He had grabbed both of her hands, marveling silently at how small they were compared to his own. She was delicate, although he was quite sure that she did not like to think so. Not that he could entirely place her at fault. Her line of work was a dangerous one and the notion of being delicate to the point of incapability was a problem. Though, he knew that now was not the time to think of work. That now was not the time to think of occupational differences in their position, for the time being: he was quite content with draping an arm around her shoulders. Akane snuggled against him. Shinya smiled.
The petite brunette beside him seemed so immersed in their surroundings, so mesmerized by the bright lights that her gaze was upturned towards the night sky. She looked carefully as if searching for something. Her brows soon furrowed together, as if whatever it was she was looking for could not be found and that such a thing was upsetting to her. He could make out her breath clearly as it changed from something steady to something uneven from minor frustration. The Enforcer wasn't entirely sure as to why seeing something such as that bothered him, it was as if her mind were riddled with disappointment of sorts.
"Akane?" he called her name gently. He quite liked her name. He quite liked the sound of it and the way it poured from his lips. It was so much better than 'Inspector Tsunemori'. Her name seemed to suit her, as if her passionate attitude respected and coincided with her namesake.
She looked at him, no longer frowning in disappointment; smiling gently, eyes lit with a sort of joy in being with him. Shinya would be lying to himself if he said he was used to people looking at him like that. She always seemed so attentive, so sharp, so cautious yet so eager as well. It was that bright nature that had attracted him to her, she had reassured him of things he had long forgotten. Things he had only longed for as an Inspector, never an Enforcer, for those things had stopped mattering at one point or another.
"Yes?" Akane spoke softly, a smile still lighting her features, as if whatever it was that had frustrated her had never existed. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her hair was in slight disarray due to the winter breeze. She sat at the edge of the bench as if listening to something important.
Shinya wasn't entirely sure on how to phrase the question. How did he ask what had frustrated her? He wasn't entirely sure and the notion of being at a loss for words was just as frustrating as the notion the young woman had taken at the sky. "Is there something wrong with the sky?" Shinya smiled, simply deciding to be blunt. His expression was amused. Knowing Akane, it would most likely be about something he had thought or hadn't considered for a very, very long time.
"It's nothing," she would say that yet she would continue (he remembered it was a habit she possessed). "I was just thinking..." her gaze turned towards the sky once more, as if silently scrutinizing the dark blue expanse. "There are so many lights... but I don't think I've ever seen a star. And, if I have seen one: then I've probably mistaken it with a light."
Just as he had thought: it was something he had never considered. A new way of seeing things, a new way that made him think and wonder. She was so bright, yet it seemed as though aspects of the world had dimmed her luminescence.
"So, I wanted to see if I could make something out," she laughed quietly. Akane laced her fingers together within her lap, something akin to a thoughtful doll. "I can't," she laughed again. "It's dumb, I know," the Inspector turned her attention to him.
He, in turn, shook his head. "No, I don't think it is," he ruffled her bangs affectionately. "It's just what I would expect from you. You're the only person who would think about something like that." Shinya then found himself looking at the sky. It was at that moment he understood what she meant. All there seemed to be were dazzling lights, lights of buildings, lights of planes, helicopters, blimps, advertisements intricately put-yet never the light of a star. "Yeah, I get it..." he couldn't help but sigh. Someone philosophical minded would say that there was symbolism in this observation. That there was some deeper meaning lying within the cosmos indicating how the lack of stars in their society meant something terribly melancholic. Except, Shinya was not a terribly philosophical man, though the sort of people he had read in books were and that, if they were alive in this day and age: they would be able to shed some light on the sensation that flowed through his veins. It was akin to disappointment and longing. He wasn't entirely sure as to why looking at the sky gave him this sort of feeling, but it did, nonetheless. Shinya returned his line of sight towards Akane, who was still staring intently upwards, as if hoping for something. She was always the sort who hoped for things, even such trivial things as stars. Her gaze had sobered with that inexplicable disappointment. Shinya ejaculated a soft sigh before rising to his feet; still holding her hand. The Enforcer brushed Akane's bangs back once more, showering a soft kiss upon her forehead. "I should probably take you home," he smiled. "If you want: we can check the Net for more information on stars, or something."
Her optics brightened as she looked at him, the same way they always did when she looked at him. It would make his pulse race for a fraction of a second. No one had ever looked at him like that before, after all. "Really?" she asked excitedly, quickly rising to her feet as well.
"Of course, you seem pretty hung up on this, after all. We could make our own," except he knew that was quite impossible.
"Shinya, I don't think stars work that way."
"Well," he squeezed her hand. "We won't know until we read about them more."