Disclaimer: Me: "Alright people, you know what I'm gonna say, right?" Everyone else: "Kozue Amano made Aria and Aqua!" Me: "Correct!"

LXXX. Those Warm Thoughts…

There was a short span of time that stretched in between when he realized he liked her a lot and when he actually asked her out. His emotions during that time were his well-kept secret, his own personal mystery. He felt so many things at once when he looked at her, but he almost enjoyed the suspense because she had no idea what was coming. He denies that his waiting was due to his nervousness.

In the spring time, right on the verge of summer, he had said he wanted to know what was outside of Neo-Venezia. He technically knew, but hadn't been to many places. So she took him to a small island where she'd originally been with Alicia. They came to a fork in the road.

"Hm? Which way do we go?"

Akari responded by picking up a stick and placing it in the middle of the road, then letting it drop. It pointed left. "We go this way!"

"...You don't have any idea where you're going, do you?"

"Oh no, I do. I've been here with Alicia before, but I was just seeing which way I could take."

He followed her down the broken train tracks, looking around. When they reached the top of the hill, he saw an abandoned train car. There was a sakura tree in full bloom near it. Such a simple thing shouldn't have made him stare like he was now.

"We found this place by accident, you know," she said with a smile, still looking at the car. "I put a stick in the middle of the road to see which way we to go that time too, and it pointed this way. One thing I learned while I was here was that the things you discover by accident are some of the most precious things in the world."

This time, he didn't feel the need to say "hazukashii serifu kinshi". He merely looked at her and shook his head with a smile as she told him excitedly to follow toward the train car.

All he could think was: "This is what I like about you, Momiko..."

LXXXI. Snow

She can't remember the first time she realized that she was starting to like Akatsuki, but she can remember the time when her feelings made a giant step toward solidifying.

It was in the winter time, and at the height of the season no less. There was so much snow everywhere and the air was freezing. She was on her way back from Himeya after visiting Aika, and while passing through one of the small canals she saw Akatsuki standing at the edge of a tiny park, looking out over the ocean in a semi-contemplative manner. She looked at him curiously, making her way towards him slowly to say hello.

His black hair had caught a bunch of the snow that was falling, like he had been standing there for more than an hour. He looked so peaceful despite the cold weather, as if in meditation. She didn't know what to make of this. He seemed very outside of himself, so unlike the Salamander she knew, until he turned and noticed her.

"Ah, Momiko! I didn't know your routes lead you here!"

He talked with her in his usual way, but she found it strange that for all the times she'd seen him, she hadn't noticed how nice his smile was until now. She offers him a ride which he obviously accepts, being the lazy man he is because he doesn't want to walk to Ukijima.

Even as they talk on the way to the sky lift, she can't get the image of him from before out of her head. Perhaps Akatsuki, for all his seemingly predictable behavior, has his own secrets like she does.

This makes her a little happier to see him whenever he visits after that.

LXXXII. Night

There's something magical about night time in Neo-Venezia. Whether you're topside or on Ukijima, it doesn't matter; each place has its own beauty, its own splendor.

On the ground, it's lovely because there are antique streetlamps to light your way, blended along with the quiet chatter of people walking about for the nightlife. Life sets itself to a different tempo as the business slows down in cafés and restaurants, the mood calm and reflective.

On Ukijima, it is a completely different matter. Although the island is important, it is small compared to the city below and only has residents, a few places to eat, and the weather control center. But what the island lacks in entertainment, it more than makes up for in the view.

It's been a while since Akari has been on Ukijima at night, as her schedule has been very busy due to her promotion to Prima. Akatsuki knows that she couldn't easily forget the view she had seen whenever she watched fireworks. But, this opportunity allows her to see the Neo-Venezia that he sees every night; a night that not many people get to see. And he knows that to her, there is nothing more pleasing than something secretive and wonderful about Aqua.

He leads her to an observatory deck and watches her face carefully. Judging by the looks of it, her heart has nearly stopped, she's almost forgotten to breath, and her eyes are so fixed on the view below that nothing else would have been able to distract her.

"...Akatsuki..." she says softly in disbelief.

He turns to look at his friend as she standing there, staring as if she's in love instead of just looking at the scenery. He smiles unbeknownst to her, secretively and a little sadly.

Sometimes, he really wishes that she would look at him like that.

Woohoo, Ventuno! I apologize for the shortness.

I veered off the beaten path and added a vignette that is told from Akari's point of view. May change it around a bit later, but for now I'll just leave it. Also, in the "Those Warm Thoughts" vignette, I can't remember which way the stick fell, and I can't find it in the manga. I'll have to consult the anime for this, but if you know if I'm wrong or right about this, let me know!

Special thanks to talkstoangels77, Mooniecat, and Demyx55 for the reviews on the previous chapter. Also, thank you Mooniecat for the suggestions "night", "snow" and "those warm thoughts...". I hope I did well! (I am making things with the other ones you mentioned.)

Let me know what you think, as usual. If you like the Akari points of view, also let me know about that. I might just go off on an Akari tangent for a chapter or something. *snort* 8D Also, suggestions are still welcome!

Thank you for reading!