"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha- "
" Yes ! Just like that! Okay, D Minor, heerree we go! Ba Bum Bum Bum -"
" Ha Ha H - Erm, dammit!"
"It's okay, hun, just try again! Ready? 1, 2, 3, 1, 2! Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm- "
"Actually, if it's alright with you, could we break for today? Kanji-kun will be here soon, and I…" Naoto broke off, the rush of blood flowing into her cheeks making Rise want to hold her tight and never let go. Somehow she resisted, issuing a nod as she took her hands off the keyboard keys and shuffled a bit to face Naoto.
Vocal exercises were one of the ways Rise and Naoto had bonded over the last year. It not only helped Rise keep sharp for her eventual re-debut, but also helped Naoto to control the pitch of her voice and maintain the deeper tone she desired. The two were sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder on a short piano bench in Rise's room, the twinkly quiet of Christmas morning evident in Rise's jubilant attire and the eggy smell of a strawberry sponge cake baking in the kitchen.
"Well, I guess ," she said with a mock pout. Naoto was tricky to read, however, and Rise would have felt bad if she teased her while she was genuinely upset. "Promise it's not 'cause you're mad?"
That flustered Naoto, who only grew redder as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "N-no, o-of course not! I just...Wh-what I want is to…"
Rise had to hold back a laugh. Why was her girlfriend so. Stinking. Cute!? She turned in her seat, curling her toes so hard her thigh-high socks were likely the only thing keeping her from ripping out tufts of the soft rug underneath them. Something about the way Naoto's normally steely demeanor melted just drove her up a wall. She linked her arm with her beau's, resting her chin on the starchy white shoulder of Naoto's button-up, which caused one of her copper pigtails to brush across Naoto's cheek. It was too hard to resist just a little more teasing
"If you want me," she hissed lustfully directly into Naoto's ear, biting her tongue to hold back laughter from feeling Naoto's whole body shiver, "I'm alllll yours...Just kidding!"
That finally did it: Naoto sat up suddenly, causing Rise to tumble over a little. She sighed; it had been two whole months and Naoto was still so skittish. Rise had gotten used to it over the past year or so that they had known each other, but she had gotten her hopes up slightly that recent events would have worn down that glacier. It had been a massive surprise for Rise when Naoto confessed her feelings to her back around Halloween, but it was impossible to deny her own emotions towards the younger girl. Even so, Naoto's introverted nature clashed with Rise's flirty, extroverted one, and though she wouldn't aggressively deny Rise's advances, she was clearly uncomfortable. Rise knew better than to push her buttons, but it was getting harder and harder to hold herself back.
She tried not to let it get her down as she followed Naoto out of her room and towards the family room, making a quick stop in the kitchen to fill up on hot cocoa and satisfy her sweet tooth. A sip of the steaming drink brought some relief, but Rise still found herself rubbing her arms to warm up; Rise's Grandmother's house was as old school as it got, which meant no central heating and only a lone kerosene heater for relief.
Her sweater was ugly but comfy, a present from Kanji: fuzzy and festive, with long sleeves and several penguins frollicking in snowflakes. It probably would have been wiser to pair long pants or at least some tights with her sweater, but Rise had always been slyly aware of the way Naoto's eyes would linger on her long legs whenever she would wear a skirt. In wanting to make her girlfriend happy, Rise had opted instead for equally appropriate candy-cane striped high socks and short black satin shorts, which were hidden by the hem of her sweater. This naturally left her shivering in the brisk morning, but Rise had caught Naoto staring a few times already. Perhaps there was still hope for a Christmas miracle?
Taking another sip, Rise walked to the living room, the patter of her socked feet the only noise in the house aside from the buzz of the oven and the sound of the occasional customer from her Grandma's shop. Indeed, Naoto was sitting awkwardly on the faded couch, in a form Rise had long since memorized: shoulders hunched up, eyes downcast, her mouth stuck in a pea-sized frown. A cat who had just seen another cat and was getting defensively up on its haunches, Rise thought. An adorable cat, at least, if not immaculately dressed. Naoto had removed her turquoise coat and blue policeman's cap, leaving her in a surprisingly colorful sweater vest over a plain shirt and tan chino pants.
Rise took the only other seat on the couch, her breath catching in her throat once Naoto looked up at her. The newly furrowed brow, the small, shy smile emerging at the corner of her chin, the intensity of her gunmetal grey eyes? It was, as always, a bit too much, and Rise found herself blushing just looking at her.
"So what's up?" Rise asked, trying to avoid getting too lost in her girlfriend's features again.
Naoto fidgeted some more before reaching into her pocket, pulling out a thin, plain box. She quickly thrust it into Rise's hands, her own face heating up as she did. "I-I wanted to give you this. I know we exchanged gifts last night, but…"
Rise set her coffee cup down on the table in front of them and stared at the box. She was at a loss for words - more gifts!? On Christmas Eve, Naoto had given her a bracelet she had made that had a little gizmo in it that could pinpoint Rise's location; since there was a likely chance the two would be separated regularly, their relationship kept secret from the public eye, Naoto had said she would feel better about it if she could at least know where Rise was. It had made her cry, and the memory of hugging Naoto close afterwards was still fresh in her mind.
"Oh, Nao-chan…" Rise started, feeling herself getting emotional again, "Whu-why, though? It's Christmas morning and I get to spend it with you, I don't need anything else!" Instinctually she reached out and found Naoto's hand, warm and cold at the same time. To her delight, Naoto reciprocated, interlocking their fingers while placing her other hand on top of Rise's.
"If I'm being honest," she sighed, "This is actually an extension of my gift to you yesterday. P-part two of three, actually. Open it!"
Rise complied, opening the lid of the box to find yet another bracelet in it, seemingly identical to the one she was wearing. She put two and two together as she took the bracelet out and admired the tiny trinket, a red and white band made of silicone with the kanji for Rise's name spelled on the front.
"Yuh-you made one for you, too!?" she asked, squealing in delight as Naoto nodded gently.
"I felt it was only fair."
With that, Naoto pulled up her sleeve a bit, exposing the pale skin around her wrist. As always, Rise found her ethereal skin beautiful, and wasted zero time in taking the bracelet and gently attaching it to Naoto. She did go a little slower as she clasped the ends together, admiring Naoto's skin and caressing the bony part of her wrist with her thumb, electricity stirring throughout her body. There was a familiar shiver but Naoto didn't pull away while she finished.
Rise was feeling tears come on and wanted to say something but Naoto interrupted her. "There are things - words, emotions, moments - that I want to share only with you. I wish I had a better way to describe it, but...I-I realize that you'll never truly be alone when you're back performing, but I want you to always know that wherever you may be and wherever I may be, we'll know we can find each other again."
She held up her wrist to illustrate the point. "I-I don't know a lot about love, but it seems fragile...Maybe that isn't correct, either. I only know for sure that it's a mystery I won't solve anytime soon. I-in any case, I want you to know that my heart only belongs to you, and every day, every second that I get to spend with you is a priceless treasure. Again, I wish I had the words to describe what it feels like to look into your eyes, or hear you say my name with your voice, or...o-or touch you," she stuttered, looking away and turning deeply red, "So I-I hope this suffices."
Tears were already streaming down Rise's face midway through Naoto's speech, but the end made her quickly reach for the detective's head and pull it down, letting Naoto rest on her chest as she nuzzled the top of her thick blue hair. Rise wanted badly to place delicate kisses all along Naoto's face, to feel her back and small waist pressed up against her, but she also didn't want to risk going further than she already had. Still, she pulled herself closer and lost herself in the familiar earthy scent of Naoto's cologne.
"Th-thank you, Nao-chan," she whimpered. "I luh-love it so much...I love you so much! And I love you juh-just the way you are, so anything you do is perfect, okay? Ruh-really! You're my little Detective Prince, always!" Rise knew that hearing Naoto be so open with her feelings was like seeing a unicorn; if she could have bottled up the moment she would have. The dread of mistreating her or feeling unwanted seemed to vanish as quickly as Santa Clause on one of his millions of stops during the night. Even if they just stayed in their current position, Rise would have said it was the best day ever...Or at least top three.
She heard Naoto chortle a bit, which made her happy. If anything, Naoto was bad at hiding her discomfort, so a laugh was like music to Rise's ears. After another minute or so she felt Naoto pull herself up, once again staring into her eyes. If Rise was standing, she was sure her knees would have felt weak.
"There's, ah, one more part," Naoto said quietly. Rise remembered that she had said the bracelet was part two of three. What more could there possibly be , she wondered.
"Y-yeah? Puh-lease don't tell me you got me more sweets, if I gain any weight over Christmas break, Inoue-san will kill me!" she joked, wiping away some of her tears. Naoto didn't laugh - no, she looked quite serious indeed. Or...nervous?
Without warning, Naoto leaned forward, her hands settling on Rise's shoulders as she leaned in and peppered Rise's upper lip with a chaste, blink-and-you-missed-it kiss. It all happened so quick Rise didn't know whether to scream or to cry again, and settled for stunned silence instead. Naoto immediately shrunk back to the other side of the couch, as far away as she could get. She crossed her arms and looked to the side, as if the sight of Rise might make her melt.
"S-s-sorry, I...Oh, what was I thinking…"
Rise's mind was almost totally blank, and she could see flashes of white as she struggled to regain her composure. Was this what it was like to see stars? Her girlfriend, the most beautiful person in the whole world to her, had just kissed her. It was like she had her essence absorbed or something, and Rise felt like she needed to lie down and recharge her batteries.
This deserved payback .
"G-gee, Nao-chan," Rise stammered, placing a cold on hand on her lips just where Naoto's had been, "Never figured you to give up on a mystery so easy…"
Naoto looked up, eyes wide and confused. "H- huh!?"
The trap was set, and her prey was unaware. Rise pounced, cornering Naoto against the arm of the couch and wrapping her arms around the girl's torso, pinning her arms a bit. "Don't worry, I'll help you solve it!"
The cold ceased to be an issue; Rise had a feeling she was going to be glowing with warmth for the rest of the day.