Author Note: I wrote this weeks ago, but I just got around to typing it up. Dialogue is hard. Kanamari is a quality ship though.
Before Mari went to sleep she checked her alarm clock three times. It if didn't go off at the right time her whole morning would be ruined. Getting up at 4 am would be difficult, but it was worth it.
As the alarm beeped right on time, Mari felt like she hadn't slept a wink. The sun remained below the horizon, leaving the room dark as if it was still night. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a yawn as she got ready for the day.
One cup of coffee and a change of clothes later and Mari headed out to face the day. She dressed in her exercise clothes in preparation. Mari left the hotel behind, walking towards the center of town as the sun peaked over the water. The town was quiet at this time of the morning; only a few birds broke the silence.
Mari arrived at her destination right on schedule. She approached just in time to see Kanan stretching on the sidewalk near her diving shop. Kanan raised both of her arms over her head in a stretch as Mari approached unnoticed. As it turned out, even after many years, Kanan's jogging habits remained the same.
"Kanan!" Mari called out enthusiastically. Kanan's arms fell to her sides as her gaze snapped to Mari. Her mouth dropped opened as if to say something, but closed wordlessly. "Good morning!" Mari chirped in English.
"Morning." Kanan managed to say, nodding once and then shaking her head. "What are you doing here this early? Is something wrong?" She cocked her head to one side in a way that Mari found adorable as she asked.
"I just wanted to go for a jog." Mari sidled into Kanan's personal space. "With my dear friend Kanan, of course!"
"W-what?" Kanan took half a step back and crossed her arms. "Are you serious?"
Mari nodded intently. "I am."
"Well then." Kanan cleared her throat. "You can come, but only if you can keep up."
"I won't let you down!" Mari said seriously. She would definitely keep up on this run. She mimicked a couple of Kanan's stretches, making sure she was ready. After a few minutes they set off, starting a long jog around the island.
As Kanan jogged up the mountain starts, she glanced behind to check on Mari. The blonde teen's cheeks were red with exertion and beads of sweat condensed on her face. Her arms pumped a little more than necessary in an effort to climb the stairs.
Even though Mari was struggling, Kanan was still impressed at how well Mari kept up. She looked mildly distressed the whole time, but she maintained the pace.
Kanan should've been enjoying this; running was always fun, whether it was with others or alone. There was just one problem. The person running behind her was Mari, and Mari didn't do running. She claimed multiple times to hate running, and often tried to get out of it during Aqours practice. In addition, Mari never woke up before she absolutely had to. She usually slept until noon on the weekends and dozed off during morning classes.
So why had she shown up at the crack of dawn to go running? It didn't make sense to Kanan.
When Kanan reached the top of the stairs she jogged over to the shrine. The sun shined down on the area, filtering through the trees and bathing the area in orange light. Kanan sighed as she heard Mari arrive, wheezing, to her right.
"Are we…" Mari leaned forward with her hands on her knees. "Are we going to head back down now?" Every couple words were followed by a heavy inhale.
"What's this really about?" Kanan blurted it out, unable to contain the thought any longer. "Why are you doing this?" she turned towards Mari, tilting her head slightly and staring into amber eyes.
"What do you mean?" Mari looked up at Kanan from her position of respite.
"I know you don't like to run." Kanan crossed her arms, wondering why Mari was deflecting the question. "So why did you come running with me?"
"I'm your stalker, aren't I?" Mari smirked as she straightened back up, having regained her breath.
"That's not funny." Kanan frowned. Now was not the time for jokes.
Mari shrugged in response. "I just wanted to go running with you. Is that not enough?" She stuck her lower lip out in a pronounced pout. Kanan took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. This felt like a lie, and a familiar one at that; it reminded her of a conversation she'd had with Mari just recently.
"Didn't we agree to speak honestly with each other." Kanan practically whispered, unable to put power in her voice.
Mari broke eye contact, looking towards the shrine. "I… we did, but…" She trailed off.
"So tell me." Kanan turned to face Mari fully. "Please." Kanan forced herself to breath slowly. She fought to keep her hands from shaking as she waited for a response.
"I just wanted to spend more time with you." Mari clasped her hands together, still refusing to meet Kanan's gaze. "We've spent so much time with Aqours, and they're wonderful, but…" Mari paused to pick her words carefully. "I just wanted to spend more time with you." Amber eyes met wide purple ones. "I missed you." Mari maintained eye contact without winking, and without a statement of a joke.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Kanan asked quietly, fighting the urge to look away.
"I get embarrassed too you know!" Mari's cheeks flushed pink. "And, well, I wasn't sure how to say it. I'm still working on my communication skills." She giggled at that.
"Me too." Kanan reached out with her right hand and a soft smile. "Why don't we talk about it more on the way down."
Mari reached out slowly, gently touching her fingers to Kanan's. As she intertwined them a small shudder ran down Kanan's spine.
"Let's go." Mari tugged Kanan towards the stairs. "We have a lot of catching up to do."