Kenshin grinned as he walked out onto the beach, his towel thrown over one shoulder and carrying a small tackle box in his right hand. He wore black swimming trunks and a skintight red shirt that clearly outlined his wiry muscles. Though he couldn’t feel the warm evening sun on his face or the cool sand between his toes, Kenshin was overjoyed at finally getting the chance to visit another sea. He missed the long days out on his rowboat in Niigata that inevitably became long nights on the beach beneath the stars. He sighed; nothing could could’ve made those days better. “Kenshin, wait up. You’re walking too fast.” Well, almost nothing. 

Kenshin stopped and turned to see Alphard, the most beautiful woman in the world, in his eyes at least. She wore long linen pants and a grey bikini top, her silver hair left to fall loose over her shoulders. She carried a long fishing pole with which she playfully slapped Kenshin on the rear. “What’re you in such a hurry for lover? The others can wait another couple of minutes while we can take our time.” Alphard slipped her free hand into Kenshin’s and smiled lovingly at him. The young man blushed, suddenly feeling the weight of the small cloth bag about his neck. The bag was a minor item, with only a couple of equipment slots, only two of which were currently filled. The first slot contained a thin, unadorned iron band. The second held a ring of silver set with a miniscule topaz. Neither ring had any armor properties, contained magic, or really did anything at all. They had only one use, to complete a short ceremony binding the lives of two individuals forevermore. 

Kenshin had planned on taking Alphard aside after meeting up with the others. They would fish for a while and Kenshin would slyly slip her ring on his hook. [i]Oh, look at what I found. You know the fisher’s saying,[/i] ‘A gift of the sea is never to be wasted’ [i]I guess we have to use it now…[/i] Then he’d drop smoothly to one knee and propose there in the surf surrounded by golden twilight.

Kenshin was still caught up in his fantasy when he and his bride-to-be came upon their friends. And what a sight they were… Yari stood talking to Luna, who reclined on a towel and looked on smugly. The object of her attention was none other than Suto, grumbling away while washing sand from himself in the waves. Fitch stood slightly apart from the others, watching Yari with a strange expression. Kenshin and Alphard set their loads down nearby and spread out Kenshin’s towel before addressing Luna and Yari.

“So ladies,” Alphard asked, “do I want to know what’s going on, or should Kenshin and I go ahead and catch dinner for us first?”