"Ichi!"

Tokiya heard Ren's call only moments before he was drenched with what felt like an entire bucket of water. As he sputtered with surprise, he heard sounds of surprise as well as laughter.

"Sorry!" Ottoya called brightly, rushing to Tokiya's side with a towel. "I was trying for Cecil and missed!"

Just like he hadn't been expecting the water, Tokiya had not expected Ottoya to actually tackle him with the towel. Ren's deep chuckle came from close by, even as all he could see was the red fabric shoved into his face. The red head was trying to dry him off with just as much enthusiasm as he did everything.

A moment before Ottoya was pulled off of him, he heard Ren's deep chuckle. "Careful, Ikki, you don't want to smother him after trying to drown him."

Tokiya managed to move the towel just in time to see Ottoya get hit with the stream of a super soaker. Syo's shout of victory rang through the air even as the red head wriggled free to go retaliate against the man that had soaked him with water, ignoring his original target completely.

As everyone else's attention was caught by yet another water fight, Tokiya offered Ren a small smile as he sat up. "Thanks," he said with the smallest hint of a smile.

"Don't mention it," Ren returned, smiling easily as he dropped onto the sand next to Tokiya. He relaxed back onto his elbows easily, posing in the sun instinctively. "You know how he gets when he knows we are on camera. I just helped redirect it. That means we can have a quiet minute while you dry off a bit."

Tokiya couldn't resist rolling his eyes as he slung an arm across his eyes with a bit of a huff. Wanting a quiet moment was why he had left the water in the first place.

As much fun as it was to all be at the beach as though they were having a well deserved day off, they were still working. Shining Productions was in the middle of filming a series called Behind the Scenes which followed the idols on day off excursions. They had already filmed a back yard BBQ and had gone a weekend long camping trip.

That had been quite an experience. There had been tents involved, and they had been asked to hike into the campsite with all their supplies in packs on their backs. While there were plenty of struggles, it would make fantastic viewing,. As much as they had complained about the idea in the first place, that had been a memorable weekend.

And now they were at the beach. It was a sort of way for them to cling to what little bit of time that was left of summer. That and all the fans seemed to enjoy seeing all of them with their shirts off while they played in the water. They weren't going to complain about a day in the sun at the beach with everyone. It was a time to let their friendship shine.

Even with that, they had been taking turns having short breaks away from the camera lens. Which had been what Tokiya had been doing before he had been so rudely soaked with water by his roommate.

"Who gave him the idea to dump a bucket of water on me in the first place?" he asked curiously, peeking over to see that Ren was grinning at him. Of course he was.

"You know, I think he honestly just missed Cecil," Ren admitted with a laugh. "Ikki wanted to include him in the water fun, but you know how he gets about open water. Thus the bucket. He just happened to throw it a bit late, he'd already run by Cecil."

"That means I was his target," Tokiya said with a laugh, shifting to sit up all the way. Shaking his head to shower Ren with droplets of water from his hair. "You know him, he doesn't miss, and Cecil was no where near me."

Ren laughed, tossing the towel he had liberated from Ottoya to Tokiya for him to use. "You weren't really paying attention. Cecil was running around, trying to get away from the water. Just before you got drenched, he was right in front of you. It was quite the chase."

"I can imagine," Tokiya said still laughing. Using the towel, he rubbed the moisture from his hair. When he took it off his head, he glanced at the sky, brow furrowing with concern.

"Is it just me or is it getting cloudy? Is it supposed to rain?"

Ren shrugged, joining him in looking up at the sky. "It isn't getting dark yet I'm sure it will wait until tomorrow," he said confidently, still soaking up the sun. He seemed determined to be bronzed by the end of the day. "And if it does start, we'll play in the rain. Won't be the first time. Remember that photo shoot where they had all the hoses running to make it look like we were in a downpour?"

Tokiya laughed as he joined his friend in laying down on the sand to relax. "I do. There was so much water," he said, trying to let the conversation lull his worries. He hadn't liked being in a vehicle in the rain since the time he had been caught in a storm all night during their school years.

Today wasn't going to be like that. They were going to make it all the way through the fire they had planned for twilight, and then make it home safely before any rain might start to fall.

That was what he kept telling himself until Syo snuck up behind where they were laying, and drenched them with a water gun. Their break was up, and with both laughs and grins, they jumped back into the water fight.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter! Hopefully there was enough happiness to make up for the worry that introduction might have caused. If you'd be kind enough to let me know what you think, please leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from all of you :)