Meet Me on the Beach

Kai slowly walked down the beach, watching the sun setting over the ocean, turning the water brilliant shades of orange and crimson.  He inhaled a deep breath of ocean air, and sighed.  The GazettE was on tour, and even though Kai loved their tours, they became too overbearing sometimes.  So, it was nice when he could get away and have some time for himself.

The beach was practically deserted, since winter was coming soon, and temperatures had already begun to drop.  Kai knew the water was cold, as he had already gotten splashed by a small wave, and had to take his salt water soaked tennis shoes off.  He decided to take a break from walking, and sat down on the beach, digging his toes into the sand in an attempt to protect them from the cold.

A few minutes later, Kai noticed a girl walking out into the water.  She had tanned skin, different from most people in Japan, and long black hair.  Kai couldn’t see her face, as she was turned to the ocean.

How can she go into the ocean when it’s so cold?  Kai felt considerably colder just by looking at the girl, who was dressed in nothing but a white sundress, holding a pair of white sandals in her hand.

Kai continued to watch the girl, as he had nothing better to do.  After a while, the girl felt his gaze on her, and she turned around.  Kai jumped and quickly looked away.  The girl got out of the ocean and walked up to Kai, sitting beside him.

“My name’s Saku,” the girl smiled at Kai, who blushed, looking into her dark eyes.

“K-Kai,” he replied, extending his hand, and Saku shook it.

“From the GazettE, right?”  Kai cocked his head in confusion.  “I recognized you, even without your makeup, once I got a good look at you,” Saku laughed, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds Kai had ever heard, like a thousand tiny tinkling bells.

“Oh, okay,” Kai smiled.  “So, can I ask why you’re at the beach when it’s freezing cold in a sundress in the frigid water?”

Saku laughed.  “Ah, the water just looked so inviting.  And this is one of my favorite dresses, I wear it whenever I come to the beach,” Saku explained, a beautiful smile on her face.

Kai nodded.  Saku shivered.  “Although… I’m kinda cold now,” Saku’s teeth chattered as she talked.

Kai pulled of his jacket and wrapped it around Saku’s shoulders, who smiled.  “Thanks…”

Kai smiled back.  “Sure.”

“So, Kai-san, what are you doing on the beach?”  Saku pulled Kai’s jacket tighter around herself.

Kai shrugged.  “Just needed to get away, I guess.  Touring can get pretty stressful, you know.  And we’ve been having so many technical problems that I keep needing to fix…my brain hurts,” Kai laughed lightly.

Saku laughed too, and patted Kai’s head.  “Then get that brain some rest.  Though, I don’t know if the beach is the best place.  It makes you think too much,” Saku mused as she drew patterns in the sand next to her with her finger.

Kai leaned back, supporting his weight with his hands firmly planted behind him.  “What do you think about…?”

Saku gazed out across the ocean.  “Lots of things, I guess…”

Kai glanced over at Saku, who was now lost in thought.  He stood, and dusted the sand off his pants.  “Well, I need to get going.  My friends will wonder where I am…”

Saku started to take off Kai’s jacket to give it back to him, but he stopped her.  “Keep it, especially if you’re going to be staying out here, since it’s getting dark.”

Saku smiled.  “Thank you.”

“Will you be going home soon?”

“Yes.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“You,” Saku smiled at Kai before gazing back over the ocean again.

Kai nodded.  “Bye,” he said as he walked away.

Saku threw a stone into the ocean, and watched it as it was carried away by the waves.  “Goodbye…”

---

Every day for the rest of the week, Kai would come back to the same stretch of beach, looking for Saku.  He would walk up and down that beach for hours, scanning the ocean from time to time, trying to spot that long black hair and flowing white sundress.  But he never did.

The week came to an end, and the next morning, the GazettE would be moving on to the next city in their tour.  That night, Kai returned to the beach one last time.  He stayed until the sky became dark, dotted with several small stars, and the swirling ocean was pitch black.  He didn’t see Saku anywhere.

Sighing, he sat down on the dark sand and gazed out into the dark ocean, which seemed to be endless nothingness.  I guess that meeting was a one-time thing…

Suddenly, Kai had an idea.  Standing, he searched the beach for a stick.  Finding a piece of driftwood, he began writing something in the sand where he and Saku had met.  After a few moments, Kai was satisfied, and lay the stick down.  He turned, and walked off the beach, back to the hotel.

---

For the next few weeks, the GazettE went on with their tour.  Kai seemed to be off, and the other members were worried.  After the encore of one of their shows, the other four members cornered Kai backstage.

“Alright, Kai, out with it.  What’s going on with you?”  Ruki crossed his arms and stomped his foot impatiently.

Kai cocked his head, confused.  “Huh?  What are you talking about?”

Reita shook his head.  “Kai, something’s up.”

“We’ve all noticed it,” Uruha piped up.

“So tell us what’s wrong,” Aoi frowned, worried about the drummer.

Kai pursed his lips.  “Okay.  I just…met someone in the last city we were in…”

Uruha smiled.  “Aw, how cute!  What’s her name?!”

Kai smiled.  “Saku…”

“Pretty,” Ruki mused, “so why is this a bad thing again?”

Kai smiled sadly.  “I…only met her once, at the beginning of the week.  Then I never saw her again, even though we wanted to meet up again.”

Aoi patted Kai’s shoulder.  “That’s tough…  Do you want our help to find her or something?”

Kai shook his head.  “No.  I don’t even know her last name.  I’ll never be able to find her…”

Reita frowned.  “You’re giving up already?”

“This is really affecting you, Kai,” Uruha started, “we can’t just let you go on like this…”

Kai gave them his best sunny smile.  “Really, I’m okay.  Don’t worry, let’s just focus on making this a good tour, alright?”

The other members looked at each other, and then nodded.  “Okay…”

---

Later that night, Kai went to the beach.  It was very similar to the last one and it was comforting.  He lay down on the sand and watched the stars, thinking.  About the tour, Saku, the music, Saku, the band’s next projects, Saku, his family, Saku…

She was right, the beach does make you think too much…  Kai chuckled to himself.

The quiet roar of the ocean and the soft ocean breeze calmed Kai, eventually lulling him to sleep.  He slept through the cold night, shivering, too far gone to notice his body’s warnings that he was too cold.  It was early morning when he felt something that felt like a jacket being draped over him.  His eyes fluttered open, and his eyes locked with a pair of familiar dark ones.

“Saku…?”  Kai blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining her.  He wasn’t.  “Saku!  You found me!”  He sat up, beaming.

Saku smiled.  “You said meeting again was up to me.  I want to see you again.  Meet me, you’ll know where to find me.  Check the GazettE’s tour schedule.”

It took Kai a moment to realize Saku was repeating the words he had written in the sand that last night on the beach.  He laughed, and hugged Saku.  “I missed you!”

Saku giggled.  “I missed you too, Kai-kun.”

Kai smiled, before leaning down and kissing Saku sweetly.  “Stay with me?”

Saku blushed, and smiled.  “I have nowhere else to go.  I’m where I want to be, now.”

The pair then gazed out across the ocean, and watched the sun rise slowly, beginning a new day, a wonderful day, with many more to follow.

the EnD