"Nice abs."

"Get out of my head."

"Look at that body and tell me you can't appreciate anything about it."

"Look at my expression and tell me how long you think I can survive in combat without you. Because right now, I'm really tempted to find out."

"There's more to life than fighting, Cameron. You're at the beach on a beautiful day, surrounded by your closest friends and treated to one of the best views around. You could at least look."

"Will looking shut you up?" Cam hissed under his breath. There were days when she drove him so crazy that he would try just about anything. Whether he answered or not, it didn't seem to matter--she just kept talking.

"Looking will shut me up," she promised. He waited for the inevitable "but," and was mildly surprised when it didn't come. He was sure the reprieve would be short-lived... but a deal was a deal.

He turned his gaze down the beach, away from Dustin and Blake's war over who got the best toys, toward the two Rangers already playing in the surf. Hunter had teased Tori until she gave chase, splashing into the water after him, and he was fending her off by spraying chilly ocean water in every direction. The tactic was questionable, since it got him at least as wet as it seemed to be getting her, but she hadn't caught him yet. What she would do when she did was open for debate.

Equally open for debate was Hunter's cold tolerance on a day that wasn't exactly blazing hot, especially when the water temperature hadn't risen quite as high as it had in summers past. He was tearing happily through the knee-deep water, raising a wall of spray around him and laughing at Tori's shouted threats. And, as Cam's amulet had wasted no time in pointing out, he was doing so shirtless.

Tori lobbed a water balloon at Hunter's head. If the effect hadn't been so distracting, Cam would have sighed. How many times did they have to be told not to use their ninja skills in public? Tori was easily the Winds' worst offender--which said something about how naturally the power came to her, but without discipline it meant nothing.

It hadn't been a water balloon, of course. She had tossed a sphere of ocean water that lost cohesion on impact, drenching Hunter's hair and sending a cascade of droplets down his bare shoulders, arms, and chest. Even from here Cam could see his skin glittering from the deluge. He didn't even notice the amulet's silence--his body was filling in the blanks all by itself.

Cam tore his gaze away. He didn't need this. He didn't need Hunter. He didn't need anyone; this was ridiculous. Where did the amulet come up with these stupid ideas about pairing him off like some pedigreed rabbit? She couldn't be serious about him needing balance. He could think of few things that would unbalance his life more than a jock boyfriend like Hunter.

"You couldn't have chosen someone I have less in common with?" he muttered under his breath.

"I didn't choose Hunter," she informed him. "You did."

"And you base this on what?" he demanded. "The dreams? I didn't start having them until you came along."

"No, you didn't start remembering them until I came along," she corrected. "I'd think you would thank me for pointing it out to you; the two of you aren't exactly subtle. At least now when you're in the same room together one of you is thinking with his brain."

The implication that Hunter was in this with him was nothing short of ludicrous. "He doesn't even know I exist."

"You've said dumber things, but I can't think of any of them right now."

"Hunter competes with guys," Cam told her. "He doesn't go out with them."

"He doesn't compete with you."

Cam was painfully aware of that. "I'm not worth competing with. He's a jock. I'm a geek. We don't even exist in the same dimension. He doesn't have to prove he's better than me because I'm not a threat."

"No," she agreed. "You're something far more dangerous." Her tone was just as serious as his had been. "You're the person he's trying to impress."

"That's ridiculous."

"If you say so."

"He flirts with girls! Look at him and Tori. Even Blake doesn't smirk at her like that."

"That's because Blake cares what she thinks," she said dryly. "Does Hunter strike you as the kind of person who would go after his brother's girl? As a person who would even let himself look at his brother's girl?"

"But he does," Cam protested.

"Because she's safe." The amulet sounded exasperated. "Blake knows it. Tori knows it, and she'll never take him seriously. Hunter flirts with her because he can. Not because he wants her."

Cam's eyes shifted back toward the water involuntarily. Hunter was carrying Tori piggyback, kicking water every which way as he charged through the waves with her. And they looked--he hated to admit that he noticed, but they looked good together. Tori's blonde hair on Hunter's shoulders, her hands clasped across his chest as she laughed in his ear... they couldn't be any closer.

He forced himself to look away. Blake was snickering at something Dustin had said, but even as Cam glanced at him he looked over at Hunter and Tori. Blake just shook his head, not bothering with a second glance. He turned back to Dustin, made a teasing comment about inflatable swans, and ignored the antics of his brother and girlfriend.

No threat. Blake clearly saw no threat when Hunter and Tori were together. And why not? Was he that certain of where he stood with Tori? Was it just because Hunter was his brother? Because Hunter was that trustworthy?

"Because Hunter's gay?" the amulet interjected.

Cam closed his eyes and counted to two. He was actually aiming for three--ten never came fast enough--but two was as far as he got before he burst out, "Would you stop that!" He did manage to keep his voice quiet enough that it wouldn't carry, but that was his sole victory.

"What?" she inquired. "Pointing out the obvious?"

"Driving me crazy!"

"Does the thought of Hunter being gay make you crazy?"

He gritted his teeth. "You make me crazy."

"Funny. Your mother used to say the same thing."

"She did?" Diverted for the moment and actually curious about the answer, he asked, "Why?"

"I have no idea. It's possible that it was in some way related to my observations about Kanoi."

He groaned. "Are you always a matchmaker?"

"Only when there's a match to be made," she replied primly.

"Good. Then you can stop pushing me at Hunter."

"Would you rather I pushed Hunter at you? Just say the word and hand me over--tell him its a science experiment or something, you're creative. Two seconds and the poor boy won't know what hit him."

"Don't you dare," he hissed. "Just because Lothor's goons haven't managed to pick you apart doesn't mean it can't be done." Whatever happened, she had just ensured that Hunter would never, ever touch the samurai amulet.

"Spoilsport. You know, I could probably--"

"I don't think I even want to know," Cam realized. It might be safer if he didn't know everything the amulet could do. Safer for him, anyway.

He wasn't really in the mood to protect Hunter right now.

"Don't you dare get me wet, bro!"

With some dismay, he realized that Hunter and Tori had made it all the way back up the beach while he was distracted. While Tori teased Blake about his sudden water phobia, Hunter was ribbing Dustin about something Cam tried not to overhear. The closer they were, the harder it was to avoid looking at Hunter, and he really didn't need any more reason to stare in his direction.

For the first time, he was honestly glad to hear CyberCam's voice over his morpher. Cam had wanted to come to the beach today, had in fact been looking forward to it, but now that he was here it was just presenting him with one problem after another. Those problems being, in order of importance: Hunter, Hunter's body, the visibility of Hunter's body, and the amulet's opinion of Hunter's body. Along with her conviction that Cam should share her opinion.

The mere fact of her presence, actually. That should have made the list before, and probably should have been at the top, since no matter what she said he had never tried to picture Hunter without his shirt on before her. But... he liked to tease her. He liked that he could tease her, and not only would she not take offense, she would give it right back to him. It was never serious, and he couldn't in good conscience consider listing the amulet as a "problem" in his life.

The others had gathered around him by now. Hunter was, he thought, strangely close.

He told CyberCam that he'd join him in Ninja Ops.

Tori protested, and he did his best not to sound too relieved about leaving. He was almost free... until Hunter declared, "We're coming with you."

"No!" Even as he said it, he heard the amulet's smug amusement in his mind.

Hah! Didn't blow off his beach day for Shane, did he! No, he doesn't know you exist... Completely different dimensions. She barely paused. He just follows you like a puppy!

"Stay," he told Hunter, then winced as the amulet laughed. There was nothing they could do until he knew what they were dealing with, and he told them so.

He left as quickly as possible.

Later, when it was Hunter who called to check in, the amulet paid no attention to the fact that Cam already had one snarky voice trying to talk over him. I'll go out on a limb here, she remarked, and say that it probably hasn't gotten colder since you left. Hunter was wearing his shirt again.

It didn't mean anything, Cam told himself.