The chorus of nocturnal creatures in the evergreen forest swayed through the summer night air. The lake that echoed of yesterday's warm waves now was crystal clear and undisturbed. Fast footsteps on the wooden, worn down pier caused sudden shakes to create chaotic ripples beneath. A giggle escaped the lips of the girl on the pier as her toes curled over the edge of the wooden boards. "Come on, Koushiro. We're almost there!" Hikari whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

A hum in response mixed with the second pair of footsteps on the pier, these steps much slower than the first. "I can't believe you actually talked me into this," the boy quietly replied, holding a pair of towels.

With her toes still curled over the edge of the dock, Hikari slowly leaned forward as if she was going to drift away with the Northwoods wind. "Hurry up, Slowpoke!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Be careful," he replied as he trudged over the the vacant spot right behind her.

She stretched out her arms and inhaled the fresh pine air. "It never ceases to amaze me," she whispered as she turned around to face Koushiro, gazing up at his concerned look.

The singing of summer cicadas and other insects hovered in the air, desperate to find a chance to shine in the full moonlight. Koushiro looked down at the now calm water in front of him. "Are you sure this is sanitary? The water looks questionable to me."

She giggled again and continued to look at his eyes until he looked back. She watched as his expression softened at the sight of her in front of him and it made her heart flutter. "It'll be fine! You promised me, remember?"

She took a small step forward toward him, still near the edge of the pier, but slowly closing the gap between them.

He dropped the towels near his feet and fumbled with his hands, adverting his eyes down to their bare feet. "Yeah, yeah. I did…" He mustered, flustered by how close she was to him.

She reached out and grabbed the front of his green t-shirt, giving it a soft tug forward. This action caused Koushiro to regain his eye contact with Hikari. They were inches apart from each other. "Do you trust me?" She whispered. Since it was only the two of them in the silent night in their spot, she felt more confident than ever.

Koushiro felt her breath on his lips. He gulped and quickly nodded. "Of course. Always," he whispered back. He didn't realize how fast he answered until the words spilled out of his mouth.

That's when she tugged a little harder and, instead of leaning forward to meet him, she leaned back, allowing the two to crash into the lake water below. Luckily, it was shallow by the dock, the lake only coming up to just above their waists.

As they emerged from the splash, Koushiro started shivering and shouting, more cold than mad, "Hikari! Why would you do that? It's so cold! And now our clothes are all wet!"

It wasn't until he heard Hikari laughing so hard that he lowered his voice and watched. A huge smile was plastered on her face as she splashed around in the chilly night. A soft smile replaced his expression. As he observed his love play in the water, warmth filled his cold body.

He could watch her forever.

Out of impulse, he moved his arm in a swift motion across the water, creating a small wave to brush past Hikari. She took a that as an invitation to join a splashing war.

Infectious giggles and chuckles filled the air, not caring if it'll wake the others. That's when something amazing happened.

Hikari stopped splashing, her mouth agape. "Koushiro, look!"

Once he stopped splashing and his eyes focused, what he witnessed left him in pure awe. Millions of fireflies and lightning bugs lit up the night sky. They danced with the vast amount of stars that continued to dangle from edge of the world. It was finally their moment to shine, the moment the insects patiently waited for. The full moonlight acted as a spotlight for the two souls in the lake water below, as if they were the stars of the night.

Slowly, the two waded their way to each other. Hikari was the first to wrap her arms around his waist as he followed suit.

"Thank you," he whispered to the girl in his arms.

She scrunched her nose at his comment. "For what?"

He chuckled at her expression. "For being you," he whispered, gathering up the courage to lightly kiss her nose.

She smiled at the boy she loved in front of her.

"I love you, too."