Time and Tide (Part 1)
by BrDPirateMan

"Shiki, are you free this weekend?"

"Yeah, I've got nothing on my schedule. Why do you ask, Neku?"

The young man cleared his throat. "Well… do you still like camping?"

The eyes of the youthful woman flashed with joy behind trendy glasses. "Do I ever. It's kind of exciting, staying in the great outdoors."

"I agree. So… uh, I was wondering… since we still have some time before I head back to the States for my next semester, why don't we do just that? Camping, I mean."

Shiki took a sip out of her soda and enjoyed the cool taste down her gullet. She was enjoying a sweet date at an outdoor café with the love of her life. "We're going camping this weekend, huh? Where?" Her curiosity was like a burning flame, bright and eager.

A smile played about on Neku's lips when he saw how interested his girlfriend was. "I found this nice place near the rural outskirts… Do you remember where we went for our first camping trip?"

Her cheeks were flushed with intense redness as she recalled the events that happened at that time. "Of… Of course! It was in the forest… and it was a beautiful place in more ways than one."

Neku was blushing too. "Well, where we're going is some way off from there, but not in a forest. It's actually this secluded beach. I figured it'd be nice to have a taste of the ocean breeze and watch the waves roll in."

"Oh gosh, that sounds wonderful," gushed Shiki, cupping her mouth in delight, following up with vivid descriptions culled from her imagination. "The sands must look splendid in the moonlight at night. And if it's secluded like you say, we can have it all to ourselves."

"Exactly! We don't need to worry about rules and regulations and curfews. It's the perfect place to unwind without worrying about anything."

"I'm so in!" squealed Shiki, "It's been a long time since our last camping trip and I desperately need some fresh air in my system. I've been cooped up in this city for way too long and, just for a little while, I'd like to feel free."

Neku agreed completely. "Me too. Alright, later on I'll give you more details about this trip. Until then, you might wanna gear up on the usual."

"Mental and physical preparation," she giggled mischievously, "Got it."

Neku let out a whistle. "Oh yeah… We'll need it."

He reached out to hold her hand, and she gladly grasped onto it. The warmth from their hands was soft and comforting. From the eyes of an onlooker it might have seemed like a very calm and romantic date. But the anticipation of what the young lovers were going to do over the weekend made their hearts flutter like they were still nervous teenagers about to confess to each other.

Yes… it was going to be another sweet memory in the making.

XOXOXOXOXO

Friday came round and both Neku and Shiki were more than ready to go on another romantic escapade. The train ride to the outskirts was largely uneventful, but as they left the familiar city behind them and more greenery appeared to greet their jaded eyes, they couldn't help but be impressed by how beautiful nature was. Outdoors, it was less oppressive than the bustling city of Shibuya.

Several stations later they reached their destination. It had been about two years since their first and last camping trip, and Shiki vaguely remembered the village that they had stopped by to purchase more food and supplies. The wooden houses weren't in the best of conditions, but at least they weren't decrepit and were still holding up nicely.

"The huts sure look cosy," she commented, "but I've been too used to the city life to want to stay in one for the rest of my days."

"Heh," snorted Neku, "Same goes for me."

Their proposed camping site was within walking distance, so off they went on foot. They had travelled light, so even walking with their backpacks wasn't difficult. And though the one with the larger burden was Neku, who was carrying the tent among other things, he felt fine save for the occasional sting in his shoulder.

They had to pass through the forest in order to get to the beach, and walking through with bands of sunlight shining through the canopy brought back memories.

"Our first camping spot was somewhere here, I remember," said Shiki, looking off to her right.

Neku nodded. "It is. Remember how it went?"

She blushed deeply. It was there that the two of them had, for the first time, indulged in something far more enjoyable than anything they had done in their lives… Very enjoyable.

"Why, naturally," she breathed, "I can remember every detail to this day."

"If we camp back there it'll be like taking a stroll down memory lane."

"Yeah… By the way, are you sure we're going in the right direction?"

He pointed at the ground, gesturing at what looked like the barely-recognisable remnants of a dirt path. "Positive. I've checked it out, and if we just follow this route, we'll get there in about another ten minutes."

"Think you can carry me there?" giggled Shiki.

He laughed heartily into the crisp forest air. "Sadly, if I do that, I wouldn't have any energy for anything afterwards."

Eventually they broke through the edge of the forest and suddenly it was a completely different world on the other side. The strong burst of sunlight that enveloped them robbed them of their sight for a few moments, but when their eyes readjusted the most gorgeous sight lay before them.

It was the beach that Neku had mentioned so enthusiastically. The sand was a uniform beige colour, and so serenely smooth that it looked like a carpet. The coastline stretched as far as the eye could see, and the ocean was crystal-clear and sparkling like a sea of watery diamonds. The sun shone wide and bright in a cloudless sky. The beach scenery was the most amazing sight Shiki had laid her eyes on.

"Oh my goodness!" she gasped, "It's… It's…"

"Lovely?"

"Yes! This is… This is perfect!"

"So glad you like it," chuckled Neku, squeezing her arm affectionately. "Come on, let's set up camp and then we're free to do anything we like."

"Could we go for a swim first?" Shiki asked, with barely-contained excitement. "I need to wash off all this icky sweat. Then we can set up camp."

"Well… I don't know…" he drawled, unsure of what to do, "…but I am feeling sweaty. Still, I think it might be best to pitch our tent first, so… Flip a coin?"

"You got any double-headed coins on you, Neku?" Shiki joked, "I'll call heads."

XOXOXOXOXO

"Can I turn around now, Shiki?"

"No, not yet," she called from behind Neku, "and don't you dare look! I'm still changing."

"Is it that hard to put on a bikini?" he sniggered, "I can help you."

She said nothing but laughed it off, struggling with tying the knot behind her bikini top before tightening her bottom piece for the third time to make sure it wouldn't fall off her hips.

It didn't take a lot of persuasion from Shiki to convince Neku to go for a swim first. But because the tent had not been set up yet, there was no place to change in privacy. However, that proved to be a minor problem, if at all, seeing as being naked in front of each other was second nature for them by now. But they made it a point to turn away from each other while changing, not because they were being thoughtful, but because they didn't want to be overcome by too much lust. Now wasn't the right time for that.

No, that would have to come later. Much later.

Despite Shiki's warnings, Neku couldn't resist stealing a quick glance at her. He treasured those few voyeuristic seconds as he watched his unsuspecting girlfriend readjust her bikini bottom, toying around with the flimsy-looking string and knotting it. For someone who used to think of herself as an ugly duckling, her body was startlingly perfect, and to Neku, she seemed to be growing sexier with every day he spent with her, in bed or otherwise.

God, he thought, she's such a babe.

They wasted no time running for the water, kicking up fine sand under their feet as they ran. The water was cool, just the right temperature as it cleansed away their perspiration. And it was extremely revitalizing.

Shiki was laughing from the feeling of freedom as she engrossed herself in the water's soothing touch on her skin.

"Neku, this is amazing!" she called.

"I know, right?"

She dived into the water and emerged with a splash, crying out, "Ahhh…! Heavenly!"

Neku watched, spellbound, as she pulled her slick wet hair over her head. She had a wide smile and her eyes were closed to relish the satisfaction of cooling down in the summer heat.

That was when he suddenly had a flashback. His mind brought him back to two years ago, when they had camped in the forest behind them. They had taken a swim in the river that was flowing deep in the forest, and it was incredibly fun and relaxing. Interestingly enough, that very river led to the ocean they were now bathing in, making it seem like the past and present were connected. The way she peeled her drenched locks away from her pretty face… it was exactly like what she did those two years ago… Scattered bits of conversation shared between the two of them blazed inside his head at disjointed yet still relevant intervals.

Shiki was enjoying herself thoroughly as she splashed around in the cold river. "Love it! I feel like a new person!" She ran her hands through her hair and huffed with joy as rivulets of fresh river water cascaded down her body.

"Hey Shiki," Neku said, "Wanna make a bet?"

That bet he had come up with on a particularly lustful whim, but though she was slightly disgusted by his forthrightness, she was game. She willingly stripped naked in front of him, and that proved to be the beginning of more passionate days together. After he successfully seduced her, she reciprocated his want for fleshly desires…

…and the two made wild love on the forest floor like Adam and Eve.

Ever since the fateful day they lost their virginity, things were never quite the same again, but in a good way. They had become very close and virtually nothing could tear them apart.

Unable to restrain his urges any longer, Neku took a dive into the water and stealthily resurfaced behind Shiki, whereupon he gently embraced her, arms encircling her waist.

Caught by surprise, the first thing she yelped was her boyfriend's name. At the same time, he planted a kiss on her neck, sucking the water off. It was slightly salty and he regretted doing that, but the effect this had on her made this worth it.

Her cheeks grew redder by the second as his hands crept their way slowly up her taut abdomen, seeking warm tender flesh.

"Neku…" she grunted, "Nuhh… Aah…"

His fingertips were unrelenting, missing not a single bit of her skin. He gently massaged her ribs. She squirmed under his touch, but made no effort to break away. That was when he knew she liked it. He grazed her skin some more, and her own hands rested atop his, guiding him to the right spots.

There in the water they stayed afloat, senses heightened from pleasure. They didn't do anything else. Just him touching her and her enjoying his touch. But even when they didn't degrade into other… "activities", they felt so very good.

One of Neku's hands dug ever so slightly down the front of Shiki's bikini bottom, eliciting a cry from the girl as he tickled her between the legs. The other hand snaked its way underneath her top, his fingers prying beneath the lycra and feeling the firmness of her breast. He traced his tongue all over her neck. She almost went crazy but managed to maintain some form of sanity.

"Oh…! Neku, you… Ah…!"

She felt so good. But then he caressed her for less than half a minute before he came to an abrupt stop, leaving her high and dry all of a sudden.

"Uh… Neku?" said a confused Shiki.

"Sorry," he chuckled into her ear, "but there's a time and place for everything. This is fun, but I'd rather wait until later for more."

Shiki was surprisingly cooperative, and though she was a little disappointed, she retained some humour. "Alright, I'll let you go this time. You still have to do something about that tent after all, right? Need my help?"

Neku declined her offer politely and graciously. "It's alright. It's only been five minutes since you started swimming, so go ahead and swim as much as you like. I'll have the tent ready in a jiffy."

"You sure? The tent looks cumbersome, at least to me…"

"Leave it to me." He turned her around to face him and kissed her on the lips before he swam back to shore. The taste of Neku Sakuraba lingered in her mouth long after they broke away… a most delicious taste.

As his feet found footing once more in the sand and he walked back, Shiki gazed at his lean but wiry frame and sighed to herself, "He's such a cool guy… I'm glad he's my boyfriend."

XOXOXOXOXO

Shiki took her sweet time lazing about in the ocean, and by the time she was done, Neku had long finished with the tent. It stood proudly a good distance from the shore, like a famous landmark in a busy city. She returned to the beach just in time to see him, still in his trunks, emerge from the forest with a pile of tree branches in his arms.

"Collecting wood for the fire, huh?" she said, vigorously rubbing her hair dry with a blue towel.

"Yup," he said, dropping the branches in front of the tent. "Enjoyed your swim?"

She smiled. "It's not the same without you, Neku."

His face was sunny from hearing that. "Yeah, maybe we could have another swim later. Not now, of course, but later… say, tonight?"

Shiki gasped at how potentially risqué his suggestion was. "Swimming in the moonlight? Oh gosh, Neku… that sounds like a lot of fun… not to mention romantic. Yes, let's do that. I'd love to."

"Then it's settled. When the sun goes down and the moon is up," said Neku poetically, "we'll descend into the waters and be one with nature."

"You could make a great poet… if you could make your sayings rhyme in the first place!"

He just chuckled softly and gave her another quick peck before returning to the forest to look for more wood. Without bothering to change, Shiki followed him, still scantily-clad in her bikini. "Let me help you, Neku."

Although Neku gladly allowed her to come along, she had an ulterior motive of sorts for tagging along. She had other ideas in mind… Other ideas…

In the forest, where both past memories and unburied feelings lurked, the two resumed their search for more wood, staying close to one another and making small talk.

"Neku, I just thought of something," said Shiki.

"Hmmm?"

"And, um… I hate to talk about something like this when we're having fun at the beach, but…" She paused, mentally debating whether to continue or drop the topic.

"Well, what is it?"

Feeling that it wasn't appropriate, she elected to let the matter die down. "Nothing. It's nothing."

However, this only made Neku more curious. In fact, he started to insist that she talk about it, although he was gentle in doing so. "It's alright, Shiki. Just tell me what's on your mind. Go on… I wouldn't bite."

"Um… okay, well…" Shiki took a deep breath before talking. "Neku… I'm really sorry to ask this but I'm curious. Why… Why did you used to hate people so much?"

Hearing this, his face grew a slight frown, as though he wasn't prepared to give an answer. Shiki saw this and wasn't too sure if it was out of annoyance or even bitterness, so she quickly apologized. "Y-You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to!" she stammered, frantically waving both her arms in a "never mind about it" gesture. "I'm sorry! If… If I had known that this is something you don't wish to talk about, I wouldn't have asked… sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for, dummy?" chided Neku good-naturedly. "For you, I don't mind talking about anything. But are you sure you wanna listen?"

"You don't… mind?"

"Shiki, you're my best friend and also the person I love. You're the one I'm most comfortable with, so I don't mind sharing my deepest secrets with you."

"Neku… I…" She was starting to blush, getting slightly overwhelmed by his words.

"So… ready for a story?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. Neku motioned her to sit down on a patch of clean grass; conveniently, it was in the shade of a tree. They sat side by side, with Shiki fixing her owlish brown-eyed gaze on her lover's handsome face, curious to know his tale.

"Well…" he began, "there was actually a good reason for my hatred for everyone… Simply put, I was always being bullied when I was younger."

Shiki gulped. In her whole life, she had been bullied – maybe once or twice – but not so much that it would make her develop an intense hate for the whole world. Neku's situation must have been an extreme case, and she was right.

"I was never one to fit in with my classmates," continued Neku, "I was always the odd one out, the fish that was always floundering about, out of the water. Everyone picked on me… At first, I didn't understand. I was friendly, and even nice… I went out of my way to make friends, too. But they saw me as a target. Don't know until now how that works."

He felt her hand on his arm, comforting him silently. It made him feel better talking about his dark, torturous past. "Always came home moody and sometimes I cried too. My parents always transferred me to different schools, every year… but the result was always the same. I never could make any friends.

"It was hell. Really, it was.

"But I was still a kid and I wasn't very smart. I didn't realize the reason I was bullied until much later… or so I thought I did."

He released an uncomfortably stifled breath through clenched teeth, making a low hissing sound. Shiki grasped his arm tighter, sensing his growing unease, but said not a single word. She just listened.

"I felt that it was because they knew about me that they decided to bully me. So I figured that if I kept my distance, and no one knew a thing about me, then… they wouldn't pick on me. I mean, logically speaking, you wouldn't want to bully a stranger, right? You might end up in big trouble.

"It was just before my very first year in high school that I realized this. I pushed everyone away, so that they wouldn't get a chance to know me. It was really hard, but after a while I got used to the lone wolf thing.

"And what do you know, even though I had no friends… I also had no enemies. Frankly, I was surprised how well it all worked out."

Shiki spoke up at long last. "So then you thought it was the best way to go and you became… well, anti-social ever since then?"

Neku sighed sadly. "Yes. Soon, I eventually convinced myself that everyone was terrible. I put on a brave, no-nonsense front to intimidate people and make them think twice about approaching me. But it was all a façade. The truth is, I was scared.

"When I was reincarnated with you and everyone, and I went back to high school… I was still scared. The Reapers' Game had changed me so much but if getting to know people would make me end up getting hurt, then I was afraid that I might revert back to my old self. And I didn't want that!"

He let Shiki snuggle up to him to help alleviate the years of emotional suffering he had to deal with over his life. "But that's all over now… and I'm fine. And that's the whole story."

When he peered at her face, he was surprised to see how wet her eyes were with tears unshed.

"Wh-Why are you crying, Shiki?"

"You poor thing," she sniffled, "I'm so sorry to hear about this. I made you talk about a painful past… But I never knew that this was the real reason. I had always thought you were being irrational when you used to hate people. But when you say it like this…" She gulped and looked away momentarily. "…I can… kind of understand."

Neku was moved by her willingness to listen and comprehend a little more of his psyche. "Shiki…"

"All you wanted was to have friends whom you could have some fun with, without having to worry about whether you'll get bullied in the end."

"That's right…"

"Staying so distant is still no good at the end of the day, though," she said, wiping her eyes and burying her head in the crook of his neck, "so all in all, I'm glad you got the paradigm shift you've always needed."

"I only changed because of you, Shiki. So… thank you. And sorry."

"Sorry?" Shiki was puzzled. "Sorry for what?"

"For being so mean to you in the Reapers' Game," replied Neku, hanging his head in shame, "I… realized only just now that I haven't even apologized to you about that. Heck, I even tried to kill you. What was I thinking? And let's not forget –"

His words were cut off when Shiki pressed her lips against his. Intoxicated by her warmth and overflowing kindness, he allowed himself to savour the honeyed dance of their mouths. They kissed for a good while before she broke away on her own.

"Neku…" she whispered, "I've long forgiven you. Don't beat yourself up about it anymore…"

"Shiki, I…"

"I'll always be your friend, Neku. And so will Beat, Rhyme and Eri. As well as all your other friends in college and from high school. So I want you to be happy. If you're happy, then so am I."

Recalling how he had to comfort Shiki and raise her low self-esteem back in the Reapers' Game, and how their situation was now reversed, he saw the irony of the entire thing and laughed, a pure happy laugh.

"You just made me realize how stupid I was all this time," he said, with a broad smile that melted her heart. "Thank you, Shiki."

"You're welcome, Neku… You're always welcome."

Both of them stood up together. "Okay, now that that's settled, it's time to get back to collecting firewood. Shall we?"

Shiki hesitated, staring at him.

"Um… Shiki? What's wrong?"

She held him by the arms. "I'm sorry, Neku. But firewood will have to wait for a bit."

"Huh?"

Before he realized what was happening, Shiki launched herself at him, their mouths colliding together. She sucked and chewed his lips brutally. Amid the confusion he found himself being pushed back against the tree they were sitting under earlier. His back scraped against the rough bark and he was thus cornered, unable to move as she continued to assault his lips with a barrage of heated kisses.

She eventually stopped kissing him, but even when he was in a total daze, it didn't stop her from making one single demand: "Neku… make love to me."

"Sh-Shiki? But I… We should…"

"Please…" she drawled in a hushed, come-hither voice, "I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy."

He watched, entranced, as she reached behind her back to untie the knots behind her top. He gulped as she let it come away from her breasts which then spilled forth in all their glory.

"Neku…"

"Uh…"

"Excited yet?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but…" …now's not the time for this yet, he wanted to say, but the words never made it out.

Shiki pushed her well-shaped bosom against Neku's chest, her mammary orbs squashing and yielding satisfyingly. It knocked the breath out of his lungs and this was seriously getting him aroused, but he tried his best to keep cool under pressure.

"Like it?" she purred, rubbing against him purposefully.

Neku was panting from the ungodly feeling of his girlfriend's tender breasts on his bare skin. "Ooh… Damn, Shiki… You… You've gotta stop before we…"

Ignoring his weak protests, she loosened the knots that held her bikini bottom together. It detached beautifully and slid down her hips and slender legs, joining her top on the forest floor.

With a burst of courage she grabbed Neku's trunks and yanked them downwards, exposing his turgid manhood to her. She never liked looking at… certain… organs, but she didn't really care right now.

"I want you, Neku," said Shiki, moistening her lips seductively with her tongue, "and you want me. Let us both achieve happiness…"

"Whoa, um… Shiki, you're awfully, uh, aggressive today…"

"I'm only doing this for our growth as a loving couple," she retorted, "Now… be a good boy and don't move. All you need to do is lay back and relax…"

Neku saw that she was going to mount herself on him. As much as he would have liked her to do that, however, he strongly disagreed against it. He had bigger plans for both of them, and doing this now might ruin the momentum. Harnessing as much inner strength as he could, he grabbed her hips and held her safely away from his throbbing shaft, keeping her at bay.

Initially, when he did that, Shiki thought he was going to take the initiative and pull her towards him, but when nothing happened, she became cross.

"Neku, what are you doing?" she hissed.

"I'm sorry, Shiki…" he gulped, frightened that she might slap him for refusing to make love to her. "But… I can't. Not now."

"Wh-Why? This is such a romantic time and place for something like this. Let me through!" She struggled to wrest his grip off of her hips but she wasn't strong enough. She remained frustratingly apart from him.

He tried to laugh her slightly foul mood away, albeit without much success. "Shiki," he explained himself slowly and carefully, "I'm really glad that you love me, I really am. And I love you too. Believe me, under normal circumstances, I'd have gladly surrendered."

"Th-Then why wouldn't you?"

"Because I have something planned for the two of us tonight, and I don't want to spoil it by giving in to our desires right now." Sensing that her anger had settled down, he brought one hand to her cheek, which served to calm her further. "I just want to create some fond new memories with you. Rest assured you'll enjoy it."

"What is it?" asked Shiki. "Can you tell me?"

Neku shook his head smilingly. "Wouldn't want to ruin it now… Please be patient."

She glared at him for a little while before uttering a "hmph" in defeat and disappointment. "Alright, Neku… If you say that what you have in store for me is going to be great, I'll wait for tonight…"

Neku hastily pulled up his trunks while Shiki half-heartedly picked her discarded bikini off the ground. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry for stopping you like this, Shiki. So after tonight, if you really want, we can finish this off."

She snorted in amusement. "Well, that's nice to know…"

Now in a better mood, she even let him tie the knots on her top while she worked on reattaching her bikini bottom. Then they went back to scouring the ground for firewood, their earlier sexual tension dissipated and forgotten.

He was glad that he had handled the situation well enough. Then again, he realized, the fact that Shiki was patient and forgiving had something to do with it. She was the perfect girlfriend, and he loved her tremendously. That was why he couldn't afford to waste this opportunity for a killer night by being rash.

After all, she meant so much to him.