Best Mistake I Ever Made
Part Two
"Hey, we should all go to the beach!" the brunette exclaimed in excitement while holding out a pamphlet with glossy pages.
"Sachiko's right! This looks like fun!" Juri agreed, smiling as she gazed at an image of a turquoise coast in the pamphlet.
"I know, right? We could go swimming, get tans, hit on cute boys…oh! Maybe we'll even see a celebrity there!" the black haired girl said, eyes wide as thoughts swam through her head a mile a minute.
"Don't get too carried away, Ami," Juri snipped, taking a bite of her rice ball. "There're still two weeks left before break, don't forget about the tests coming up!"
"We'd get to split a watermelon, right?" Yamato asked from her seat on Juri's desk, her bento held loosely in her hand. Not that there was much left to spill out, but Juri was eyeing it carefully and guarding her own lunch from Yamato's wandering chopsticks.
"Of course Yamato would be the one to bring up food!" Ami said airily with a flip of her long black hair.
"I say we should invite some boys from class, just in case since we wouldn't want to look lonely or desperate at the beach." Juri said after a moment, having chewed and swallowed a bite of tonkatsu.
Yamato reached over and poked her forehead with a smirk on her lips. "You just want your boyfriend to come," the blonde taunted, taking Juri's moment of embarrassment to steal her own bite of the tonkatsu by stabbing a piece from Juri's lunch with her chopstick.
"I-It's not like I'm saying the boys have to come…besides Yamato, what about Hiroki? If he came you two would get time together too!" Juri snapped, her flush turning to annoyance.
The blonde girl's smirk fell some, and much to the other girls' annoyances, she decided to chew her stolen prize then. After she swallowed, she dabbed her lips with her napkin, dragging it out. Glancing down at her red haired friend from her vantage point, Yamato grinned. "You're right…but it's different. He's not my boyfriend." Yamato turned up her nose and chuckled.
"Yeah Juri, they only hook up!" Sachiko giggled, crossing the index and middle fingers of her left hand, and then scratched her nose with her right before sneezing.
"Someone's talking about you," Ami taunted, poking the brunette in the arm teasingly while Yamato watched with observant eyes and an oddly quiet tongue.
More jokes were had at Juri's expense before she began calling the other two girls on their lack of relationships. Yamato watched them, but her blue gaze was drawn towards the classroom windows. Outside, the foliage on campus was green and thriving, a promise of the upcoming summer, but Yamato found herself grinning when her mind wandered to a stoic girl who'd surely be sitting on a park bench that afternoon and sketching grass, probably. With a small grin, she gently rubbed her nose.
What had begun to trouble her though, were the darkening clouds growing on the horizon. With a frown, she tried to recall earlier that morning when her mother was watching the weather. Was it supposed to rain or something? 'What a bummer…' the blonde thought distantly, only able to wonder if Kouya would skip the park if it rained.
Suddenly, her eyes went wide with an idea and she grabbed the pamphlet from Sachiko's hands. Glancing it over, Yamato looked over her shoulder at the brunette and smiled. "My dad's a total hard ass, and he won't let even my mom help me out if he doesn't know where I'm going. Could I bring this home tonight?" the blonde asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure! I've got a few more, too…oh, should we invite…" and the brunette easily slipped back to her huddled conversation with Ami.
Gazing at the brochure, Yamato smiled determinedly. Sun, sand, the ocean, summer resort…it was an impossible offer to refuse.
Almost skipping up the street towards the park, Yamato slurped contentedly at a strawberry kiwi juice box. The weather hadn't broken into a rain yet, but the sky hung dark and heavy overhead, even with the sun still shining a bit through the clouds. Still, the blonde made her way right into the park and plopped herself down right next to the already busily sketching Kouya.
"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully, setting her bag down on the bench beside her. As usual, Kouya didn't exactly reply, but she moved her arm slightly to accommodate the blonde whom always leant against her side. It was about as much as Yamato could expect, so the blonde wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Yamato had every intention of asking Kouya about any plans she had, but before she was able to get around to it, her blue eyes drifted up to the black ears perched atop the older girl's head. Glossed lips pursed and Yamato stared curiously, and she was unable to keep herself from lifting her hand to try and touch the other girl's ears. 'Try' being the key word, because the second her fingers brushed over one of Kouya's ears, the other girl had literally jumped away, her bag falling from the bench and her sketchbook clattering to the ground.
Staring up in shock, Yamato's confused gaze met Kouya's panicked one, and Yamato stood to help pick up the other girl's things. But Kouya's pale hands snatched up her things in a rush and cradled them to her chest. Eyeing Yamato like some sort of creature that would bite her, Kouya held a fearful look on her face before she spun round and ran from the park.
Yamato was left to stare after her, confused and shocked.
"Wh-What was that?" she asked aloud.
As though the world was out to get her at that moment, the skies overhead rumbled, and freakishly cold rain drops quickly began to fall, escalating into a downpour. Cursing, the blonde ran for her bag, hating that she'd laughed at her mother when she'd called for her to grab an umbrella before leaving for school that morning.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Yamato repeated, trying to protect her bag with her body from the rain, the glossy pamphlet for the beach resort crinkling loudly inside.
Kouya wasn't at the park the next day, morning or afternoon. The rain had also persisted, stopping sometime midday, but starting up again by the time school let out. Yamato wondered if she'd somehow hurt Kouya's feelings or something, and had been put out by the rain. She didn't like it when someone or something rained on her parade, especially literally.
The day after that, Kouya wasn't in the park that morning, and even though Yamato sat for a couple hours on the wet park bench with nothing but an umbrella to keep her moderately dry, Kouya still didn't show up. The pamphlet was beginning to burn a hole in her bag, and on several occasions that night she was tempted to toss it. She was also tempted to smash her phone with the carving knife when after a bajillion texts and a zillion calls Kouya still hadn't responded back to any of them.
The third day Kouya was absent, Yamato had decided to cut class just after lunch and left school, finding her way along the roads till she found herself standing at the gate of Seiren Academy. She hadn't quite seen the school before, at least she'd never been looking at it before, and seeing it now only made her realize just how plain Tatsumi High was…how plain she was. Even their gate was nice…
Kicking it in frustration, the blonde exhaled irritably. The rain picked up around then, and she spent the rest of the school day at a ramen shop nearby, ordering the day's special just so she could waste time eating it slowly. When she heard the school bell, she paid her bill and hurried over to watch the Seiren students herd out.
For every pale yellow sweater, Yamato frowned. For every head of dark hair she bit her lip. For every girl with glasses, Yamato clenched her fists. She ignored the looks she got from the departing students, tuned out their own jibes at the recognition of her own uniform or the absence of her ears. Very few girls and even boys at the school wear missing their ears. The blonde even managed to glare at the boys that approached her, hating them slightly for every second they interrupted her search for one girl with glasses, a pale yellow sweater, a mop of black hair, and two little cat ears perched atop her head.
But for the near hour she stood out in the rain, uncaring that her hair and uniform were soaked, Yamato didn't see hide nor hair of Kouya. She was tempted to ask someone, but girls were avoiding her like the plague and the guys either passed her over with a single glance at her uniform or lack of ears, or they gravitated towards her like a magnet.
"Hey, you're getting soaked. How about I treat you to," a few boys would come up and say, almost every single one of them acting polite and courteous and not outwardly perverted, but it made Yamato hate them all the more. She'd turn a sharp blue glare on them and quickly snap at them that she was waiting for someone.
But when the crowd was gone and Yamato felt that she wouldn't be seeing Kouya, she couldn't figure out why she was still standing there and getting soaked. She couldn't figure out why the pamphlet in her bag was constantly on her mind, nor why she was so determined to see Kouya. Worrying her lip, Yamato turned away from the school slowly and began walking the long way towards home.
"Stupid Kouya…" she grumbled to herself, shivering as she finally felt the cold soaking her uniform and skin. Rubbing at her eyes, she refused to entertain the idea that she was almost crying over that witch…almost…There was just something in her eye…both of them.
The end of the week approached, and Yamato, Juri, and the others had almost finalized their plans for their short vacation. They'd decided not to ask the boys, at least that's what Yamato thought was the plan, but she was sure Juri would tell her boyfriend to come along anyway. Glaring out the window at the rainy weather during one of her afternoon classes, Yamato was still worrying her lip and had broken the skin last night when Kouya failed to reply to any of her messages.
"Hey Yamato, I checked the weather! After some cold days next week, it'll be hot and sunny!" Ami chimed when the bell rung.
"Perfect for the beach," Yamato said nodding, forcing up a smile for the other girl.
"Oh, do we need new swimsuits!?" Sachiko piped up, surprising the others. "I mean, the ones we have now are probably out of style or too small…" she added, flushing.
"You're the only one who grew, Sachi! Stop bragging or I'll have to punish you!" Juri growled teasingly, nudging the brunette in the chest with her elbow.
Yamato watched as the teasing stopped and the conversation started, quickly falling to something unimportant and useless. Glancing longingly towards one of the windows in the hallway, the blonde couldn't help the craving for the quiet hours spent with Kouya. Kouya, who wouldn't tolerate such pointless conversation unless it was relevant to her interests…yet, would keep quiet herself when Yamato was in a mood to talk her stress away. Yamato wasn't afraid to admit it, she missed the afternoons with the older girl.
Perhaps it was that craving, and the brightening weather, that pushed Yamato to hurry along the short cut home that passed by the park. Puddles quaked from a weak wind and the air smelled…different, and it felt a little cold since the sun hadn't been warming the pavement for the past week. The clouds overhead were lightening from their dark shade of gray, and the sun was starting to break through. It was way too much like some sort of movie, and Yamato was hoping it was the good part of the movie when the heroine was reunited with the person she'd been needing to see. But if it was one of those horrible tragedy movies…
"Gah! What am I thinking!?" the blonde exclaimed mid sprint, shaking her head and slowing her pace. She stopped, and realized that she was just a street or two away from the park. Pursing her lips, Yamato clenched her fists. "Kouya is so in for my whining when I see that brat!" the blonde declared, prepared to give the dark haired girl who just had to be there a piece of her mind.
But from the corner of her eye, she noticed a black thing scuttling in the alleyway. Glancing at it, she watched as the black cat from before slinked out of the alleyway and blinked up at her sleepily. Yamato couldn't help dropping to a knee to reach out for him, and he trotted over, sniffing her fingertips. "I guess I've got time for some moral support…" she murmured, and winced when the cat bit her finger, but a lot more gently than the first time. The cat stepped back and yowled, and the blonde nodded as though she understood.
"Got it, I'll bring you a whole can of tuna next time, okay? Now, I've got bigger cats to fry," she said with a grin before darting off towards the park.
Reaching the entrance, Yamato stood panting and her socks dripping wet. She couldn't have cared less at that moment, though, because sitting on the old familiar bench was none other than that damned Seiren student clutching a white umbrella on her lap. Unable to recall her anger, Yamato couldn't help the smile on her face as she bounded across the park towards the other girl, waving. After all this time, she recalled the apology she'd crafted the first day when she'd automatically assumed Kouya running off had been her fault, and suddenly felt self-conscious, and she decided to approach Kouya from behind the bench, if only to hide her face for a moment.
Standing with the bench pressing into her front, Yamato leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Kouya's shoulders, knowing by then that she wasn't so bothered there. Nonetheless, the dark haired girl tensed at the contact and inhaled sharply, but she leant back against the almost embrace.
"Kouya…I'm really sorry about what I did that time, please don't be mad at me anymore. It's really boring when you don't hang out with me in the afternoons, I miss talking with you or whatever…and I miss your shoulder, and I've missed you. You have no idea how irritable I've been lately," the blonde rambled on, laughing nervously at the last part. But she was interrupted by Kouya.
"You didn't do anything wrong…there's no need to apologize…" she murmured.
"Uh…but I've…I invaded your space…" Yamato began, confused.
"You've been invading my space since you first sat next to me and I haven't said anything," Kouya pointed out, only confusing the blonde more.
Yamato allowed it when Kouya grabbed her wrist and made her walk out in front of her, and she quickly sat next to Kouya when the girl gestured for it. Though, the blonde was being conscious of the space between them, not wanting to crowd the other girl. Kouya seemed to notice, and an almost hurt look flashed across her eyes.
"Yamato," Kouya began to say, averting her silver-green gaze, a troubled look on her face. Her lips trembled, and Yamato wondered if Kouya lost what she wanted to say, or even knew what to say.
Kouya sighed and closed her eyes, a worried expression on her face that struck a chord in the blonde's chest. She didn't like it…seeing Kouya looking so vulnerable and hurt. It wasn't right…she wanted Kouya to wipe that look away. But her blue eyes slowly widened when Kouya lifted her pale hands to her head and traced over her cat ears. With not much effort, she just…pulled them off.
"…Kouya…" Yamato whispered, her eyes lingering on the fake ears in Kouya's hands and then gazing back at the other girl's face. Even without her ears, Yamato thought she looked…
"I'm not a virgin." Kouya said weakling, staring at the pond down the hill, unable to look at Yamato. "…I guess that's not quite what I should say…" the dark haired girl said, a strained smile on her lips. Yamato found herself hating that smile. It was practically the first smile she'd seen from Kouya, and it had to look like that. It just wasn't right.
"I had a boyfriend once, when I was sixteen." Kouya began to say, her voice quieter than Yamato remembered, and trembling. "He was the first boy I met in my class and who'd asked me out, so we went together for maybe a week.
"He wanted me to meet him at his apartment before going to see some movie. He offered me a drink while we waited for our other friends to show up, but I didn't know that he'd called to cancel with all of them. I felt sick and dizzy, and I passed out I guess." A harsh look fell upon Kouya's face; she didn't look over to see that Yamato had a horrified expression on her own face.
"What I remember when I woke up was that he was over me and…inside me…and it hurt…so…much…" tears had begun collecting in the older girl's eyes, and Yamato felt her own lips trembling.
"When he was…done…he started talking, and even though I was groggy and dazed, I could see one of his older friends standing not far off, and he was unbuckling his pants…I didn't know what to do, but when he came towards me, I just…I just ran. I don't know where I found the strength, but I ran out past them and didn't stop till I was on the bus, going home.
"My ears and tail were gone, my clothes were ruined, I was confused, and I was barefoot…everyone on the bus avoided me, except for one woman who didn't ask me anything, just sat beside me and rubbed my back, telling me I'd be okay till I got home. She was the only one who gave me any kindness that night; my own family could only yell at me, my mother screamed it was my fault…" Kouya stammered bitterly, lifting a hand to wipe her nose.
"How could they?" Yamato whispered, horrified. Kouya's shoulders shook and she hunched over, grasping her arms tightly.
"The only considerate thing he did was use a condom!" the girl said shakily with a pained laugh. "There was nothing that could make it look like a crime; it was just another case of a girl who acted with no shame." Kouya snapped, biting down on her lip.
She was silent then, and Yamato took the few moments to edge closer and place a hand on Kouya's arm, gazing at the pale girl with a heartbroken gaze. The blonde gripped her companion's arm and her other hand went to cover one of Kouya's.
"I hate them, Yamato…" Kouya whispered then, her voice soft and strained. Lifting her head to turn her gaze on Yamato, her usually hard green eyes were filled with moisture and pain, and a scared look flew across her visage for only a moment. "I hate men."
Yamato gazed back at Kouya with sympathy and she rubbed her thumb over Kouya's while making a soothing sound. Smiling softly, Yamato nodded and leaned closer to her friend, or at least who she saw as a friend. "It's all right Kouya," she murmured gently. The blonde was startled when Kouya shook her head sadly and she was almost unable to look at Yamato in the eye. But then Kouya pursed her lips and wiped her face on her sleeve. Staring straight into Yamato's blue gaze, Kouya's look of vulnerability passed again, and the blonde felt uneasy.
"I hate men, Yamato…All of them," the black haired girl said again, her eyes betraying her own discomfort and fear.
Yamato stared at Kouya wide eyed, absorbing the girl's words, and then glanced down at her hand on Kouya's. Looking back into those silver-green orbs, Yamato slowly lifted her hand and Kouya immediately flushed and looked away. Trying to get up and leave, Kouya struggled to slip away from Yamato's other arm that had awkwardly been resting around her shoulders. But the blonde surprised her when Yamato only wrapped her arms around Kouya's neck and brought her closer to rest her chin on Kouya's shoulder.
"I still missed you, Kouya…" Yamato whispered softly, smiling.
"Yamato…" Kouya murmured, and her eyes watered before she buried her face in the crook of the blonde's neck, relief making her body tremble and her throat ache.
Yamato held Kouya till the trembling and near silent sobs passed, and even then she didn't let go. It wasn't till after a long while of silence that Yamato realized the other girl had fallen asleep. Grinning amusedly, Yamato situated herself on the bench carefully so as to not wake Kouya till the other girl's head was resting in her lap. Like that, Yamato was able to recline against the bench and stare out at their park. One of her hands was absently petting the sleeping girl's hair, and catching herself, Yamato decided against stopping. Not like Kouya was able to tell her to stop while she was asleep. 'Besides,' Yamato thought pleased to herself, 'Kouya has really soft hair…'
When Kouya woke up, Yamato had pinched her cheek and grinned while chirping a 'Good Morning' which only flustered the girl who hastened to sit up straight and rearrange herself. The sun had melted through most of the clouds and was shining down and making the air a little warmer. Kouya lifted a hand to her eyes as she looked up at the sky, and Yamato yawned contentedly.
"So…" Kouya began, looking down at her knees with hesitation in her voice. Yamato glanced over and smiled knowingly, but reassuringly.
"I missed my Kouya, so what she doesn't really have ears or whatever," the blonde said with a shrug. Leaning forward to balanced her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palm, Yamato glanced over at Kouya and smiled. "Nothing's changed," she said softly, and Kouya's own expression melted into one of silent appreciation and relief.
"Though, you so totally owe me for this week! Do you know how bored I was?" the blonde began to say loudly in her usual boisterous tone, catching Kouya off guard.
"Uh…"
"I had to wait in the rain for you like, a gazillion times! I was worried I was going to catch a cold and then get sick, I'm so ugly when I'm sick!" the blonde raved. Kouya's surprise faded, but unlike her usual expression, she wore a tired smile.
"…How can I make it up to you?" the dark haired girl asked, bringing a bright smile to the other girl's face.
"Ha! I've got just the thing!" Yamato exclaimed, digging through her bag till she found what she was looking for. Finding it, she pulled out the slightly wrinkled pamphlet and held it out to Kouya. "I was planning to go to the beach with some friends the first week of summer vacation, to make it up to me you have to come too!" the blonde said, pushing the pamphlet into Kouya's hands.
"Huh? Uh…" the bespectacled girl gazed uncertainly down at the colorful papers. "I'm…" she began, but glancing over to Yamato, her uncertain expression melted away into one of acceptance. "…all right."
"Yes!" Yamato shrieked, jumping up from the bench. "This'll be so much fun! You could really use a tan, Kouya!" the blonde teased, smiling at the other who stood up as well. "You do have a bathing suit, right?"
"I haven't really had much use for one, Seiren doesn't have a pool, either. I suppose I could buy one before we left…" she added, seeing the look Yamato shot at her.
"Good, well, let's go get dinner together and talk some more about it! Do you want Chinese, or Western?" the blonde chirped, grabbing Kouya's arm before heading out towards the street. Kouya followed after her, not putting up any protest.
"Since it's the first time we eat together, I'll be nice and treat you," Yamato said, glancing over her shoulder to smile at Kouya. "But next time you've got to treat me, and I'm probably going to be really hungry!"
"…I think I know why your other friends don't miss your absence from them so often," Kouya said quietly, and Yamato stopped to look at her with wide eyes.
"What?" Kouya asked, worried that she'd somehow hurt Yamato's feelings this time.
"Kouya made a joke!" the blonde buzzed with amusement, laughing loudly as they resumed their walk towards finding a restaurant. "There's hope for you yet, huh?" she added with a warm smile.
Kouya gave Yamato a bemused look, but a shy grin broke out over her lips and she bowed her head to allow the inky curtain of hair to hide her smile.
"…Thank you, Yamato…" she whispered.
"Hm? Did you say something?" the other girl asked, and Kouya shook her head.
"No, it was nothing. How close is that Chinese place?"
Yamato laughed and tugged on Kouya's arm, making a joke about someone's hungry tummy, and then led the older girl off into the streets the blonde seemed to know so well. Neither girl noticed that Kouya hadn't put the fake ears back on. In fact, Kouya had completely forgotten about them till later that night when she emptied her bag on her desk.
Staring at them neutrally, Kouya stroked the soft fake fur that covered them. Lying next to them on her desk was the pamphlet Yamato had given her. Picking it up, Kouya sighed, and a small smile lit her face.
"Oh, it's so hot!" Yamato exclaimed with a smile as the group of girls made their way across the sand, searching for the perfect spot to set up base camp.
"Hey, over here!" Juri called out, waving. She'd gone ahead and found the right spot just close enough to the shoreline.
Yamato quickly went to work with the others to get the beach towels laid out, and the large umbrella they'd rented from the resort. She flashed a grin at Kouya when the girls had finished setting up, and Kouya smiled slightly back. The other girls had kept their comments to themselves when Yamato mentioned she'd invited another friend, one whom did have ears at that. In fact, none of them had even recognized Kouya as the same 'virgin' they'd made fun of that one day. Honestly, they'd almost welcomed her with open arms, marveling at her smooth pale skin and long legs.
Neither Yamato nor Kouya said anything when Kouya had walked up to meet them at the train station with her duffel bag, the fake ears perched atop her head. Introductions had been short, and conversation had fallen back to the usual topics: things Kouya considered stupid. Yamato had flashed her a nervous grin, but Kouya whispered to her in passing it was nothing she wasn't used to, which in itself almost made Yamato burst with laughter. The three hour train ride to the coast went by well, and Kouya had sat quietly beside Yamato while sketching the passing countryside.
Now checked in and on the beach, ready to have fun, Yamato was all too eager to jump into the bubbling waves. Tossing off the white t-shirt she was wearing, she only had to wriggle out of her sweat shorts and her tall body adorned with a red bikini was bared for all to see. Getting appreciative comments from her friends, the blonde glanced over to Kouya, wanting her opinion, and blanched.
Kouya was still wearing the violet cover dress she'd worn after changing in the room's bathroom. And, far more importantly, she was already situated beneath the large umbrella in a folding chair and a book she'd obviously carried with her in her beach bag was held open in her hands.
"K-Kouya!" Yamato exclaimed, dropping to her knees to scuttle over and snatch away the book. "What are you doing!? You have to come swimming with me!" the blonde whined, tugging at the cover dress.
"I never made such a promise," Kouya replied back even and snatched her book back, turning to her page easily and quickly.
"But why else would I ask you to come to the beach with me?" Yamato groveled, sniping the book again.
"To cause me more annoyance and suffering?" Kouya asked, grabbing her book. Adjusting her glasses, she huffed. "Oh, you also mentioned something about a tan."
Yamato was ready to toss the book out for a swim, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Looking up, she saw Juri holding the bottle of sunblock and a positively Yamato-look on her face.
"Yamato, we all need to wear lotion so we don't burn, it's good to work together, right?" Juri asked with a dark grin which was mirrored on Yamato's face.
"Oh yes…of course!" she chirped, and the two set their sights on Kouya, who had looked up sensing Yamato-related danger.
With a strange squeak of surprise from Kouya, the two earless girls had pounced on her, the blonde making sure the dumb old book went flying. Ignoring Kouya's protests, they were able to slip the cover dress off to reveal her suit and begin lathering the fruity smelling lotion on the pale girl's back.
"Ah! Uh…Stop it!" Kouya stammered, throwing a dark look at Yamato who only grinned. Waving Juri away, Yamato allowed Kouya to sit up and stare heatedly towards her supposed friend.
Yamato felt herself shrinking under the authoritative stare, but quickly countered against it by dabbing Kouya's nose with lotion. "Don't want you to burn!" she chirped, and Kouya's harsh look faltered and fell into one of reluctant acceptance. That was the closet thing to an apology she'd get from the blonde she already knew.
"Hm…" the girl hummed in response, and allowed Yamato to spread the lotion where she herself couldn't reach on her back.
"You know, your suit is really nice!" Yamato said, grinning as she covered her own arm with the leftover lotion from Kouya's back.
"It was one of the last ones in the store…the holiday had them left in short supply," Kouya quipped defensively, keeping her back to Yamato while she rubbed the lotion on her legs.
"Yeah, uh-huh…" Yamato teased with a laugh. "Still, Kouya looks good in a two-piece!" the blonde chuckled. She'd half expected Kouya to show up with a wet suit, or maybe a suit in the school issue fashion. The white two-piece was actually a pleasant surprise.
"Well, I have a lot I want to do in the next three days! We've got to make a sandcastle, split a watermelon, make smores, go skinny-dipping, eat ice cream…"
"Wait, what!? Did you say skinny-dipping?" Kouya hissed, gazing at Yamato like she'd grown a second head.
"Yeah! Wouldn't it be fun to come out at midnight with nothing but the moon and the waves and swim naked!?" Yamato gushed.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Kouya asked sharply with a disapproving look.
"Not if we go when the moon's full so there's enough light, and as a group." Yamato insisted, and it was then that Kouya made her stand by choosing to not comment any longer on the subject. Nonetheless, the blonde smiled wide at the dark haired girl and Kouya cracked a bemused grin, more to get Yamato to leave her alone if anything, but it was still something.
After that, Yamato rushed off to play in the surf with her other friends, and Kouya resumed reading after retrieving her book.
It wasn't much longer than an hour or two, and Yamato and the others had waved a few guys away, wanting to make a show of having selective tastes. Yamato had cast worried glances over to Kouya, but was relieved each time to see her undisturbed in the shade beneath the umbrella. Stalking up to her finally, dripping wet with a string of seaweed wrapped around her ankle, Yamato plopped down in front of Kouya.
Kouya didn't put her book down, but the blonde was accustomed to many of her mannerisms and knew that the other was aware of her very near presence.
"Ne, Kouya…" Yamato whined, leaning forward. "Aren't you going to come swimming with me? It's really fun and nice! Please!?"
"…No." was the solid reply, and Yamato pouted.
"Why not?"
"…B-because I can't…" Kouya murmured softly, holding the book up close to her face. Yamato blinked, and asked her again. Glancing at the blonde over the book, Kouya sighed and frowned at her in annoyance. "I don't want to…because I can't swim." She revealed, flushing and recoiling back to her book. She wasn't prepared for Yamato to place a hand on her wrist and tug her.
"Well then, why didn't you say so earlier?" she asked cheerfully, grinning widely.
"Huh?"
"I'll just have to teach you! Your ears will be okay, right?" the blonde asked, tilting her head slightly. With a nod from Kouya, Yamato squealed and pulled her up to her feet by her wrist, quickly tossing the book down on the towel. "All right! Yamato-sensei's master swim class begins!" she piped up loudly before nearly jerking Kouya down towards the water with her.
Kouya didn't put up much of a fight, even when Yamato dragged her out to where the water reached her ribs and slimy seaweed and slippery sand was nestled between her toes. The older girl didn't even seem to mind the somewhat terrifying lessons when Yamato would merely pull her flush against her own chest if she appeared to be failing a tread in even deeper water. Of course, Kouya didn't let Yamato see the slight flush in her cheeks due to the constant contact between the two girls' almost completely bare skin.
That night during a large bonfire party on the beach, the girls allowed themselves to be freely approached by boys while Kouya merely kept close to Yamato, the same book a seemingly permanent attachment to her hand. Yamato was content to spend time with Kouya, but she was having quite the number of pursuers, and eventually Kouya found an opening to slip away. She didn't want to be so close to those guys…then alone watch Yamato flirt with them. Finding refuge behind a small sand dune close by, Kouya blamed the happenings in the book for the flush to her cheeks and the moisture in her eyes.
It was very late, possibly early, early morning when the girls stumbled back to their resort room which was fashioned like the rest of the hotel in a traditional Japanese fashion. Their room was on the first floor and the patio area just outside led straight to the beach. The sliding doors weren't as thin as they thought, and the girls were easily able to set up the futons across the room's floor without worrying that their voices would be too loud.
But barely even an hour of sleep passed before Kouya had awoken. Looking to her side, she frowned when she noticed Yamato wasn't lying beside her, dead asleep. Wondering if she'd gone to the bathroom, Kouya got up silently and crept towards the other room, finding it too empty. She would have panicked, had she not heard Yamato's hushed giggles from behind the sliding doors that led outside.
Stepping over, Kouya's lips held a slight smile, wondering what Yamato was amused by. Sliding the door open just an inch, Kouya got her answer, and she felt her heart sink and block her throat at the same time. Outside, Yamato was in the arms of one of the guys that had talked to her at the party, his hands underneath her shirt and her skirt was hiked up around her waist. Yamato's back was facing Kouya, but it didn't lessen the blow any.
The guy, whose face was buried in the crook of the blonde's neck, glanced up just then, and his and Kouya's eyes locked. The dark haired girl felt her entire body start, and she stood there frozen till Yamato moaned quietly against his shoulder, and Kouya closed the door.
For the next few hours, Kouya didn't really know how much time it was despite knowing that every second was one too long, she lay huddled on her futon with her hands over her ears, waiting for Yamato to come back; unable to reason why her chest hurt so much, or why her eyes and nose were stinging.
The rest of their stay at the resort flew by, each of Yamato's goals being reached somehow before they left. She'd even managed to talk Kouya into going swimming with her and the others at midnight, though why the change of heart Yamato didn't know. Kouya had been seemingly especially determined to master swimming from Yamato, and had nearly begged the blonde to stay with her when they were in the water, wanting to get the whole swimming thing down before they went home and she forgot everything. The blonde was all too pleased that her lessons were so prized…and yet Kouya was still flailing like an amputee cat in the water, and sinking like a rock.
For Kouya, as long as Yamato wasn't with any guys who tried to hit on her, she was content to use whatever she could to keep the blonde's attention, even trying to keep herself from staying afloat. Though in all honesty, it was easier than Kouya would have liked to admit when she so called pretended to fail swimming. But it was fine, because Yamato wouldn't take her eyes off of her for a minute and that's what had mattered.
The train ride back home was uneventful, though Kouya appeared much less tense, and she sketched again, though what she drew Yamato didn't know because she'd fallen asleep on the older girl's shoulder ten minutes into the ride. She never saw any of the sketches Kouya had made during the trip, especially the one of a sleeping Yamato curled up on her futon, hair a mess and nightshirt revealing skin.
Thought I could keep myself from feeling this way
I guess that was my first mistake
A/N: Thanks for your reviews, and I'm glad you're enjoying so far, hopefully. Not sure how much more is left, since now I'm thinking of changing the rest of the story since I've already deviated pretty far from the original outline…
The small set of italics at the end are lines from the song Best Mistake I Ever Made by Joanna Wang. If you have time, I highly recommend giving it a listen. Hopefully I can get four (or even more) reviews soon (because I'm as much a review-addict as Yamato is for doughnuts). And my life is pretty suckish right now for reasons I won't name, so knowing that you're enjoying this story would mean a lot to me.
Love, Sam
