"Shit, how high is this?" Ayato asked, peering over the edge of the slide platform as we lined up to go down the racing slides.
"Forty-two feet," the lifeguard on-duty answered proudly, shouldering his life raft as if to act more macho. He eyed me and I backed self-consciously behind Laito. "People with heart problems aren't supposed to ride."
"Oi, where are you looking?" Ayato growled, his attention immediately snapping to the lifeguard.
"I'm doing my job – besides, she's got nice tits," he said carelessly. I immediately felt a ring of dread. "It's a shame about the scar though. Anyway, you can't ride, Miss. You'll have to stay up here with me."
"I'll wait at the bottom," I said loudly, turning on my heel. Dammit, I really wanted to try that one.
"Listen, you shit, I have half a mind to kill-"
"Miyako!"
As Ayato was threatening, and occupying, the lifeguard I hefted up a mat and made a dash for slide number one.
"Beat you all to the bottom!" I cried, flinging myself into the turbulent water and shooting down the red slide.
My stomach flopped upward upon a bump in the slide; catching air was intense but a smile was plastered to my face. There were yells behind me yet I couldn't hear them over the whistling of wind and the exhilaration racing through my brain. I'd get hell for this.
Laughing and sputtering water out of my lips, I clambered out of the shallows, wading over to the concrete and waving enthusiastically up at them. All were gathered at the edge, leaning over the railing. Another laugh bubbled its way out of my mouth as I saw Ayato stick a middle finger in the air.
They were lining up; Shuu to the yellow slide, Reiji to the navy, Ayato to the red, Laito to the green, Kanato to the purple, Subaru to the grey. Beaming from ear to ear, I watched as each of them shot out from under the mouths of the slides. Shuu's eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them, like big blue super moons as he caught air but Reiji looked about the same, though his black hair was flopping into his face. Ayato and Laito were laughing at the top of their lungs as Kanato, stuck between them, was screaming bloody murder as water smacked him in the face on the way down. Subaru seemed to be on a whole other planet; it looked as if he had half a mind to punch the slide, but couldn't coordinate his limbs well enough as he plummeted to do so. In the end, he looked like he was flopping through an anti-gravity chamber whenever he caught air.
Shuu and Subaru hit first, the latter cursing as he staggered haphazardly from the water. Both shook out their hair, sending crystal droplets flying my way.
"Hey!" I chuckled, raising a hand.
"You're already wet," Subaru pointed out grumpily.
"Hm," Shuu chuckled. Subaru pretended to ignore this, but his face had already flushed a sunburned red.
"I'm not doing that shit again!" Kanato raged, grabbing me by the front of my bikini top.
A squeak scraped along my throat in surprise as his knuckles pressed between my breasts. My hands immediately went up to hold the fabric firmly to my chest.
"Calm down, Kanato-" Reiji tried to instruct.
"No, no let him," Laito egged on, smirking gleefully with his eyes fixed on my chest. "Hey, while your hands are there, fondle yourself, Miyako."
I ignored that.
"Sorry, Kanato, would it be better to go on a raft ride next?"
"It depends on what that is!"
"Well," I said, looking over at the sign and pointing. "It's that way. It's really relaxing."
"I suppose."
"Oh just one more ride, don't be such a crybaby!" Ayato exclaimed, throwing an arm around Kanato, which was immediately shrugged off.
"I'll-," he growled, but I slipped my hand into his and squeezed gently.
"It's okay, I'll ride with you so it's not so bad."
Soon enough, I was pulling the double-seater up the stairs (Subaru helping surreptitiously every once in a while) with Kanato at my shoulder chatting away.
"Do you think Teddy is alright?" he fretted.
"I'm sure, there's no one here to disturb him," I comforted, panting slightly with the effort of lugging the tube up so many stairs. Subaru was throwing anxious glances over at me. "Teddy is very strong, like you, Kanato."
"I suppose so," he said, looking up the stairs with a distant look to his eyes.
"Alright," I wheezed slightly, setting the tube to the side slightly.
"I hope you aren't exerting yourself too much, Miyako."
"I'm not," I waved Reiji off with a friendly smile.
At the top we could see across the indoor park. There were tons of palm trees and there were even some birds that had snuck into the facility that were chirruping happily. Spires of some mermaid water palace rose up from the ocean like pool at the back and stood out like an ice sculpture in the tropical paradise.
"This place is amazing," I murmured as we reached the top.
"I'd fancy going to that palace thing," Laito said, leaning over the railing with his tube on one shoulder.
"Yeah, that does look cool."
"Let's go, Miyako!" Kanato demanded, regaining my attention by throwing out his lower lip.
I grinned in answer, hefting up the raft and trodding after him to the mouth of the slide. A small pool of turbulent water wafted around our ankles as we got situated next to each other. As the lifeguard pushed into the shadowy tube of the slide, I waved back at the others then attached myself to the tube. One of my hands encircled Kanato's as we went down the first dip. He let out a yelp as I let out a shriek of surprise in the darkness.
"Don't do that! It hurts my ears!" he yelled as we whirled around a sharp bend.
But my yell had already morphed into exhilarated laughter. The turns sent us careening up the walls, making my stomach do wheelies. At the next bump, I lost my grip.
"Kanato!"
One of his soft hands grabbed my waist and tugged me back onto the tube.
"Stupid woman, you need to hold on to me!" he growled, but I planted a kiss on where I assumed his cheek to be. Instead, his tender lips met mine. And then light zinged into existence around us as we shot out of the tube. As we hit the water one of his fangs dug into my lower lip at the jolt. I gasped and squeaked simultaneously, nearly choking on beads of my own blood.
"Uh, oh," I murmured, leaning back and bringing a hand to my lip.
"I wasn't done kissing you," he said authoritatively, his fingers gripping my chin.
"But I don't want to get blood on you."
"Don't argue..." his lips were on mine as the tube began drifting out into the adjacent lazy river. His tongue forced his way into my mouth, licking at all traces of crimson liquid. I closed my eyes and let him take control immediately – let his lips teach mine. "The longer your wound is exposed to my saliva, the quicker it heals... don't you know anything?"
I didn't answer, but panted before he locked lips with me again. His cool tongue disappeared for an instant as he sucked my lower lip into his mouth and pulled on it. Once more, I felt his fangs, but they didn't pierce me. He flicked his tongue along the tender, raw edge of my injury, then pressed it as if trying to coax more blood from it. The more his tongue massaged my lip and the more he suckled, the less it hurt. When he pulled away, I was breathing heavily, my chest opening widely to try and suck in air.
"That was..." I breathed, finding my arms looped around his neck. "I mean... thank you..."
"Don't be so lewd about it. That lifeguard is watching us."
"Oh, er, sorry..." I mumbled, attempting to detach, but he held me in place as we drifted through palm fronds on our way down the river.
"That ride wasn't as bad," he said mildly, as I stuck a toe into the warm water from our raft.
"I liked it," I said gently.
"But this is much nicer than any of those stupid rides," he mumbled mutinously, as if remembering that he was supposed to hate all of them.
I chuckled, cuddling up against him.
"Smile!"
"Huh?" I wondered aloud, staring around at a photographer in a booth on the bank, but obliged, holding on tighter to Kanato. That's a good setup for a photo-op... I thought admittedly, even though he'd surprised me at first.
"You'll find your photos at a kiosk – what's the family name?"
"Sakamaki," I answered and the man typed that into the computer at his booth. I was still grinning widely and clinging to Kanato.
"Ne, hold tightly, just like that Miyako..." Kanato murmured, the hand around my waist looping more firmly into position. His fingers were brushing my belly button...