Day 3 for Takari week! A quick reminder if you haven't read the first chapter. All stories will be told in first person, from both Takeru's and Hikari's POVs in the same story. It will be separated to make it easier, though.

I hope you enjoy! Check back the next days for other stories.

Day 3: Tanabata
My heart started beating faster as the subway approached Kyoto. Though it was already summer vacation, Takeru had opted to stay in the city for about two weeks to go sightseeing, which he couldn't exactly do due to his busy schedule with college. Beside me, I could hear Sora and Yamato giggling in a low tone as if I couldn't hear them.
"Hey." She reached out and touched my arm, near my wrist. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" I looked at her. I was listening to everything in my surroundings, but was still caught by surprise. A smile appeared on my lips. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous."
"That's perfectly normal." She assured me. "You're going to meet your boyfriend in a city you haven't been to and are alone. But things will be okay. He will be really thrilled to see you after a few months, I'm sure."
"Thanks for coming with me. I don't think it would be so easy to convince my mother to let me visit him if you didn't."
"That's a mom's thing." Sora smiled kindly. "My mom used to be the same when I was living with her. It gets a little easier when you move out. By the way, you don't have to thank us for coming with you. We know exactly what it's like."
"That's right." Yamato agreed with a nod of his head. "Besides, you're not the only one who misses Takeru."
"Yes, but I think she misses him in a different way."
"Well, obviously." He couldn't help but smile at her. "But you get me."
"I do." Though I wasn't seeing her face, I could easily tell Sora was smiling back at him just by the way her voice sounded.
And I caught myself wishing to have a relationship like theirs. I found it amazing how they managed to remain best of friends while dating each other for almost eight years now. Mimi seems to think so, as she's always making comparisons between us. Takeru and I were close to have our fifth anniversary in a little less than a month and I still couldn't believe how fast time had gone by. My mind was racing again, wondering how he would react when I showed up at his door or if I surprised him somewhere else.

I couldn't tell how many times I had checked my phone to see what time it was. I wanted to see Takeru so badly that I was really close to telling Sora I wouldn't stay at her father's apartment because I wanted to spend every second with him. But my rational side knew I would be throwing away my future chances of coming here again if I did that. So I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I managed to survive the first semester (or almost) without him, but having a long distance relationship still sucked.
"Hikari?" Sora's voice echoed in my ears and immediately broke my trance away. I blinked and shook my head as I looked at her. "This is our station."
"Already?" I quickly grabbed my luggage and joined them. "But we left Odaiba like ten minutes ago."
"I told you it would be a fast trip. Stay close, so you won't get lost."
"Are you sure your father is okay with me staying over?" I asked, unsure. "I really don't want to be a burden for the next few days."
"He is, don't worry about it." She replied in her usual soft and sympathetic tone and I immediately felt my shoulders relax. "Dad loves having people around. You'll be more than welcome there, trust me."
"We can invite Takeru over, once you meet him again. You still want to surprise him, don't you?"
"Absolutely." I smiled at Yamato, and his eyes remind me of Takeru's. And now I'm dying to meet him again. Well, I don't have to wait that much anymore, I tell myself.

.

I opened the door from my wardrobe looking for a Yukata to wear tonight, but couldn't find any that I would actually like to wear and that was my style. I frowned frustrated and sat at the edge of my bed. I would be meeting my brother and Sora in a few hours and wouldn't have time enough to buy new clothes. I really should have checked it before, but college was so crazy I didn't feel like doing anything else - though I eventually did, the house wouldn't be cleaned itself - after it.

When I walked out of the shower about thirty minutes later, I had already a new combination of clothes spread over my bed. I really wanted to go with traditional clothes, but that would have to do it for this year. I was about to put them on when the doorbell rang, so I tied the robe up tighter around my body and went to answer it.
"Yamato?" I asked surprised and blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought we'd be meeting at the Tanabata in two hours."
"We are. May I?" He confirmed and I stepped aside to let him in. "But Sora made this and really wanted you to give it to you. She said she would love it if you could wear it tonight."
"What is it?" I grabbed the large white box from his hand and placed it on a table nearby to unwrap it. Seconds later, I was shocked at the coincidence. "Wow… It's a beige Yukata."
"It's pretty."
"Did you know about this?" I turned to him, holding it in front of my body.
"No." My brother shook his head negatively. "She kept it a surprise from me and specifically told me not to open it before you."
"What a coincidence." I let out a sound that seemed like a smile.
"Coincidence?"
"Earlier today I had gone through my clothes searching for one, but couldn't find one I'd like to wear. And now this. That's crazy."
"It is. Did you like it?"
"Yes, I loved it. Sora is so talented at it, I always get impressed with her skills."
"Same. So…" He put another identical box on the table, which I hadn't noticed until now. "I was thinking we could spend some time together and get ready here with you. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course!" I said excitedly and grinned. "I would love to have some company. All my roommates are away for summer vacation, so it's really lonely over here."
"Then why don't you go back to Odaiba for summer break?"
"I will in a few days. Mom will kill me if I don't visit her."
"Only mom?" He asked me with second intentions and I rolled my eyes playfully.
"And Hikari too."
"How's everything between you two by the way?"
"It's good, I suppose." I shrugged. "It's been a challenge balancing everything. It's not easy being in a long-distance relationship. You should really get ready for that because it's going to be way harder for you and Sora."
"Yeah, we are sort of… trying to work on that." He said unsure and looked down. "Anyway, have you two been talking to each other?"
"Yes, twice a week. One of them through video calls and the other via regular call." I sighed. "I know it's not easy for her either, but I can't simply ask her to move here. I know she would consider it, but she has her life in Odaiba."
"It's a really tough situation."
"Tell me about it. I really wish I could see her tonight. She would love to go to Tanabata with us. She loves it."
"Well, you can't have everything. Right?" Yamato looked down again and I could bet all my money he was trying to hide his smile from me.
"That's true." I shook my head.

.

I took a long and careful look around the place the festival was happening at and my heart started beating faster again. In a matter of seconds - maybe minutes - I'd be seeing and talking to my boyfriend again after four months away. And suddenly, I began to panic again.
"Is everything okay?" In a true mom style, Sora placed a hand on my shoulder. Hearing her soothing voice and looking into her peaceful eyes made me calm down a little.
"Yes." I nodded with a smile. "I'm just a little nervous again. What if he doesn't like the fact I came here?"
"I don't think he will. He will love to see you again, Hikari." She grabbed my hands. "I know it can be scary because you can't predict how the other person will react, but I really don't think Takeru would react badly at you showing up here by surprise. He may be shocked at first, but definitely not angry."
"You're right. I'm freaking out over nothing. I just can't help but think something changed for him."
"Nothing changed for him, Hikari. He still loves you the same way. You both do. Trust how you feel about each other."
"It's amazing how you have this ability to calm everyone down. I wish I could be like that sometimes."
"But you are, in your own way."
"Thank you." I looked up at her and smiled warmly. "Takeru and Yamato must be here already."
"Probably." Sora scanned through the crowd, trying to find them. "Yamato said they'd be on the opposite side of the place, so you wouldn't bump into each other. I'm going to text him and see if they're here already. He'll give an excuse to leave Takeru alone and that's your cue."
"Got it."

Yamato came about ten minutes after Sora and I had arrived. The place was much more crowded then.
"I'm sorry I took longer than I expected. It was a little hard to find you two with some many people around."
"It seems like everyone decided to enjoy Kyoto night. I don't blame them at all." Sora stood up and walked to him. "What did you tell Takeru?"
"I told him I was going to find you and would be right back.
"Wasn't he suspicious we didn't come together?"
"No, I said your father was with you and he bought it. Not that it's any lie, but…" He paused. "He loved his Yukata, by the way. He said it was a coincidence because he wanted to wear one tonight and didn't have one good enough."
"Really? That's a strange coincidence."
"I think it's time for the second part of the plan." Yamato checked his watch and then looked at me. "Are you ready?"
"I am." I stood up from the bench I was sitting on, not paying attention to the nervousness that was taking over me again. "How do I look?"
"You look great!" Sora replied cheerfully. "That Yukata really suits you."
"Thank you. The person who made it is very talented. The best one I've seen."
We smiled at each other for a moment and I looked down, brushing away an invisible dust on my outfit.
"Where is he?"
"He's right over there." Yamato pointed the direction with his finger. "There's a Tanabata tree next to him. The first one you say. You can't miss it."
"Thank you."

.

I leaned against the rail near a Tanabata tree and stared at the small lake below me, though I couldn't see much of it due to the fact it was night. I never really hung a paper on a Tanabata event before, but I enjoyed watching people doing in and, judging from the amount of papers in this tree, I'd bet pretty much everyone around here hung one up. I wonder how the other trees were like. I couldn't help but think Tanabata would be a perfect scenario for the beginning of a fictional love story.

And then my thoughts went all the way to Odaiba. I caught myself wondering what Hikari would be doing now or if she was missing me as much as I was missing her. I still had some things to do in Kyoto, but I was dying to see her again. I felt tense all of a sudden, like something was about to happen. And then someone covered my eyes. My heart started beating faster right after the rose scent I know so well filled my nostrils. I didn't bother hiding my smile when I removed the pair of hands from my eyes and turned around. There she was.
"Hikari?"
"Hello." She gave me the sweetest smile and everything around us either froze or vanished.
I blinked a few times, afraid it would all be a dream. But, to my happiness, she was still there. It was all real.
"What are you doing here?" I walked to her and ran my hands through her arms, still getting over the shock and surprise.
"I wanted to surprise you, so I came with Sora and Yamato. I'm staying at her father's apartment." She wrapped her arms around my neck. "So, what did you think about my surprise?"
I slid my hands down to her hips and a smile appeared on my lips. "It's the most amazing surprise ever."
"I'm so happy and relieved to hear that." She confessed. "I was afraid you wouldn't like it because I came unannounced."
"I loved it." I touched her forehead with mine, looking intensely into her brown eyes. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." One of her hands moved up to my hair and she stood on her toes to meet my lips on a passionate kiss.
"I can't believe you're actually here." I grabbed her hand and spun her around to take a look at her outfit. She looked even more beautiful with that light pink Yukata with delicate flowers all over it. I pulled her towards me and wrapped my arms around her.
"Well, I am." She smiled warmly at me. I swear she has the prettiest smiles I've ever seen.
"Yeah." I brushed a lock of her hair away from her face and then stroked her cheek with the back of my hand. "That's why my brother disappeared and never came back."
"You didn't think it was strange?"
"No, he said he was going to find Sora and her father. I should have realized something was wrong when he didn't return."
"I'm glad you didn't and the plan worked perfectly."
"I didn't know you were into planning surprises like this."
"You weren't living in another city before, were you?" She wrapped her arms around my waist and looked up at me.
"That's a very good point."
"Should we try to find them again?"
"Later." I looked at her intensely again. "I was thinking we could spend more time together."
"I like the sound of that. We can even hang some papers on the tree."
"Oh definitely. But I'm not gonna ask for anything, I'll just thank instead." I held her chin and kissed her again.

.

The orange tones mixed with golden and red in the sky looked like a beautiful painting. I simply couldn't stop staring at it through the subway window. I couldn't believe how fast the last few days had gone by. It seemed like yesterday when me, Sora and Yamato were on a subway going to Kyoto. And now the three of us were heading back home. But we weren't alone this time.

Though I was mesmerized by the sunset outside, I changed my focus to my right when Takeru placed his hand over my leg.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm remembering these days we spent in Kyoto." I was unable to hold my smile. "It was so amazing."
"It really was." He nodded affirmatively. "Never would I expect to have the most amazing surprise ever."
"I'm so glad you liked it." I looked down towards our hands brushing against one another and grabbed his, letting our fingers get intertwined together. "And even more that you're coming back to Odaiba with us."
"Me too."
"I was really nervous about going to meet you because I didn't know how you'd react…" I confessed, looking into his blue eyes that I loved so much. "But I don't regret it at all."
"That's true, she really was." Sora joined the conversation and we looked at her. "It was a new experience for her and she did amazing, like I knew she would."
"Thank you, Sora." I blushed a little and looked away from her. I pressed my lips together before speaking again. "Honestly, I was afraid things would change between us with you living in another city. That you'd realize it wasn't working and didn't love me anymore, but…"
"Hikari, that wouldn't happen." He told me with such confidence that I couldn't not look at him. "It would be a challenge and a difficult situation, but I always knew we could do it, because I trusted how we feel about each other."
"That's truly beautiful, Takeru."
"I know. I'm just… I guess I was just insecure. But now I know we can deal with this. We'll find a way, because what we feel is much stronger than the distance between us."
"Exactly, and we'll see each other as much as we can, even if it's through video-calls."
"I'll take it, but in person is much better." I grinned at him and placed my hand on his right cheek.
"Nothing beats it. In person, I can do this." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug.
"I'm so glad you two got together." Sora cheered. "I always knew it was only a matter of time."
"I hate to ruin your small romantic moment…" Yamato glanced at the panel above the subway door. "But this is our station."
I stood up and stretched my hand to grab his shoulder bag, but he was faster than me.
"What are you doing?"
"I was helping you carrying your luggage." I looked up at him confused. "You already have a large suitcase."
"Thank you." He smiled kindly at me as he put it over his head. "But I can carry both, you don't have to worry about it."
"Alright then."
"Hey, you two." Yamato called us from the platform. "You better hurry up or the doors will close."
"Let's go." Takeru reached for my hand and we walked out of the wagon together.