Sky Full of Stars
A snap of Kiyoko's fingers brought Yachi back to her senses. The blonde girl blinked twice as if she had just woken up from a dream.
"Huh?" Yachi Hitoka, today as every day the personification of eloquence.
"I said that it's already dark, so do you want me to go to the bus stop with you?" An expression of worry passed over Kiyoko's usually impassive face as she tilted her head to take a closer look at a thunderstruck Yachi.
"O-oh, uhm…!" So I wasn't imagining it? A wide grin blossomed on Yachi's face, starting with a smile tugging on her lips until she was beaming from ear to ear. "Yes!", she exclaimed enthusiastically and clenched her fists, rapidly moving them up in down in barely contained excitement. Her brown eyes sparkled as if the volleyball team had just won the national championship for the next 30 years. In the middle of that movement, she suddenly paused and apparently seemed to change her mind. "Ack, no we can't!", she yelled, holding out her outstretched arms with her palms facing Kiyoko as if she was trying to ward off some imminent evil.
The taller girl let out a quiet laugh that she only half hid behind the sleeve of her white school uniform. Why does this remind me of star-crossed lovers who are forced to part? "What do you mean, we can't?", she inquired, dropping her hand and forcing herself to regain control over her facial expression, willing the silly smile away.
"W-well just the thought is outrageous", Yachi tried to explain in her abstruse way. Kiyoko visibly flinched when Yachi forcefully slapped both hands flat against her face with a squeak. "What if one of your fans tries to kill me again after they see me walking next to you", she incoherently mumbled between her fingers, clearly distressed.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean! It's outrageous how busy you must be, Shimizu-senpai", she hurriedly amended. "Are you sure this is really okay? Really?"
The manager of the Karasuno volleyball team only gave her a soft smile that Yachi thought was downright angelic, then turned around and nonchalantly beckoned the younger girl to follow her. "It's basically on my way home anyway. Let's go before it becomes any darker outside."
With a happy leap, Yachi grabbed her light blue bag with black stars that was leaning against the wall of the sports hall and skidded over to where Kiyoko was about to switch off the lights. A flick of her delicate hand plunged the place into darkness, abandoned over the weekend until different sports teams would resume practice again on Monday.
It was already early October, and even though it was a relatively warm autumn this year, the air became rather chilly after sunset. Colored leaves covered the entire sidewalk, their red hue intensified by the street lights that engulfed them in warm light, a contrast to the nippy wind. Although the sun had vanished behind the horizon, the sky was not pitch-black yet. A glowing orange still lay over the roofs of the houses, merging into a pale blue that darkened towards the top.
Kiyoko took a deep breath, feeling the cool fresh air fill up her lungs, invigorating her after a long day at school. She felt Yachi walking quite stiffly beside her, her small hands clenching around the straps of her bag, shoulders drawn together and her gaze firmly fixed upon the pavement. Not that she minded, she knew about the blonde's anxieties and fully accepted them. In fact she didn't mind a bit of silence from time to time. Despite that, a part of her wished that Yachi would become more comfortable around her step by step.
A part of the way to the bus stop was not lamplit, the only artificial light being the illuminated windows of the houses to both sides. Kioyko tilted her head back and took in the scattered stars that started to appear where the sky had already taken the color of dark spilled ink.
"How beautiful", she breathed, a soft smile grazing her lips, prompting Yachi to lose interest in the path beneath her feet and look at her companion, then following her gaze up to the celestial bodies twinkling in the distance. "Waaaaaah", she yelped, one finger pointing towards the starry sky in delight. "Aren't they amazing, Shimizu-senpai?"
Without warning, Yachi grabbed her elbow, an unusually bold move for her. "Did you know that October is the perfect month for viewing Aquarius?" Her slim finger traced the outline of a constellation that was only visible to her. "I admit that a darker sky would be better to recognize it and it doesn't contain any bright stars, but if you know where to look for, its large size makes it easy to find."
Before Kiyoko could reply, completely taken aback by the unexpected flow of words, her friend already went on: "Ah, but do you see the five bright stars over there that form the shape of a W? That's Cassiopeia, named after a vain queen of Greek mythology. She often boasted about her beauty, but I bet she was nowhere near as beautiful as…" She broke off, obviously becoming aware only now who she was clutching on to. As if she had burned herself, she let go of Kiyoko's arm, holding up her hands in defense. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bother you! It's just…I really love the stars, and when I was younger I used to read up on them a lot, but I never have the chance to talk with anyone about these things…" Even if the growing darkness concealed her reddening cheeks, the uncomfortable burning acted as a reminder of her embarrassment.
The unconcealed astonishment in Kiyoko's bluish-gray eyes changed to sincere affection. "Don't apologize." Her gaze wandered back to the scintillating stars that seemed to increase in brightness with every passing minute. "It's nice to see you this passionate. Actually, that's a side of you I really like."
Yachi was well aware that she stared at the black-haired girl with her mouth agape, but she simply couldn't help herself. First of all, she clearly heard praise out of Kiyoko's mouth, and that thought filled her with a tingling warmth from head to toe, making her forget about the chill of the late evening. But what dazzled her completely was the light of the pale moon glinting in Kiyoko's pink-rimmed glasses and a myriad of stars being reflected in her eyes as her steadfast look was fixed at the firmament. Never had she looked more stunning to Yachi than right here, in this moment, and even though she was already aware of her crush on the older girl, she'd always remember this moment between them as the one she fell head over heels in love with her. So incredibly beautiful indeed, she thought to herself and felt her blush deepen.
Kiyoko turned to her then, and her proposal made Yachi's heart skip a beat. "The both of us should do some proper stargazing sometime. Perhaps it's not the season for that sort of activity anymore, but just tell me whenever you feel up for it."
Not trusting her voice in this instant, Yachi just nodded energetically, giddy with pure happiness and probably sporting the most idiotic smile right now. Again Kiyoko just laughed gently at her reactions, a heavenly sound to Yachi's ears that made her feel at ease, but apparently the attacks on her poor heart would not let up just yet. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, the taller girl cupped her cheek, leaned closer and pressed a quick kiss to Yachi's forehead. The action didn't take longer than a few seconds, but in that short time the blonde could feel her heart first coming to a standstill for a worrying split second before it rapidly picked up speed until she feared that Kiyoko might hear its loud thumping.
"I'm very glad that you decided to become a manager of this team as well, Hitoka-chan. All the other members are thinking the same thing, I'm sure of that." The kind smile that accompanied her words made Yachi melt into a puddle of utter shyness.
"Y-you really shouldn't do something like this, Shimizu-senpai. What if one of your admirers happens to observe us?" A quick glance to all side assured her that it didn't seem to be the case. Unless…what it they use night vision devices! "They would be super jealous because you're just so beautiful. You're as bright as the sun! I'm just a townsperson B next to someone like you."
Kiyoko couldn't believe how different Yachi's self-awareness was compared to how everyone else perceived her. "The sun, huh?", she repeated, putting a finger on her lips in thought. "If that is true, then you are definitely like the stars. You are like an entire sky full of stars."
Nothing could've prepared Kiyoko for what was about to happen next. In one swift motion, Yachi had flung her arms around her neck, pulling the taller one down to her and pressing her soft lips against Kiyoko's. Time seemed to stop for some eternal moments in which Yachi tightened her grip on the other's form. Too stunned to react immediately, Kiyoko just stood there unresponsive, physically feeling the warmth of the girl's lips and tasting strawberry chapstick, but her mind completely blank, unable to link this sensation to reality. But then her body screamed at her to move, to react in some way, and she willingly eased into the kiss.
Unsure of what to do with her hands, she loosely rested them on Yachi's waist. She found it adorable how the blonde had to stand on her toes because of the height difference. It was a chaste kiss, not much more than two pairs of lips pressed against each other, their mouths barely opened, but Kiyoko felt that if she wasn't holding onto the other girl, her legs might just give way. A shiver went through her body that had nothing to do with the evening's cold air.
With a deep intake of breath, Yachi pulled back, the startled expression mirroring Kiyoko's own. Even though she had been the one to initiate the kiss in the first place, she seemed to also be the one taken off-guard the most. Her face was redder than Kiyoko had ever seen it before. "I- uhm", Yachi started, but her friend shushed her by gently putting a finger to her lips.
"If you are going to apologize again, I will see myself forced to kiss you back in order to keep you from doing so", she half-joked. Not that she'd mind to act on her 'threat'. "Oh, and there is something else, Hitoka-chan."
"What is it?", she mumbled indistinctly against the index fingers still pressing against her mouth.
"Isn't that your bus leaving over there?"
It seemed that today was a day full of firsts, because never before had she seen Yachi running at such speed, almost stumbling across her own feet and barely managing to catch the last bus heading into the direction of her house.
Absentmindedly, Kiyoko gingerly traced her lower lip where she could swear that she still felt the light press of the kiss. Perhaps I should suggest going star-gazing more often, she mused.