Author's Note: This one tiny vignette at the beginning of the beach date has been in my mind for a while, and I finally got around to tweaking it just the way I wanted it.
Perfect
By Yuan
Well, the weather's good. Clear day, with a perfect breeze to accentuate the crisp, salty air. The ocean's lovely and the water worn stone under her feet is smooth enough not to harm them and uneven enough for her to keep her grip. Here, the gulls and seabirds overhead won't be inclined to seek out human targets. All in all, an ideal seaside rendezvous.
She folds her arms across her chest to keep out the cold of the salty air. Her hands brush against satiny fabric and she looks down. Pajamas! Out of all the gorgeous, complicated outfits she could have conjured up for herself, she had to come in her pajamas. Sure, she usually came in her pajamas, but this was a date. On dates, she always remembered to wear the perfect outfit, sunshine, rain or hurricane. This time, though, all she had focused on was her eagerness to bring a gift that would make a pair of sad, golden eyes light up in happiness.
"Hokuto."
She looks up. He's standing where she had led him to; by the ocean's edge, so close that the water is lapping at his bare feet. He turns around and the beautiful face she know so well is different. There's hope, and wonder, and a joy so radiant it transforms him so that every fiber of his being seems to overflow with life. His eyes meet hers and a tenderness there makes her heart skip a beat.
She's wearing her pajamas, on a beach in a dream.
With a young man whose smile suddenly makes everything brighter.
Hokuto feels herself grin. This is going to be the best date EVER.