Nanako brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she sits on the bench at the station, almost twitching as she checks the time again. Rei's late, but Nanako knows she's coming. There was something about her eyes when she promised to show her the sunset... Nanako knows something has changed between them. Rei's parting smile had said, I'm finally ready to return your affection.
She gazes out towards the ocean, watching the sun reflect off the gentle waves. She's spent countless nights dreaming of Rei, imagining her happy and well and wondering what it would be like to be together. She blushes, remembering all the times she's thought about her lips, and how it might feel to kiss them. Her mind drifts to the half-smoked cigarette hidden away in her room, and she wonders what Rei would think if she knew how many times she'd looked at it, touched it, just to feel closer to her.
A train thunders past, but it doesn't stop at this tiny station. Nanako stands up, twirling her parasol, and stretches her legs. She wonders if she's made some kind of mistake – did she get the time wrong? The place? She sits back down with a heavy sigh.
"It sounds as though you're carrying the weight of the world on those shoulders."
Nanako leaps to her feet and turns around, almost dropping her parasol in the process.
"Oh, you're here, Saint-Juste!"
Nanako's worries melt away as Rei stands before her, looking impossibly handsome in a white shirt and tux, holding out a single yellow flower.
"I'm sorry I'm late. There was meant to be a bouquet, but it blew out of my hands as I was crossing the train tracks." She smiles as Nanako takes the flower and puts it to her nose. "This one I managed to rescue, but not without a fight." She holds up the palm of her hand, revealing a bloody scratch.
Nanako inhales sharply. "Saint-Juste, you're bleeding! Here, let me..." She rummages in her bag for a tissue.
Rei puts her hand to Nanako's wrist. "You worry too much. Let's just enjoy ourselves here, okay?"
Nanako nods. It's hard to adjust to the new Saint-Juste, who's a little steadier on her feet and ever so slightly further from that terrifying abyss.
Rei smiles and holds out her arm. "Come on, let me show you the beach."
Nanako's hand reaches for Rei's slender arm, enjoying her proximity. As she breathes in, the familiar smell of perfume and tobacco tickles her nostrils; it's a smell she's grown strangely fond of during her time at Seiran. The two young women walk up over the railway line towards the glittering coastline.
Nanako can't stop smiling. It's a mixture of awe at the beauty of her surroundings and the surreal sense that this is too good to be true. She gingerly takes off her shoes and steps onto the sand, gasping as it squidges under her feet. Rei's already twirling a slow dance in the sand, laughing in delight.
"Saint-Juste, won't your trousers get dirty?"
Rei looks radiant in the sunlight as she pauses for a moment. "Clothes can be washed," she says simply, then grabs Nanako's hand and pulls her into a waltz. "Doesn't the sea air feel beautiful?"
"It feels wonderful... with you, Saint-Juste," she stammers. She wonders if the whole date will be like this dance, with Saint-Juste leading and Nanako trying to follow, unsure of any of the steps.
Their eyes are locked, hand in hand as they face one another. Saint-Juste is tall, protective. Nanako doesn't quite dare meet her eye. Rei smiles and moves her arm around her waist, pulling an unresisting Nanako towards her. She strokes her soft hair with an almost imperceptible sigh.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
Nanako pulls back. "I do want..." She doesn't quite have the words to finish her sentence, but Saint-Juste's face is so close to hers she can feel the warmth radiating from her cheek. Her inexperience and indecision is painful – achingly, desperately painful. The moment drags on forever as her desire to kiss Rei and her lack of self-assurance battle it out. Rei's face moves a fraction of an inch downwards, and Nanako's instincts take over.
Their mouths meet softly at first; Saint-Juste's lips are every bit as soft as Nanako had imagined, but in the flesh the elicit a deep movement in her chest. Her arm reaches around Rei's neck and before they know it they're locked together in a tight embrace; Saint-Juste kisses her as though her very life depends on it. All the suffering of the past months feels worth it just to be standing here, sharing this moment.
Rei struggles to hide a knowing smirk as they come back down to earth and pull away from each other. "Look, Nanako, the sun is beginning to set already."
She tilts her head upwards to admire the expanse of yellows and oranges above them. "Oh, Saint-Juste..." It's one of the most perfect sunsets she's ever seen.
Rei flops backwards onto the sand, propping herself up with her elbows. Nanako sits primly next to her, playing absent-mindedly with her parasol. Rei's hand finds hers and they watch the deeper oranges and reds wash across the sky mostly in silence. Nanako turns every so often just to look at her Saint-Juste; her hair almost looks like a halo in the cool breeze and Nanako takes painstaking effort to memorise every crinkle in her face as she smiles.
"The tide's coming in..." Rei sighs. "When I used to come here with Mother, we'd always leave just after sunset." Nanako squeezes her hand, and Rei looks up. "I don't want to go home today, though. I could stay here all night."
"I'll stay here as long as you want me to, Saint-Juste."
Rei chuckles. "I suppose if I'm going to keep you out all night, it should be for good reason..."
"What do you mean?"
Rei's eyes glisten as she gazes towards the darkening sky. "I'm sorry for all the times you've looked after me and I've pushed you away. This past year has been hard for us both. I want to give you something beautiful tonight to make up for it."
She sits up suddenly and pushes Nanako gently back onto the sand, hovering over her for a moment before kissing her softly. Nanako's heart feels like it might explode as she pulls her close again. All those months of pent up passion and longing build up in her belly as Saint-Juste's thigh slips between hers. She lies back, holding tightly onto Rei and gently rocking her hips until the cold tide begins to lap at their feet.
Laughing, Saint-Juste pulls away, and then pulls Nanako to her feet. "Let's not get too carried away – we've got lifetimes for that."
Nanako scrambles to rescue her shoes and parasol from the hungry tide. "Where do you want to go now? Are you hungry?"
Rei shrugs, and pulls a cigarette out of her pocket. "I didn't think to plan this far ahead."
"Let me take you home and make something to eat. Would you like some stew? Soup?"
Rei breathes a long plume of smoke, then gives Nanako a crooked smile. "How about I take care of you for a change? You can take me home, but I'll cook the meal. You deserve some looking after tonight."