Chiskai sat at the edge of the property, where the hill of boulders began that led to the ocean. As a child, after the original Ofunehiki, this spot acted as a sort of short cut to her former home. She sat at the edge as she looked up at the night sky and listened to the gentle waves of the calm ocean. The silence and peace made Chisaki somewhat reminiscent of her childhood and the transitions in her life that led her to where she was now.
The timid girl from the sea afraid of the foreign land of the surface; the girl clueless to the things around her out of fear of things changing; the girl who lost everything and felt all alone; the girl who was lost in the past and unable to recognize the present; the girl who waited years and finally got back everyone and everything she ever loved. There are so many different events and personalities and fears and people that have affected Chisaki and now being on the other side of it all she feels truly grateful. She is grateful for her friends and family and her homes both on the surface and in the sea, she is even grateful for the years that caused her so much pain because the helped get her to where she is now. Her friends and family were awake and her life was moving forward and for the first time in what seems like ever she felt excited for the future.
Her daze was broken by the sound of footsteps. She felt no need to turn around because she knew there was only one person that would come out this far and this late. "Hey, what are you doing out here," it was Tsumugu and the mere sound of his voice warmed Chisaki to her core.
"Just thinking, reminiscing," she simply responded as he came up behind her.
He took a seat next to her and asked, "about what," as he pulled his arms around her.
"Everything. And nothing," she responded as she responsively placed her head comfortably against his chest.
They sat in silence, because it was normal and because it was all they needed. The silence was comforting. The two of them sitting together in silence while embracing, listening to each other beyond words had become normal. It was essentially a habit, and it was a habit that Chisaki was more than glad to have.
Chisaki was glad to have Tsumugu hold her and was even gladder to be able to know where to comfortably place her head against him. She was glad to have found her favorite spot to place her head again his body, the spot where she was not only able to hear his breath but also hear and feel his heart beat.
Whenever they were together like this she felt connected to him in a way that felt unbreakable and every time they hold each other she felt it even more. Chisaki never wanted the feeling to go away, she just wanted it to continue to grow and she was beginning to understand why. She knew what all of it meant and she wanted Tsumugu to know too. Well more accurately she wanted to finally tell him what it meant to her because he already knew, he knew before she even did.
"I love you," said Chisaki before lifting her head to face him and cupping his cheek in her hand, "I love you Tsumugu."
A small smile broke across Tsumugu's face as his intense brown eyes brightened in a way that made Chisaki feel like she might melt. "I love you too Chisaki.
Their eyes remained locked and Tsumugu placed his hand on the back of Chisaki's neck. All they could feel was the warmth of the other's hand and all they could see was brightness in each other's eyes as they began to lean in. And like that they shared a soft, passionate kiss under the light of the moon and the stars with the distant sounds of calm ocean waves.
As they parted Chisaki once again placed her head comfortably against Tsumugu's chest and Tsumugu held her in his arms. His hold was strong yet compassionate, warm. The two of them being together just felt reassuring and right. That was the moments that Chisaki knew she finally found it, the thing that would never change and would always be with her.