Yakushima Beach // Open

[itsnotaleash]

[Once you enter through the door with an obvious yellow scarf tied around the doorknob, you'll find yourself on the soft, warm sands of the beach. This isn't just any beach, of course, but the beach at Yakushima! For now, the skies are clear of all clouds as the sun shines down and causes the clear, blue ocean to sparkle. It's really a gorgeous sight. ... Unfortunately, it's a private beach so there are no babes in bikinis, but Thanatos can hope that a few babes from the Mall will drop by so he can gaze upon their curves.

He's also currently setting up a small spot on the beach. At the moment it's just two beach chairs, one for Orpheus, along with a huge beach umbrella and a few towels. Thanatos seems really exited as he strips off his shirt so now he's only in black swim trunks with a pattern of little, white skulls. How adorable. ... He then pauses to look at a bottle of sun tan lotion. He remembers his Junpei once mentioning how girls liked it when they had it rubbed on their backs. Thanatos has a mission. For now, though, he's going to set the bottle aside and zoom off towards the ocean. THIS IS SO EXCITING, HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.

... Can Death even swim? Looks like we'll all get to find out as he splashes into the waves.]

Comments

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako blinks, hesitating for a moment, then smiles. "Hi, Yosuke-san," she greets, "Isn't this nice?" The kitty jumps out of her arms, content to running around in the sand, though staying close to the girl.

[princeofjunes]

Taken back by this familiar stranger knowing his name, he takes an extra second to responds as he collects himself. "Yeah, it's a great day for the beach!"

Curiosity getting the best of him, he asks the question at the forefront of his mind. "Sorry, but... have we met before?"

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako blinks, then bonks herself on the head lightly. "That's right; most of you know me when I'm younger. It's me, Nanako."

[princeofjunes]

The revelation catches him off guard like a shadow, and Yosuke can only watch her for a few seconds as it sinks in. She does look something like Nanako, and the sound is somewhat there - but as his eyes look her up and down, he can't help but wonder. This is Nanako? Somewhere between disbelief and acceptance, the fact that he just checked out his partner's cousin brings a blush to his face. "Sorry, Nanako-chan. I, uh... I didn't recognize you..." he trails off, still unsure.

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako chuckles. "It's all right," she says, "It has been a while, for most of you..." She wants to tell him what all is happening, where she's from... But no. Not today. Keep it light. "How long have you been in the Velvet Mall, Yosuke-san?" she asks, walking to the water and motioning for him to follow.

[princeofjunes]

Not sure of what to do and with his mind still reeling, he does the only thing that makes sense and follows her along, trying to get back into a casual mindset. "I just got here, actually, so uh... not long at all. What about you, Nanako-chan?" Saying her name makes his mind blank for a split second, still not ready to accept that this beauty (was he allowed to think that?) is Nanako. Still, casual conversation is a step in the right direction.

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako tilts her head, folding her arms behind her back. "Apparently, I was here 9 years ago," she replied, "Only... it hasn't been 9 years here. Funny how time works." She chuckles as they approach the water, Seta-chan staying a safe distance from the waves.

[princeofjunes]

"Yeah... time can play funny tricks on people." He doesn't know exactly what he's saying, but as he takes another good look at her, Yosuke becomes ready to accept that the girl before him really is Nanako-chan, nine years older. Realizing that makes her older than he is, a small blush stays on his face as they walk. "So, you have a cat now?"

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

She giggles a bit. "Oh yeah, Seta-chan," she replied, watching the kitty run around, "I found her here when I was younger. Or a few days ago, depending on who you ask." She shrugged. As the waves crashed close and crashed over her bare feet, Nanako mads a soft "eep!", jumping towards Yosuke a bit. "That's cold!" she cries, laughing.

[princeofjunes]

As they step on the cool wet sand, his mind enters the final stages of acceptance. If she's older than him, then it's okay to have fun and relax a bit. Right? Laughing a bit as she jumps towards him, he finds himself enjoying their sudden proximity as another wave crashes over their feet. A nice day with a cute girl - what could be better?

"Aah! It is cold! No wonder Seta's keeping away. I doubt she's a fan of being cold and wet."

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako, still smiling, nods. "Yeah," she replied, "But we'll get used to it; she just doesn't want her fur wet." Seta-chan kept following, but was sure to stay away from the waves.

[princeofjunes]

Even if his mind accepts it, the situation is still surreal, and Yosuke is soon out of things to talk about. Not wanting silence to hang on the air, he says the first thing that comes to mind. "That swimsuit looks really good on you, Nanako-chan."

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Blinking a bit, Nanako blushed, but still managed a smile. "T-thanks, Yosuke-san," she replied, "I let Seta-chan pick it out, actually. I have horrible fashion sense, so I just picked a few swimsuits and she pawed at the one she liked most."

[princeofjunes]

Yosuke couldn't help himself, and before he knew it, he was getting carried away. "Well, Seta may have picked it out, but you're the one it looks good on!" If he was still bothered by the strange circumstances, he didn't show it anymore as the two of them continued to walk.

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako smiled a bit more, nodding. "That's... relieving," she admitted, the waves not so cold anymore as they washed over her feet, "This is so nice... I can't afford to take breaks like this, back home."

[princeofjunes]

Yosuke nodded sympathetically, knowing just what Nanako meant. "Yeah... this really is a great way to unwind. Inaba might be a small town, but there's a lot going on there. It's hard to find free time to get away like this." He smiled as he looked between his companion and the ocean. "Still, even on vacation, it's nice to have company."

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Cursing herself for almost taking the conversation in a serious direction, the girl forced a smile. "Yeah," she agreed, though if Nanako had changed, her poor ability to cover up her worries remained.

[princeofjunes]

Her forced smile was transparent, and like the young Nanako he remembered, Yosuke could easily tell something was bothering her. "C'mon, Nanako-chan. Just because you're older doesn't mean you have to keep your worries to yourself. We're all-" he hesitated, then corrected himself, " - I'm still here for you, at least."

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako rubbed her arm, looking away from him a bit. "I just... I didn't want to bring up something so serious."

[princeofjunes]

Before he knew what he was doing, Yosuke reached out and touched her on the shoulder gently. Even if she was older, the guilt he felt at upsetting Nanako was just as strong. "Sorry... lets save it for later then. We'll just enjoy ourselves for now! Sound good, Nanako-chan?"

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Looking up, Nanako smiled again, a true smile this time. "Sounds great, Yosuke-san," she replied, nodding as she reached up, a hand resting on his. "Thanks."

[princeofjunes]

Yosuke felt the blush return to his cheeks as he felt her hand on his, but he made no effort to pull away. Why should he, when he was the one to put himself out there? "Anytime, Nanako-chan. So what do you want to do? Walk around more? Go for a swim? Maybe find something to eat?"

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako tilted her head. "It's eat before you swim, right?" she asks, "No, wait... or swim before eating?" She whined softly, nibbling her lip. She totally failed at realizing her hand was still on his.

[princeofjunes]

Yosuke did not fail at this realization, but he wasn't sure what to do with it either. Just what was he thinking? He didn't know what, or even if he still was. His hand turned over and took hold of hers, and he allowed himself to stop worrying so much. "Well you can do either really, but you're supposed to wait for twenty minutes if you eat first, I think."

[justiceforjunes.livejournal.com]

Nanako perked up, nodding. "That's right," she said, "Well, we can eat, spend 20 minutes talking, then play in the water a bit. How's that sound?" She smiled, not seeming to mind at all that she was holding hands with him.