Steal my heart

As soon as your feet touch the sand of the beach, you're received by the soft breeze of the sea swinging your hair in the air while weak water drops collide against your pale skin, refreshing it after a long and tiring trip in bus. You close your eyes, enjoying the scent of the marine breeze and the sun against your skin when a sudden gust of wind blows strongly, sending your hat to fly away. You barely have time to go and search for it when a silhouette place themselves in front of you, eclipsing the sun and puts your hat back on your head to protect you from the sunrays. You're about to thank to that person when you see her cheeky smile.

- Be careful or your ideas will overheat – she says sarcastically, laughing at you and bothering you as always.

Of course it had to be that idiot who found the hat and came to bother you instead of giving it back to you like a normal person would. Of course it had to be her.

For a moment, you thought you'd be lucky enough to be free of her on holidays but what do you expect, if in the end and after all, this is a school trip of all the second years' classes. But even if you don't want to admit it, even if her mere presence bothers you, part of you is actually delighted that Natsuki is here too.

Natsuki sticks out her tongue at you and runs towards the water and you can't help but compare her with the marine breeze, sweet at the same time as salty… then you close your eyes again, inhaling deeply the soothing scent of the sea to calm down and look up at the sky, clamoring for patience while you hear Mizore's shy giggling by your side.

Natsuki's laugh still lingers in the air bringing peace with it and a soft smile upon your face. Sometimes you envy her freedom, it makes you wish you could be as carefree as she is. It's something that sometimes pisses you off but you have to admit that her freedom and her serenity among other things, are something you admire and adore of her although you won't admit that out loud and especially not to her.

You're so absorbed in your own thoughts, thinking about Natsuki's laugh and how she brings peace to your heart somehow and sometimes, that you don't realize she came back to drag you to the seashore, splashing you with the water while she laughs and sticks out her tongue at you teasingly. You want to yell at her for wetting you but your words get stuck in your throat when you see her wide smile and playful wink… in that moment, you can't help but find her beautiful and feel your heart fluttering at the sight of her happy smile but if she wants war, she'll have one...

And just like that, unintentionally, both of you start a water war to see which one ends more soaked. Every splash takes away each one of your doubts about this trip and about Natsuki, wanting nothing more than to enjoy and take advantage of these holidays together to get to know her more and get along with her for real, not wanting to spend all the time bickering.

Back in your hotel room, you think about it and about Natsuki and can't help but feel a stabbing pain in your chest. You aren't sure when it was but slowly and steadily, Natsuki started making room in your heart, accommodating herself in it with no effort… why do you always have to like people who you don't have any possibility with? First Kaori, now Natsuki…

You sigh and shake your head, trying to think in other things while unpacking your suitcase.

When the night falls, you take advantage of it to go for a walk along the seashore and sit on the sand to admire the stars. Abruptly, the wind starts to blow and you damn yourself for not have bring a jacket with you to cover and shelter yourself from the chilly wind. You're still regretting not bringing one with you when you suddenly feel a clothe fabric surrounding your shoulders, sheltering you from the chilly wind. You look at to your side to find Natsuki sitting next to you.

- I'm not going to thank you – you murmur, looking to other side.

- You're welcome – she says laughing. She's so insufferable…

And just like that, both of you stay in silence for a while, watching the sea waves and the starry sky.

- It's breathtaking, isn't it? – says Natsuki softly in a bare whisper while still gazing up at the starry sky.

- It is – you agree with her, losing yourself in the way in which the stars and the reflection of the sea dimly illuminate her skin and make the amethyst of her eyes stands out.

You wrap her jacket around yourself tighter, hugging yourself with it and smell her fruity fragrance, intoxicating you with it at the same time you feel her warmth as if her arms were the ones sheltering you from the coldness and her body was the one providing you of the warmth and not her jacket like in reality is and something in your chest starts to hurt, making you wish it was her who was the one doing it and not her stupid jacket.

You really wish to be snuggled up in her arms, enjoying peacefully the stars… so you close your eyes hoping the stars can concede you that so desired wish soon.

Slowly, you feel a tear falling down your face, making you to subtly wipe it away with the back of your hand, turning away your gaze from the beautiful sight of her shining profile.

You get up, shaking the sand off your clothes, noticing how she follows your moves with her gaze while you throw her jacket back to her, almost throwing it to the sand and you start to walk back to the hotel without a word.

You know it's not fair to treat her like that but you're so scared of what you feel for her, what she makes you feel being so close to you and without both of you fighting that you can't help but to try to push her away and be ready to run away scared at any minute because of it.

You hear her steps making the sand of the beach crunch under her weight and you know she's following you, making you feel a little bit better, thinking she might not have got mad because of it.

As soon as you two enter back in the hotel, she diverts.

- I'm going to get something – she says disappearing without further ado.

You're curious about knowing where she's going this late at the night but you're also grateful to be able to go back to your hotel room alone, not really knowing how you could act and be with her after what you did some minutes ago.

You're about to open your door room when you hear some rushed steps and her voice calling your name from the end of the hallway, making you to stop your actions and turn around to look at her, waiting for her to come at where you are.

- Yuuko! Here! – she yells at you while she throws you something you can't quite discern what it is.

You barely have time to catch it and protest to her for throwing it to you when you already see her entering into her room, not before winking at you and closing the door behind her, leaving you standing foolishly confused and alone in the middle of the hallway.

You look down at your hands to see a small can of soft drink of your favorite savor, making you blush and smile shyly at her little detail, entering in your room so nobody can see you smile and being careful to not wake Mizore up. You leave the soft drink in your night stand and go to sleep with a little smile on your face, still smelling to Natsuki and your heart a little less aching.

Next morning, you wake up with a wide smile on your face, seeing the can dominating your night stand and remembering the previous night, feeling your heart warming up at it. You shake your head and wake Mizore up to go to have breakfast together.

When both of you get to the cafeteria, Nozomi and Natsuki are already there, reserving you two a place in their table and standing out to all the morning guests as they signal you two where to sit. They're so alike sometimes and embarrassing, especially embarrassing…

You look down, trying to hide your embarrassment behind your bangs and advance to the table, getting some food on the way and sit next to Natsuki, gaining some teases from her. She really enjoys to bother you and make you flush of embarrassment since the first thing in the morning.

After you all ended your breakfast, you decided to go to the beach to rest and have fun for a little while. You find yourself applying on you some sun cream, looking at where Mizore has went when you notice Natsuki approaching to you, moving her hips in a very entrancing way, hypnotizing you and without letting you say anything, she takes the sun cream off your hands and starts applying it to you along your back.

- My, my, don't tell me you were waiting for me – she says teasingly, pissing you off.

You try to move but she keeps you in your position, lightly kissing you behind your ear, making you blush nervously while she laughs.

- Sorry, sorry, no more teases, I promise – she whispers against your ear, leaving a tiny kiss on your earlobe, making your heart skip a beat and sending shivers all over your body while still laughing and runs away to the water before you can do anything to her. That cheeky little demon...

You're still trying to calm your heart down but decide to not go after her, instead, you rest over the sun bed and put your sunglasses on, staring at Natsuki discreetly while she plays in the water with Nozomi. You're still kind of upset at her but you can't help but find yourself getting lost while admiring the way her bikini fits on her, her perfect and toned body getting tanned, her shiny eyes and wide smile enjoying her surroundings… she's so mesmerizing.

When it's time to rest, Mizore and you decide to split up some watermelon to eat it and call the girls. As Natsuki gets closer, you get lost again admiring and following the little travel the water drops do along her body, biting your lip to contain your outgrowing desire for her and her perfect body…

You're so absorbed in the trip of the water drops along her body that you fail to notice a beach ball going towards you until it's almost in your face, frightening you and making you drop your watermelon slice to the sand before Natsuki's hand stops the ball. You look down at the sand to see your watermelon slice partly buried in it and you already know it's completely lost when suddenly, you see a slice of watermelon similar to yours appearing in front of you and look up to see Natsuki giving you hers.

- Here, take mine – she says softly and your heart skips a beat while you start to blush, accepting it and looking away, murmuring a weak thank you to her.

You take it and split it up by the middle, feeling guilty because if not she wouldn't eat any.

- It's too much for myself – you lie to her and look away, eating your watermelon slice while trying to dissimulate your blushing, not wanting to see the way Natsuki is looking at you and the knowing smile she wears in this instant, if you do, if you see her, you know you won't stop staring at her at all.

That same night, you decide to go out for a walk again to get your mind off and end meeting her again in the seashore of the beach, almost in the same spot as the previous night.

She looks at you out of the corner of her eye and gives you a cheeky smile, you push her in return yet keep walking next to her under the starry sky. You know it's a coincidence but oh what a wonderful one, it really makes you smile at the coincidence, delighted of being able to walk next to her.

Unexpectedly, you feel her nudging you with her elbow, making you to look at her grumpily.

- You don't want my jacket today too? – she says teasingly, winking at you and you can only snort and roll your eyes at her words, lifting your head haughtiness.

- And smell like you? No thank you – you answer to her ironically while walking a little bit faster, overtaking her, hearing her laugh in the background.

Even though tonight you did bring your own jacket with you because of the chilly air, you wouldn't mind to use hers again and be able to smell her fruity fragrance and intoxicate yourself with it, making you feel her warmth wrapping you up completely…

Her laugh keep filling your ears, making your heart flutter at the sound of it and beat wildly when you sense a light tug in your arm, seeing how she intertwines your arms together and her body moves closer to yours while walking. A blush quickly makes its appearance on your face.

- Idiot – you murmur softly to her, making her laugh more as your heart beats faster.

She keeps walking in her own world, dragging you with her and gazing up to the sky. Seeing her so focused while gazing up at the stars it's hypnotizing and beautiful at the same time, you could admit that it's slowly becoming your favorite sight and hobby.

Reluctantly and with the excuse of the wind, you snuggle more against her arm and body, enjoying her warmth and fragrance as you close your eyes with the perfection of this moment.

At the time you come back to your room in complete silence and your head touches the pillow, you can't help but smile and feel your heart beating faster and wildly, feeling like it's about to burst with happiness, remembering with all detail how magic has been the walk and be with her. Nights are slowly becoming your favorite time of the day.

Next morning, all of you go to the beach again although you decide to explore it for a while with Mizore whilst the rest enjoy the sun and the sea. In your exploration, you two find a perfect rock to take pictures of the sea and the horizon but when you're about to go down back to the sand, something catches your eye so you get close to take a look of it, finding a beautiful little stone of purple color which reminds you of Natsuki's eyes so you take it with you.

As you're going down the rock, you slip, falling into the water. Your body hits hard the water yet your hand keeps holding tightly the little stone in it, not letting it go in any moment. You try to swim but the wound that has already formed in your leg prevents you from moving due to the pain and the blood getting out of it. Slowly, you feel your lungs burn by the lack of oxygen, you feel yourself drowning and your body becoming weak when suddenly a pair of arms surround your waist, propelling you to the surface and a pair of lips place themselves on yours to give you oxygen.

Once your head it's out of the water, you gaze into Natsuki's eyes, holding onto her tightly while you push the water out of your lungs. You feel her arms tighten around your body and somebody else helping her, probably Nozomi, to get you out of the water and take you to the seashore, helping you to sit over a towel that Mizore just placed on the sand while she carefully tries to clean and stop the blood emerging from your wound.

Carefully, you take a quick look at the wound, seeing the blood still getting out of it while wondering if it'll leave a scar.

- Are you okay? – asks you Natsuki, inspecting carefully the wound to which you nod with your head – Can you walk? – she asks again while you shake your head.

You note her trying to take you in her arms, making you shriek and shove her to stop dead her actions. You see her sighing heavily, pinching her nose before turning around to give you a piggy back ride.

- If you think I'm going to go back to the hotel like that, I'm not doing it – you cross your arms over your chest, informing her offended, thinking how embarrassing that would be.

She grunts and turns around slightly, offering you her hand to take it.

- Can you walk then? – she asks you patiently. Shit, you can't – That's what I thought.

You sigh and pout, motioning her to turn around so she can give you a piggy back ride. At least it's less embarrassing than taking you in her arms.

Even though, you still can't help but blush at the touch of your wet skins. Her toned arms holding you on while she starts to walk with you on her back, who would have thought she could be so strong?

You feel your heart beating wildly against your ribcage yet your body relaxing with each step she takes while you lay more over her back. You close your eyes and smile, still feeling the taste of her lips on yours, craving nothing more than to taste them again, to feel their sweetness and gentleness again. Even if it was for a brief moment, the taste of her lips was so intoxicating to the point that even though she was supposed to be giving you oxygen, she was really making difficult to help you to breathe properly…

You bite your lip at the sudden urge of her lips on yours again and end leaving a little and timid kiss at the end of her neck, like the one she left behind your ear the previous day, then rest your head against hers as you hold tighter onto her.

Part of you wants to think you're holding onto her because you feel weak and scared to fall but you know in reality it's because of the warmth, the calm and security she makes you feel.

You adore the sea smell of her skin and the firmness of her muscles under your body. You adore the silkiness of her skin and the delicate and careful way she carries you until reaching your hotel room then how slowly she leaves you onto the mattress while she goes to find something to heal you.

You see her coming back with some hydrogen peroxide and bandages and bending down, taking your leg carefully to disinfect it.

- What were you doing in that rock? – she says while passing a gauze over your wound while you grimace at the stinging sensation of the hydrogen peroxide against your wounded skin.

- I was looking and taking pictures of the landscape but uh I slipped – you tell her, not lying to her but neither telling her the entire truth nor talking about the little stone you still hold and hide in your hand.

You grimace more and see her lifting her head to give you an apologetic smile and you can't help but compare it to the rest of her smiles and add it to the list of the smiles she gives you. She has smiles for everything and every moment, from apologetic ones like the one right now to the cheeky ones, but your favorite ones are those which are the sincere the most, the ones she gives you when she thinks you aren't looking at her. You absolutely adore each one of them because they're really tender and mesmerizing... It's curious how each one of her different smiles can pretty much hypnotize and dazzled you without her even knowing about it.

You're so absorbed and dazzled by her smile, thinking about her variety of smiles that you don't realize she has already ended to disinfect and bandage your wound and is now making sure you don't have any other wound, leaving weak kisses on the zones where the wounds are to make them heal sooner, like mothers do with their kids, as she gets dangerously close to your face in her inspection.

Suddenly, you feel her intense amethyst eyes fixed on yours, piercing your soul with their intense gaze, hypnotizing you and her lips brushing yours. You feel her breath ghosting over them, making you feel nervous and frightening you, making you aware of her closeness which results in you pushing her, making her to land on her butt.

- W-What are you doing idiot?! – you exclaim surprised, although you're just confused at what almost happened and why would she do something like that, at why would she kiss you.

You see her saddened expression and looking down at the floor, scratching the back of her neck, about to say something but thinking better about it and keeping quiet about it.

- Leave – you tell her upset while you see her getting up of the floor and turning around to leave the room dejected, trying not to look at her.

- I'm sorry Yuuko – she murmurs an apology before closing the door softly behind her and you can't help but feel guilty, thinking how badly and poorly you treated her because you were scared of that almost kiss and your feelings for her.

You want to get up and run after her, grab her wrist and turn her around until she looks at you in the eyes and see what you really feel for her then hug her really tight and comfort her in your arms but you don't do anything to stop her from leaving, you just stay sit on your bed, immobile while you see her leaving your room and your heart breaking at her sad look.

Your hand ghost over your lips, still feeling the brush of her lips lingering and you start to cry hard, hugging your pillow because of the pain in your chest remembering her sad face, thinking how much you actually love her and you can't help but be scared, realizing how she slowly ended stealing your heart.

It really breaks your heart to remember how cruel you've been with her and her teary eyes while she left, to think you're always treating her badly when all she does is being by your side. Even though you two are constantly bickering, you came to realize she has always been by your side helping you, calming you, cheering you up or just simply supporting you whenever you weren't okay or didn't want anybody close.

With those small and simple details is how you slowly and completely fell in love with her but that scares you to no end, to think it won't be reciprocated like how it happened with Kaori and that thought makes you cry even harder until you end falling asleep, because deep inside, you know you want a future with her, you know you really do love her.

You barely see her for the rest of the day, something you understand even if it saddens you and makes you not want to get out of your room or even eat. You're really grateful Mizore is by your side trying to distract and comfort you although she's a little strange doing it but she manages to bring a little smile upon your face albeit she doesn't compare with the ones Natsuki is capable of bringing out of you.

That night you stay in the hotel, crying until you fall asleep, thinking about how you can fix all the disaster and damage you had caused, missing Natsuki: her teasing, her smell, her eyes but especially her smile…

Next morning, you wake up more tired than usually and wait for Mizore to change your bandage before going out to shop around the beach stands. You can't help but compare the touch of Mizore's hands with Natsuki's, the silkiness and delicateness of her hands and especially, how warm they're, unlike Mizore's cold and rough hands.

Mizore smiles at you shyly after she ends and offers you her hands to help you to get up slowly and you can't help the pain in your chest returning, feeling your heart squeeze, remembering and missing Natsuki's tender and soft smile aimed just at you.

Ahead of getting out of the room, you stop, doubting for a second before you decide to take yesterday's purple stone with you while you squeeze it against your heart strongly. Somehow it makes you feel like you're taking Natsuki with you and that makes you feel more in calm, it makes the aching in your heart to weaken.

In your investigation around the beach stands, you find one in which you ask if they can make a necklace of the little stone so you can give it to Natsuki as a gift thereby she can wear it everywhere.

And as the previous day, you barely see Natsuki, it's like she was avoiding you and with good reason after how you treated her the previous day. So when the night comes, you take advantage that Mizore is not in the room to go to Natsuki's room to apologize with the stone squeezed tightly against your heart but when you're out her room and are about to knock the door, you stop dead in your tracks, hearing Mizore's and Nozomi's laughter and change your mind, going for a walk instead, not wanting to intrude and bother them in case they're cheering up Natsuki and she's enjoying their company.

That night, the moon illuminates your walking along the beach, making the stars shine brightly and you can't help but think that you'd love Natsuki to be by your side right now to see this beautiful sight while you watch her absorbed as she gazes up the sky. You really wish you could share this moment with her.

You're about to turn around to go back to the hotel room when you see a lonely silhouette walking in the distance and instinctively you know is her. You pick up your pace despite the limp due to your wound until you reach her.

- Natsuki! – you shout her name, making her to turn around to look at whoever has called her.

You two find yourself face to face, just gazing into each other eyes, unable to say anything. Tonight she looks more gorgeous than ever with the moon illuminating her but you heart shrinks when you notice her teary eyes and you can't help but throwing yourself at her to hug her tightly.

- I'm sorry, I'm an idiot… I didn't mean to be that hard with you, nor to push you or hurt you – you tell her, embracing her more in your arms while you feel her arms wrapping you up completely and tightly and her head coming to rest on top of yours.

- It's okay, no harm done – she says calmly. You really don't deserve somebody like her, with such heart of gold…

You pull apart and gaze at her shyly, taking her one of her hands in yours to leave the necklace in it.

- Yesterday, when I was in that rock, I saw this little stone that reminded me to your eyes and I knew I had to take it but I didn't count on falling. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't tell you about it so I lied to you. I'm sorry, I was afraid… I'm still afraid of everything you make me feel so the only thing I do is unconsciously treat you badly to push you away. I'm really sorry Natsuki – you confess to her, starting to cry while looking down at the sand, unable to look at her eyes.

You hear a soft chuckle and feel her hand cupping your cheek, wiping your tears away while your faces slowly get closer, making your heart quicken up. She stops a millimeter away from you, her breath ghosting over your lips.

- I love you – she whispers softly against your lips before capturing them, melting in a tender kiss that makes your heart burst with happiness, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss while you tangle your hands in her hair at the same time she surrounds you by the waist.

After the kiss ends, you two stay embraced for a while, with your foreheads resting together and a foolish and happy smile upon your faces while staring into her eyes, getting lost in them and in their intense sparkle and you notice her amethyst eyes gaining a more vivid color than ever before.

You put the necklace around her neck and smile at each other shyly and blushing before she takes your hand and tugs of you with her.

- Come with me – she says smiling happily, tugging more of your hand while she starts to walk, dragging you with her.

Both of you walk slowly along the seashore with your fingers interlaced, feeling the sea waves wetting your feet with the moon reflected in them, giving them an even bluer tonality and you can't help but gaze at Natsuki mesmerized while she walks and gazes up the starry sky. She's perfect and watching her so happy is simply gorgeous and breathtaking at the same time. Walking by her hand is a wish come true.

You two come across a little cave where she guides you in and invites you to sit and watch the moon and the stars shining with intensity with her in tonight's starry sky. She lets go your hand and you can't help but already miss her warmth and tender touch.

All of sudden, you feel her arms and body wrapping you tightly and her head coming to rest over your shoulder, nuzzling it before leaving a soft kiss there then another on your neck, making you smile at the sweet detail and giggle at the little tickles. You sense her smiling against your skin while she interlaces your fingers together again, fitting perfectly and you look at her, pecking her before going back to gaze up at the sky together.

- I love you – you whisper softly, bringing your interlaced hands up to your lips to leave a tender kiss on them while you sense her head moving to look at you and lock her eyes with yours.

She smiles at you before stealing you a kiss that surprises you and makes her laugh. Sometimes you wonder how this sweet and tender "idiot" could have stolen your heart.

You pretend to be bothered by it, puffing your cheeks and feel her lips over yours again in another sweet kiss that makes you laugh this time too.

- I love you too – she says calmly, smiling at you fondly while she stares at your eyes. There's something about her that is hypnotizing and enchanting, she's magical but you'd be lying if you said you don't love that about her…

You smile back at her and steal her another kiss in revenge, snuggling more into her, covering yourself with her body and warmth while you two stare at the moon and stars, falling slowly asleep without caring about anything except this magical shared moment.