He rose reluctantly to the forefront of his mind. He did not wish to resume his summer 'vacation' away from the academy but he longer wished to mediate upon his problems. They remained ever present and unresolved. Spock never put the feeling of his disquiet into words but he did wonder about dwelling on his issues. They were unique only to him. A man of two world, neither of which would ever lovingly look upon him and call him son. It grated against him. His mediation on the matter was simply as a way to endure what he must and try to find peace else where. But it was hard to make peace with being alone. Alone among friends, family and his no longer bonded life partner. He swallowed hard to get his salvia past the lump lodged within his throat.

His inner eyelids withdrew and he blinked slowly at his surroundings. Poipu Beach was a place that he was sure his instructor Christopher Pike would have described as 'breathtaking' but Spock struggled with that notion. Eerie was a more apt description. He felt very much the alien on his mother's home world. Everything from the blue sky to the various weather patterns of this planet disturbed him. Nothing here called to with the meaning of home. Kauai in particular struck him with a ironic sense of Juxtapose as he thought of his home in ShiKahr. Here it was lush, humid and hospitable, life bursting out from every corner. He found Sol warm and comforting not at all punishing like that of 40 Eridani's rays. He rose and stretched, ignoring pointed looks in his direction as he did so. Dusting off his swim trunks, he sometimes wondered who was the more curious humanoid out of his parent's people. He could never be sure enough to say. Vulcan had always hidden their curiosity behind debates and scientific pursuits while human made few and poor attempts to hide it.

Spock wandered off of the beach into the surrounding forest, unfettered from having to lug bag around. He wanted to be as simple as possible today, no shoes, no shirt, just his black board shorts to save him from complete nudity. Spock started to follow a small stream that emptied out on the beach from the mountains. The dense brush was alive with sound. Clicks and whistles bounced off the canopy above and buzzed within his ears. Spock mentally marked off the birds that he had noted earlier from a field guide left in his hotel. He found each fowl to be more bizarre than the last. A trill of laughter drowned out the bird calls and Spock stopped moving. He pinpointed the direction the sound originated from when another loud giggle floated through the forest. He stalked slowly amongst the underbrush, not wanting to startle whoever he would come upon.

He came to the tip of a ridge and quietly looked over the edge. He saw a group of teenagers and twenty somethings gathered at the base of a large, thundering waterfall. Some were treading in the pool below, splashing and hooting at one another, while others sunbathed along its rocky shore.

He blithely watched them. He had never been presented with the opportunity to observe humans au natural without them being aware of him. His mind gingerly picked apart their actions and classified them into different biological functions.

Two females were spread out absorbing the sun's rays, getting more than there daily required allotment of vitamin D. The group of four young males in the water were playing a game as a form of bonding friendships and testing each other's strengths. There was also a group directly below his position that were setting up a music player and beginning to gyrate at the first few beats of a song. To Spock's ears the sounds emitted from the speakers could hardly be called music, a good deal of profanity and crude lyrics were involved.

One of the females dancing along the bank caught his eye and he watched her movements with rapt attention. She sang along to the lyrics, smiling as she rolled her hips and wove her arms to the melody, her ponytail bobbing two beats behind. This slender, brown female has commenced in a mating ritual he mused thoughtfully, she's showing the males how healthy and fertile she is. The chorus came along and she started to bounce her backside to the beat, much to the enjoyment of the surrounding males.

Spock flushed profusely at the display. He was torn with whether to look away or join her. To his horror his lok stirred and grew hard him, straining against his swim trunks just as one male answered her display with his own, dancing right behind her. Spock held her hips as they ground against each other to the noisy music, the other participants whooping encouragements. He startled himself as a growl rumbled his chest at the male's advancing hands on the female's stomach. Why did he touch her so? Why did she allow it? Perhaps she was courting with this male? He did not stop himself from sneering as the male attempted to kiss her but felt a smug satisfaction when she denied him with a turn of her cheek.

" Oh, c'mon Uhura, it's our last taste of freedom before we go to the academy! One kiss please?"

Spock saw that the male had depreciated in value to the female, her mind unmoved by the whiny pleas. His mating dance was rejected Spock answered within his mind. The thought of it gave him great pleasure.

" No, I don't think so, Michael. I want a taste of something wild this vacation. This is my last year as a free woman and you're just a tame little kitty cat that got let out of the house. " The female called Uhura by the male swiped her hand at him as if she were a cat.

The male called Michael grabbed Uhura's hand and brought it to his chest, he eyes large with the expression Spock's mother had once called 'puppy eyes'.

" You wound me! What do I have to do to show you I'm a tiger and not a house cat, girl?" he wiggled his brows.

Uhura tapped her finger against her lips, pouting them out as she thought. Her gaze settled on the enormous waterfall and she grinned. This fall was much higher than the 15 ft. Kipu fall that Spock had hiked to yesterday. It was easily 80 or more feet high with a gushing twin torrent of water racing over flat face rock, plummeting down with a resounding boom. Very treacherous to one's health. She turned to the rest of the crowd and cupped her mouth with her hands.

"Anyone who jumps over the waterfall get to kiss me!" She shouted gleefully. A number of males questioned her sincerity (and to Spock's amazement one female as well) but a small pack of them started scaling up rocks up towards the falls.

" Hurry up I'm waiting." Uhura called out in a sing song voice.

" I won't keep you waiting long, beautiful." huffed a large male, struggling a bit with his footing on the misty rocks and mud.

" Be careful, Hendorff, make it back down here in one piece."

Before he knew what he was doing, Spock took off bounding along the side of the ridge, racing towards the falls. Michael was already there tittering on the edge, looking down warily. The current was swift and the mist rising off of the pool's surface obscured any rock that might lay below.

"I don't think this is safe. Can you choose something else?" He shouted below over the roar of the water.

"Nope that's my deal. Guess I'm going to have to go kiss-less this holiday." She gave a mock sigh.

Spock slowed his gait as he neared the edge. The rest of the challengers, now gathered at the top, gave him a surprised look. Michael scowled and huffed at him. " Who the hell are you?"

Spock's face remained neutral as he made calculations for his decent of Wailua Falls. He would need a clearance of 4.3 feet to land at the point where the water would be the deepest. He answered Michael as he steadily backed up. " I am the one who is about to receive the kiss." And with that he bolted towards the water's end and flew off the edge of the Wailua.

Spock heard a number of things during the 2.8 seconds of his free fall. People shouting, some cursing, others gasping but his ears distinctly caught the sound of Uhura's surprised squeal. He was engulfed in a veil of blue as the water swallowed him whole. With three strong kicks Spock's head was free of the water. He swam over to the bank and climbed out of the water making his way toward Uhura. He fought the urge to shake his body free of the water, instead letting it glide down. Her eyes danced across his body and he was gratified to see her smile.

" Well hello there handsome." she cooed in Vuhlkansu.

Spock blinked, both from her perfect pronunciation of his native tongue and the flirtation detected within her voice. She approved of him he assumed and accepted his hand for her attentions. He stood there mutely, only feeling self-conscious under her heated gaze and not the others surrounding him.

A loud groan sounded from the top of the falls from a familiar sounding voice. " That's not fair! That Vulcan just showed up out of nowhere! He wouldn't have gotten hurt either, he's like 3 times stronger than a human!" Michael bemoaned.

" As if you were going to jump, Uhura yelled back. "I said anyone after all." She winked at him and Spock blushed but the rest of his face remained unchanged. She gestured with her head as she picked up a nearby bag as she started off towards the forest.

She spoke in low tone. " Follow me, you don't have to kiss me in front of everybody." She smiled broadly as his feet automatically obeyed. The scent trailing behind her was wonderful. She smelt of terran flowers and sun. He felt like a victorious bee that won rites to nest in a field of jasmine. That was the scent, she smelled of jasmine. His dour mood from earlier evaporated as he inhaled deeply.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled back to her companions. " See you later guys, call my comm if you need me. This gentleman here is taking me out on a date!"

Spock's brow rose a bit in surprise. She really did approve of him.

And he didn't even have to dance.

He glanced back over at the cliff where Michael was pouting and gave him a pointed brow lift and a human shrug. He felt pleasure tugging at the corners of his mouth when he turned around and heard Michael howl in frustration.

Humans.

Spock anxiously followed his 'female' through the forest, content for now to just be in her presence.

"Nyota." she said quietly.

"Excuse me?" he stopped in middle of walking.

She spun around and locked eyes with him. He found it hard to hold her gaze and not react to its implications. She smiled impishly and said the word again. " Nyota. That's my name. It means star. I thought you would like to know."

He tilted his head and tested the name on his tongue. " Nyota."

She smiled warmly at him as he tried her name a few more ways.

" Nyota, I am glad to make your acquaintance. I am called Spock. My name's meaning is uniter."

Her smile turned into something more like a smirk but he could not be sure of what it meant exactly. He had only been here on earth for 4 years, but a lifetime of Vulcan social etiquette and interactions were ingrained in him. Reading about humans, their varied cultures, complex humor, traditions and histories had helped but only slightly. The only guide Spock had read in regards to human mates was the 'Karma Sutra'. That was recommended by one of his lewd roommates. Although he found it fascinating the amount of time and effort ancient humans had put into love making, it left him at a lost of what to do up until that point. He mourned his lack of human dating etiquette.

" Spock as in Spohkh?" she queried.

He nodded, very pleased that she could say his name correctly. It was very enjoyable to hear her call him.

" You stated that I was to take you on a date? Is this a new requirement for receiving your kiss?"

Nyota laughed and Spock's heart skipped against his side.

" No, no, no. I just wanted to spend some time with you away from prying eyes." She beamed. " I know how Vulcans can be about touching, let alone having to demonstrate it in front of a crowd."

" I thank you. I agree, it would have diminished the experience of kissing you." he stated solemnly.

She appeared further amused by his reply. She meekly stepped toward him, her body language at great odds with her gleeful facial expression. She licked her lips.

He swallowed.

" Would you like to kiss me now or later?" she asked with her eyes hidden under her lashes.

Spock was paralyzed. What was he doing? Here he was in the middle of the jungle with a young woman that he had just met contemplating on whether or not to kiss her now or later.

Wait, later?

" What happens later?" He asked, curious now that she would assume that they would be in each other's company after said kiss had happened. She looked at the ground and toed at the dark rocky soil with a sandaled foot.

" I was thinking we could actually go out on a date? My treat of course, I'm the one dragging you around out here." she murmured.

" You are hardly dragging me, Nyota. I walked her of my own volition.."

At that she laughed again and Spock soon found himself quite taken with her easy going demeanor and musical laughter.

" But I would like to pursue this date you speak of. I will pay for any expenses accrued." Spock said flatly though he was latently praising himself for remembering that most human males like Vulcans pay for their females' entertainment and sustenance.

She looked shy now but she nodded her head. " Okay, there's this new dessert I'm all about right now called shave ice. Have you had it?" He shook his head and she grew excited. " This way. The road and the food stalls aren't too far off from here."

They trekked through the copse of trees and soon came upon a number of vendors both local to the island and to the quadrant.

There were three shave ice stands all either claiming to be the first, the original or the best. Spock fell behind Nyota and followed her to the smallest kiosk. A middle aged man waved them over, eyeing Spock as they approached. He turned to Nyota and grinned.

"I knew you'd be back, gul. This stuff is too good to have jus' once, huh? I don' think I eva served a Vulcan before. You even know what ice is, brudda?"

Spock just nodded and browsed the selection. Nyota ordered immediately, a macadamia nut ice cream with a coconut shave ice topping. The vendor went to work slicing at the ice. The powder that was created was finer than dry snow. After he scoped a sizable portion of ice cream into a cup he topped it with the shavings. He then dosed the whole creation with coconut milk and handed it to Nyota.

She took a bite, making sure to get both the ice and the ice cream onto her spoon and gave a moan of satisfaction. Spock's lok twitched once more at the noise but he ignored it just as Nyota was handing him a spoonful of her treat. " Try it." she commanded.

He opened his mouth obediently and closed down on the spoon. The frigid dessert melted into a sweet, soothing liquid that glided down his throat. He felt himself about to pur at the sensation and stopped himself short. It appeared that Nyota had him reacting in all sorts of unsavory ways from taking on dangerous challenges to purring out in public. She was a bad influence but he gladly tolerated her.

" That is indeed a most appetizing dessert. It would do well on Vulcan."

The Vendor scoffed. " It would melt on Vulcan fasta than I could sell 'em."

Spock didn't want to go into the merits of what could and couldn't be done on Vulcan he merely ordered a shave ice of his own.

" My order will be purple sweet potato ice cream with pineapple juice to top the ice. I shall purchase both mine and my date's ice desserts."

Nyota blushed and smiled into her ice cream. He felt a thrill run down his spine at her reaction. She clearly not only enjoyed his appearance but also being claimed as his date. He sampled his order and found that its flavor was quite delectable. After his payment, they traveled down the road and found a secluded area in which to eat. He offered Nyota some of his shave ice as she had earlier. She happily accepted his spoon, closing her eyes as she took it into her mouth. Spock watched her as she hummed happily at the taste, smacking her lips as she finished it.

" Wow if I knew yours would taste like that I would have gotten the same!" she chirped.

" I find both frozen desserts to be enticing." he said digging into his own cup.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nyota's spoon encroaching upon his cup. His brows furrowed as she quickly dipped out as spoonful of his confection. He looked up to see her smiling with narrowed eyes like a cat caught with a canary, giggling as she licked her spoon clean. She reached out to fletch some more but he quickly plucked the spoon from her hands. She stared at her hand as if the spoon had disappeared into thin air. Then she glared at him with pouted lips and whined. " Ahh Spock, c'mon. I wasn't going to take that much." She couldn't keep a straight face and snickered a bit at her all too clear motives.

He wiggled the spoon in her face and felt the urge to smile though he suppressed it and settled for a raised eyebrow.

" Ah, had very little knowledge about Nyotas. It appears that they are impish in nature and live on a diet of shave ice."

She smiled and batted her eyes at him innocently. Spock's eyebrow went higher.

"It appears you would like to regain possession of your eating utensil but I am not certain if you truly want it back." He said as placed the spoon along side his in his cup and held it out of reach. She huffed and tried to reach around him, careful not to touch him but his arm's reach was quite long.

" You may have it back after fulfilling one request." he said calmly.

Nyota held her hands clasped together, shaking them back and forth. " Anything, I'll do anything!"

He exhaled and weighed his options. For what he was about to request, he was not sure if it was grounds to stop their date. On the other hand, the thought of him passing on the opportunity to ask her felt like a pebble in one's shoe. He reasoned that she would be off to school soon, whatever academy that Michael had mentioned earlier and that he would most likely never see her again. The thought troubled him but he took comfort voicing in his request.

" You may receive it back once you have given me a kiss. It will not count towards the kiss I earned earlier by fulfilling your challenge."

Nyota gaped at him but her mouth moved into a crooked smirk as her nose crinkled. She started to lean forward when he raised two of his fingers to her. She halted and glanced down at his hand, furrowing her brows with a frown. " Did I do something wrong? Are you not ready?"

Spock shook his head and gestured with his other hand. " Hold your hand thusly."

Nyota willingly copied his hand's position, no doubt curious about his intentions. He watched her face as he timidly took his hand and stroked her fingers with his own.

Her eyes snapped open widely and she held her breath. He held the digits together and pressed a bit of his contentment towards her.

Nyota's jaw dropped into an open smile. Spock heard her quietly whisper something in a language he did not understand.

When she finally did speak all of her excitement and happiness fizzed over the muted bond his fingers had formed. " Wow, I can...feel you! Is this how Vulcans kiss?" Her curiosity felt itchy and he shrugged it off and took a hold of her joy. It felt warm and comforting. It reminded him of petting a sehlat cub.

" It is a way of expressing emotion without having to rely on facial cues, but yes this gesture is mostly what one would call a kiss. When husbands wish to have their wives attend them, they present their fingers like so."

She nodded her head and pushed back against his fingers as if she were trying to increase the volume of feeling through the bond. Spock found it charming. After she frowned at her results he took pity on her.

" Wait, I will give you more since you seem to enjoy my 'kiss'." He waited until she looked up to then wrapped her in his affection. She shivered and squinted her eyes at the sensation. She bit at her lip while she attempted to feel all of it at once.

" Oh my God, it's so intense! It feels like I'm suspended in deep, warm water that I can breath in. Amazing!" She puffed. When he held it tighter against her she blushed and fluttered her eyelashes. She locked eyes with him, staring intently.

" You...like me?" she asked timidly.

Spock nodded. " Very much, Nyota. I have found your company to be a great source of contentment and your vivacious nature to be...mood altering."

She smiled and asked " Is that all you think of me?"

Spock looked at the hair falling down her shoulder is springy, black waves. He could smell the jasmine scent wafting over his nose. "I have not yet begun to explore all the things I think about you though I will share a few. I find myself very at ease in presence. Things I wouldn't normally do or say, I feel compelled to act out."

He looked at her as he opened his mind to her. "For example, if you were someone else I would find it hard to believe that I would have told you that you are the most aesthetically pleasing female I have ever met. The perfume from a flower lacks the appeal to smell from it all day which I find to be the case with your scent. Your voice when speaking any manner of words is dulcet and soothing to my ears. Though your yelling requires a bit of work to be pleasant."

Up until the last sentiment Nyota's face had shown the delight he could feel trickling over from her. She laughed heartily at his last statement, sarcastically apologizing for the about pain to his ears. He wondered a bit if she meant to cause it.

He felt her earlier happiness folding over and crash up into something even more dizzying than her joy. She liked him a lot. No it was more than that. She accepted him and recognized him accepting her. He swayed a bit and she reached out to steady him. She was so close now. Her lips parted and he felt her cool, sweet smelling breath ghost past his face. He leaned in and kissed her lips, dropping the shave ice that each of them had long forgotten. She took her hand from his shoulder and brushed his face. He purred in response and she broke the kiss with a smack.

" What was that?" she screeched in a voice that was about 1.6 octaves higher than her voice at rest. He blinked the shrillness and then understood her question. More bold now that his affection was returned he took her hands in his and pressed her open palm against his chest. " It is my way of expressing...happiness." he said slowly. his chest rumbling once more. He felt her amazement at his physiology and...her pleasure at provoking the response. She leaned in again and resumed the kiss once more, giggling as his purr grew louder.

They explored each other's mouths, experimenting with their tongues and teeth. Nyota nicked her tongue on one of his many canines and he felt a quick flash of pain through their joined fingers. He stopped and asked if she was well though he knew the cut to be of little consequence. She nodded and swallowed.

" I had no idea your teeth were so sharp! You are the first Vulcan I've ever...you know, kissed." she said as her cheeks grew ruddy. He was glad to have been the first Vulcan that she should experience any intimacy with and he hoped to be her last. Her gaze glazed over as a flood of his possessiveness washed over her.

She didn't smile nor was she quite frowning. He gathered that she did not know what to make of the feeling he held against her.

" You're just one mystery to solve after another Spohkh. Not at all the tiger I thought you might be."

" What do you think of me now?" he asked, stroking her fingers once more. He knew he shouldn't and yet again he was struck with the urge to follow his emotions. He withheld the twinge of guilt he felt as he continued to nurse the bond between him and this fascinating human. His human.

She twisted her lips and nose in thought, looking up as she did so, completely oblivious of what Spock was forming inside of them. She snapped her fingers with the hand that wasn't under his touch as she seized her answer.

" You're like a great, big Le-matya!" she beamed. Her pride in remembering the animal native to his planet became sharper to him with each glide of his fingers.

" Ah, a fearsome predator. I hear they like to hunt Nyotas." he said in a matter of fact fashion, practicing his humor. She giggled. It seemed that he had made yet another joke correctly. Perhaps it was because he did not feel self-conscious around Nyota, though the desire to impress her weighed on him heavily.

" Oh My!" she exclaimed with such exaggeration that even he could tell she was not serious. " Should I be frightened?"

He slid his fingers down her arm and back again and was rewarded with Nyota's shiver. " Certainly, as a Le-matya, not only do I possess saber teeth but I also have poisonous claws at my disposal."

" Will you poison me?"

Her mind became open to Spock in a weak but permanent bond with the last stoke of their fingers. Her eagerness poured over him topped with the dizzy feeling of her affection. It was more than pleasant. It was addictive.

" I have not decided yet."

He drew her in for another kiss.