"Umi-chan, Umi-chan!"
"What is it?"
"Look at this!" Kotori enthusiastically hung over her bed, showing her childhood friend a magazine article. "This hot spring looks so nice! We should go one day!"
Umi chuckled, turning the page to her novel. "Do you really think Honoka would behave in a place as luxurious as that?"
"It can just be the two of us." Kotori suddenly shifted closer to her, her lips grazing the shell of her ear as her voice lowers to a whisper. Umi shuddered from the sudden contact, quickly skittering to the other side of the room.
She shoved her novel in her face, heat rising in her cheeks. "Aha, that's very nice, Kotori! But I'm sure that we won't be allowed out because our parents are very concerned for our wellbeing and we're only second years in high school and-!"
"Umi-chan."
The blue-haired girl gasped when she felt another body over hers.
"Please?"
Umi can only scream internally as dexterous fingers made their way to the collar of her pajama shirt.
"We're here!" Kotori chirped with glee, skipping a little as she made her way to the resort.
Umi sighed, carrying all of their luggage with ease. "I said I didn't want to go, yet…"
"You said you didn't want to go to the one in the magazine so I asked Anju and Erena from A-RISE on where to go!"
Amber eyes looked around the area. It was like the countryside, few people wandering here and there. It was a quiet and secluded area. She sighed once more and continued following her friend. "They went here before?"
"It's because Honoka-chan and Tsubasa-chan went on an overnight trip so they went here to have a date!"
The luggage was dropped in the snow immediately.
"D- D- Date?"
Kotori turned to see Umi steaming, trembling not with the cold but with embarrassment. "Umi-chan!" The second year quickly ran over to her, shaking her by her shoulders. "Get it together, Umi-chan!"
Her skin soaking in the hot water helped her relax, a gentle sigh leaving her lips. "Erena and Anju are like that, I see…" Umi sank deeper into the water until her nose was just above the water.
They came here for a romantic overnight trip… She moved her hand back and forth just under the surface of the bath, watching the water sway with her movements. If Kotori invited me here, then what could she…
"Is the water okay, Umi-chan?"
Said girl jolted up, immediately facing the other way. "Y- Yes! It feels just fine!"
Kotori stepped into the bath, sighing as the water hit her skin. "I'm so glad we went to a hot spring." She looked up at the starlit sky, remembering something that the duo told her. "Ah, Umi-chan…"
"What is it?"
"Erena said not to go to the indoor bath."
"Huh?" Umi turned around, tilting her head in confusion. "Why?"
A little hum followed by Kotori sinking a little deeper into the water. "She wouldn't tell me why. She just said not to."
Umi gazed up at the night sky also, trying to process her words. "Indoor bath…" A few seconds passed before she came to a realization.
The water splashed violently as Umi fainted.
"Geez, Umi-chan! We're supposed to relax here!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
Kotori furiously rubbed the towel against Umi's hair, attempting to dry it as much as possible. "I just wanted us to come out here for some time alone! Why is that so much to ask for?"
The blue-haired girl simply sat where she was, head filled with all kinds of thoughts. The tatami mats were calming but it didn't help enough. Her eyes were closed from how exhausting her slight panic was. "I really am sorry."
"It's fine, let's just go to sleep." The towel was quickly pulled away, Kotori tossing it over her bag as she stomped over to her futon. She made sure to face away from Umi, pouting and crossing her arms tightly under the thick covers.
Umi turned around, worried eyes falling upon the girl. "Kotori…"
"Be quiet, Umi-chan."
Shifting her yukata a bit, Umi moved over to Kotori's side. "Kotori, I'm sorry."
No response.
"I… was expecting too much and that got in the way of everything else."
Nothing.
"... Can I sleep by you tonight?"
A glance.
Kotori quickly looked the other way, still pouting. "You can push the futons together."
An excited gasp and loud shuffling noises.
The bird-like girl sighed inwardly and tried her best to keep up her irritated act.
She isn't sure if Kotori's sleeping or not. She can't hear her breathing.
There has been a strange feeling in her chest.
She's not sure if it hurts or if it feels nice. It's an odd tingling sensation. It tickles yet doesn't feel like something she would like to have often. When these feelings started arising, she'll never know.
All she knows is that when she sees that silky ash brown hair, those sparkling amber eyes, that gentle smile, her heart stops for just a moment.
These feelings that make her heart skip a beat, she doesn't know how to express them.
So when Kotori invited her to a secluded area, to spend time alone together, she didn't know what to expect. She didn't know if Kotori also had these feelings.
Whether or not she was sleeping, Umi had to voice her thoughts before it was too late. "Kotori."
She waited for some movement, a mumble, anything. Nothing happened. The archer took a deep breath and whispered her next words. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what got into me today."
Still nothing. "I've been thinking about how I feel for a while now. Apparently it may be 'love' but I'm not sure. Love cannot be taught so how can we know what it is?"
Silence.
"I hope you can understand these complex feelings of mine. I can't understand them myself."
Umi turned back around, easily drifting off to sleep with that off her chest.
Kotori gripped the hem of her pillow, her heart trembling with overwhelming emotions.
A/N: Merry Christmas, Soya!
I'm so terribly sorry that I couldn't make this any better! I was really stumped with ideas and before I knew it, it was the day of the deadline. I tried very hard but I feel like I didn't do any sort of justice for these two.
I promise I'll do something much better soon! Please wait for me until then!