course I would. Its sweet." Yuzuki turned her nose at Hideki's smile, eyes glancing off to other things that were quite nice at his audacity to not remember her love of sweet things. And chocolate chip cookies.

He had also forgotten her words! "...I told you they went into the water."

Yuzuki bit her popsicle and hmphed, turning away in a minor grump. Hideki was forgetting...all she had told him! Even with the distraction he should have remembered...

She wanted to go alone? That was... fishy? Haha. Ocean pun. Marvelous. Hideki nodded. "Alrighty. Well, maybe we'll all swim some later." He'd hate for Yuzuki to not get to swim in the ocean and Mia might feel safer with a group with her.

His attention was wrested away by Yuzuki though. What... What was the matter? "Oh.. S-sorry, Yuzuki. I must have forgotten." He said somewhat sunken. Crap, what had he done to upset her? "H-hey, you wanna finish the sand castle? I don't know what else to add, but we can take a pass over it and show Captain Shirakawa if you'd like?" He offered. It was a damn fine castle and it should be shown off, he felt.

He stepped a little closer to her. He didn't feel... entirely comfortable talking about... things.. with Masaru around, but she was still foremost in his mind.

"Alone...if...you're sure." Masaru wasn't sure, she wouldn't be in the water really but... "Be careful?" He gave a small smile, swallowing his worry; Mia was an adult, if she wanted to go alone then she could.

The sandcastle? Hearing Hideki speak to Yuzuki about showing him he glanced over; if they'd like to, he was fine with that...otherwise he could just sit over here with the towels and such...

"N-No! I...don't want to go back in the water. So don't...worry you two. I'll be careful..." Mia shook her head, eyes wide with a twinge of fear at Hideki's suggestion, before they calmed and she smiled at them. The waves scared her a bit too much, she'd rather start swimming in calmer waters. Like a pool. A tiny pool. And maybe something like floaties to help her...

As she brushed aside bangs, she moved closer to Masaru and leaned up shyly to...kiss him before turning red and walking away quickly. She had done that in front of her Captain! And the Noble woman! Off to the rock pools!

-----------

Yuzuki shrugged at Mia's insistence and finished her popsicle, Mia having long since finished hers it seemed. She watched the woman walk away before looking at Hideki and Masaru and thinking for a moment about the sand castle offer. "I forgive you. We can show Masaru, but I feel the Castle Squad is perfect and in need of no changes. As Queen it is my decision."

She crossed her arms and dared Hideki to countermand her order. "We could go diving soon though. Should. Should go diving soon."

Hideki nodded, giving a small wave to Mia before she headed out. He chuckled a little when she stopped to give Masaru a kiss. Aww. The two of them really WERE cute. Speaking of cute, he turned his attention back fully to the sulking Yuzuki and nodded before giving a little bow. "Of course, the queen's decision is final. I think it's perfect anyway." He said, affirming her decision.

He glanced out at the ocean. He hadn't forgotten the dive, but he had started to grow unsure if they'd be going. He was glad to. "Y-yeah!" He said, nervous about being alone with Yuzuki in more ways than one. Should he bring Masaru along? He felt a little uncomfortable bringing Yuzuki alone out into the ocean with him... But they'd gone WORSE places, he figured.... "We absolutely should!"

He...He wasn't blushing, definitely not blushing as Mia moved and...kissed him before she left to go off towards the rock pools.

He...He couldn't be red, not...not in front of the other two...

He was though, obviously his face was burning some.

Masaru tried to shake his fluster as Hideki and Yuzuki discussed the sand castle they'd made along with going diving. They were discussing things nicely it seemed, it was good to know...coming here had been able to help them.

"Masaru! You must come see the sandcastle Squad of Queen Yuzuki the First." Her smug smile grew as Hideki bowed, agreeing with her on the suitability of the castle for showing. She waved her hand out and walked over towards it, intending them both to follow in her wake.

Anyone who knew her could see she was a bit excited and slightly vibrating as she lead the way, holding herself back from rushing ahead and waving her arms around willy nilly.

Yuzuki had dignity! Dignity she would not toss away even for exciting shipwreck adventures.

Hideki followed her, taking the opportunity to dust some sand off as they approached the mighty castle of her excellency. She certainly was excited. She was practically vibrating... in... in that skimpy swimsuit... That... ..

Hideki's face turned red and he suddenly found something very interesting to inspect at a portion of the castle away from its queen. "Yeah! We worked really hard on it!" It was of course Yuzuki's castle, but as the executive chancellor he'd played a solid role in its construction after all. He wanted to point out some of the more impressive features but... he suddenly felt like he shouldn't. A lot of those had been in because of he and yuzuki's adventures... It felt almost private to him.

Sandcastle Squad of Queen Yuzuki the First?

"Alright." Masaru replied, smiling as he gave a nod; he would see this sandcastle then, the two had been working quite hard on he remembered and as she began walking he followed her and Hideki over towards it.

Yuzuki was probably happy about being able to show it off, maybe Hideki was as well?

When they reached it Masaru's smile brightened some. It definitely was a nice sandcastle, and their hard work showed.

He wondered if the two had thought about taking a picture of it so they could remember it, it'd be a nice memory souvenir it seemed.

"It looks really nice, your hard work definitely shows."

"We did. We slaved away while Masaru played around in the water." Yuzuki brushed her braid and bangs back with an imperious sweep of her hand, ignoring that the whole point of today was to in fact play around. It was something she was good at, ignoring things she didn't want to pay attention to.

Her eyes glanced back though, watching Masaru's reaction with obvious happiness as her vibrations grew. She was proud of the work and was glad he seemed to like it.

Yuzuki's arms crossed as she moved closer to Hideki, turning her nose up a bit as Masaru. "Of course it does. How could you ever think it wouldn't? See how detailed that slide is? Hmph."

Hideki blushed ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. He glanced over to Yuzuki, only momentarily distracted by how pretty her hair looked in the beach breeze. Oh shit, she was moving closer to him... He wanted to.. he didn't even know what! Take her hand? Her arms were crossed... Put an arm around her? Holy crap he totally wanted to put an arm around her... But Masaru was right there, was that okay? Aand... she might still be... iffy about things like that...

He nevertheless scooted closer to her. "Y-yeah! And see? The center piece of the castle is the queen on her throne." He pointed at the little replica doggy on the sand throne.

A sheepish laugh escaped Masaru at Yuzuki's words; there was no point in defending his position of being in the water earlier, even if he had been attempting to teach Mia to swim...

He would admire this sandcastle that these two worked hard on!

As Hideki pointed things out about it, along with Yuzuki, Masaru was sure to pay close attention. They'd definitely taken their time, it showed, they had every right to be proud of this.

He gave a nod as they pointed things out to him, his eyes following wherever they pointed for him to look.

Yuzuki, with great enthusiasm that she contained and hid oh so well by being more imperious and regal than usual, eventually stopped her showing off of the sandcastle to Masaru. She had almost pretended Hideki didn't exist for the moment though he was so close, unsure of how to react to him and especially unsure of what to do with Masaru right there.

...

Well she was Yuzuki and since both of them were Nobles... even talking with Mia hadn't helped much! She gave Hideki an imperceptable glance, her eyes narrowing before she spoke and pointed at Masaru. "Lord Shirakawa! As a fellow noble, how does one...date... a commoner of high quality?"

...She may have pronounced that in her normal formal tone but after she looked away a bit red as her arm came up to hold the other across her chest.

Hideki was still admiring the castle squad, although the occasional furtive glance in Yuzuki's direction would give away to Masa that she was on the forefront of his thoughts. There was no amount of furtive glancing that prepared him for what Yuzuki suddenly asked. "EH?!" his face twisted into sudden surprise. He turned bright red and crossed his arms nervously. He glanced away, unsure of what to do.

"Uhhh... I'I'm... I uh... I'm gonna..." He glanced around before just... turning to walk off and give them some space to talk.

A moment later he walked up next to Mia at the tidal pools, wordlessly staring at them. Yes. Tidal pools were safe.

...Eh?

Wh...What!?

Masaru's expression showed his surprise at Yuzuki's sudden question; she was...was serious though, he could tell as much. Hideki was shocked before...heading off somewhere?

That...

"Well...I suppose it's how dating should be between anyone, though there are rules we must stick to as nobility." But that...that was certainly not a concern between these two right now! "Those are rules to think about later on in a relationship though and not...not so soon..."

Now to try to explain...normal relationships?

"We're all just people, so date them how anyone would... Spend time together, go on d-dates, have dinner occasionally, and enjoy each other's company..."

Just normal things...

"It's all about being happy together..."

Hideki fled, luckily for Yuzuki's burning face, leaving the young woman to watch him run off and head for his Lieutenant.

She turned her full focus to Masaru and looked up at his surprised face with a bit of censure. He had to have realized she would need information!

...His information was lacking and she sighed. "But what does one do? How do you...do this dating at all? Spending time... going out to eat? I do not...know if my family would approve of the courting of a Captain! How do I enjoy his company if I am not allowed to see him in such a manner?!"

All about being happy together!? "...Tch."

Useless!

---

Mia was startled by Hideki's appearance as she stared intently at the tide pool... but she just looked up and gave him a quiet nod. Tidal pools were really safe.

Clan approval was a problem, and Masaru knew he couldn't just tell Yuzuki to just...ignore them. Their situations were somewhat different, so it was a bit harder on her to do so. He did not mind fighting his elders on things, it was not enjoyable, but he didn't mind if it meant making his own choices.

Yuzuki though...

"If you're worried about your clan, have dates within his Division, nice, private places until you feel comfortable enough to perhaps come forward that you're dating." Masaru answered, "I cannot give you the same advice I give myself...I fight my own clan on decisions, which can cause trouble...I find it worth it, but giving you such advice would be a bad influence...

But... I suppose do what makes you the happiest, it is your life after all and no one else's; if you're concerned about your clan...for now, until you're both comfortable with things...go places that seem perfectly reasonable for you to be seen in? The library, as I said, you can enjoy dates there until you feel more comfortable venturing out into other locations. Restaurants are a typical date location for enjoying dinner between just the two of you. Hm..."

It was obvious...he was trying to give good advice, but...it was rather difficult to think to bypass clan rules or approval without...well, ignoring them or breaking said rules... As he'd said, it was her life...and she should do what she wanted with it...even if...in nobility terms, that was likely bad advice as he'd not wanted to give.

It was right though, her life was not anyone else's...

"My clan does not have elders. The Head is the Head and they have a council to deal with matters, but all answer to him ultimately. I...will take your advice. For now it's best to keep things hidden, even if my honor hurts me for such subterfuge." Yuzuki for once looked unsure and a bit pained, her hand reaching up to her chest and clenching in a soft fist.

This wasn't like her innocent adventures out in the Rukon, no matter how dangerous they got. "In the library... He is a Captain, he could also visit my home on business for the Library. I am a scholar..."

He'd be allowed there as the Library head, especially if he was bringing and discussing books. The women who worked in her home, her personal servants, would not say anything really. "If you have other ideas...or thoughts I would appreciate them Masaru. I...thank you for your acceptance of this, as well as help. You should be yelling at me and stopping all of this, as a fellow Noble but you are not..."

Yuzuki had the tiniest blush, her fingers moving up to poke together a bit awkwardly.

"It would be quite hypocritical of me to be yelling at you for this...I'm not dating official nobility either, but I am very happy. I found my happiness on my own, just like I wanted; it is...easier when you're the clan head, it's easier to fight against elder's or the clan's council, or your own family.

An arranged relationship wasn't something I ever wanted, my own parents had met and had found their happiness on their own...and I wanted the same. It can be...annoying, and a bit troublesome to argue with family, but I would say it's well worth it. Definitely."

He was the head of one of the highest ranking noble clans in the Seireitei, but... He hardly fit the stereotypical definition of what a noble should be like...

Perhaps he was too easy-going, a bit foolish with the rules, and such... but he was happy. His happiness was his priority. His clan, and his work was certainly important, but...how could he properly see to them if he were miserable?

"If I recall any helpful advice, I'll gladly give it and I wish the two of you luck; for now, I would stick to keeping it private for now, and having dates in the library and such, mask them as official work meetings. It may be...a bit troublesome, but like I said...it's your happiness that matters."

"I...planned on it though. I did not want this." Yuzuki muttered, Masaru's skirting his clan's duties was well known among the other nobles. She shifted, her arms rubbing each other as she looked far away from him. "I planned on a marriage that was arranged with someone who would give me heirs. It is easier being the one in charge... I'm not like you, I still honor my family..."

Her words were sharp but not really intended for him, they were more aimed at herself. How could she be thinking of all of this? Of being secretive and sneaking around with a Captain!? She was going to break so many rules...

Still, Masaru's words did help and were appreciated. She gave a short nod in his direction before looking out at the ocean. "...Thanks."

It was quiet but still there.

Masaru's laugh was sheepish at Yuzuki's comment; of course, he still held honor for his own clan, but he could not mix it with who he was. He held value's that differed from the norm, and could not abide by anything but...or else he would be lying to himself, and to him...tossing away his happiness.

For Yuzuki though, he understood that this must be...extremely hard for her. She was accustomed to the norm, and now she was straying from it. He could only hope she would not encounter too many obstacles that would make her regret her decisions. She deserved happiness like anyone else.

"Welcome..."

"...Go find that not officially noble woman and spend time with her. I wish to explore sunken ships with Hideki, Masaru. Not officially noble..." Yuzuki muttered and smirked, trying to hide her amusement at the earlier term that had stuck in her head.

"Planning on making her officially one then? Your servants are all aflutter over the woman who has you actually dating." The woman was poking at him as she always did to everyone when nervous and all flustered. She turned away from him more, not wanting to look at him and let him see her blush.

"H-H...Huh!?" Yuzuki's words caught on him off guard, she was poking at him he knew but that didn't mean he wasn't going to react! His face automatically turned a bright shade of red.

P-Planning on...making...official...

"A-Aha...a...I'll go and...and find her then." Masaru said, clearing his throat and averting his eyes a moment later. "H-Have fun."

F-Find Mia then, find...tidepools...

Yuzuki smirked as Masaru fled like the weakling he was at such words. She then frowned as thoughts intruded once more. Thoughts that silly other captain had brought up. She didn't need them but they bothered her still... Despite talking with Mia and Masaru she still was plagued with this uncertainty and it wasn't liked one bit.

-------------

Mia crouched there with Hideki, a nice and calming silence between them. Nice and calming and safe. Niiice...and saaafe.