The second thing that Chisato noticed when she woke up was the light beginning to leak into the room from behind the curtains. The sliver of light that found its way past the curtains shined directly into Chisato's eyes, nearly blinding her. She guessed that that was what woke her up.
Of course, the first thing that she noticed was the fact that her arms were still very much wrapped tightly around Takina's waist.
"Takina? Are you awake?"
After whispering into her ear and not receiving a response, a grin began to generate on Chisato's face as she nuzzled her face against the base of Takina's neck.
"Mm…"
After a few moments, however, Chisato felt a slight twitch from Takina before pulling back and taking a good, long look at her from behind. That's when Chisato noticed that Takina's ears had gone bright red.
"So, you were awake."
The 2 of them were silent for a few moments, Chisato smiling as she waited for a response. Eventually, Takina simply pulled herself out of bed and looked down at Chisato, extending her hand towards her.
"Time to get up for the day."
"Don't wanna."
Takina sighed as Chisato pulled the covers up past her nose.
"C'mon. Didn' you say that you had plans today?"
"Oh, yeah, right!"
Chisato tossed aside the covers, taking Takina's hand as she pulled herself up and out of bed.
"So, who's turn is it to cook today, Takina? Wanna play rock, paper, scissors to decide?"
Takina shook her head.
"I was thinking that we could make something together?"
Excitement began to brew in Chisato as she nodded along.
"Sounds good to me!"
###
After eating and getting changed, the 2 of them left the house and began walking through some of the more urban areas of Hawaii.
"So, where are we headed for?"
Chisato's only response was to turn around and give a cheeky grin, saying:
"Not telling~"
Takina slightly regretted her decision to stay silent when they went to the aquarium.
"Meanie."
This reaction only served to put a smile on Chisato's face as the spring in her step got even more pronounced.
"Takina, if you're gonna act all cute like that…"
Without missing a beat, Chisato snatched Takina's hand right from inside the pocket of her dress.
"...then I'll have no choice but to attack."
Takina elected not to mention how red she'd gone, instead simply pulling their hands out of her pocket.
"Hm? What's wrong, Takina?~ Was my maidenly skin too perfect for you?"
Ok. Well, that merited a response.
"You wish. I was just trying to get your hand out of my clothes."
"Kyaa~ Takina's going tsundere on me~"
Takina wasn't sure what exactly was fueling Chisato's even-stronger-than-usual playful energy, and she wasn't sure if she loved it or hated it, but she felt as though there was only one thing to do in this situation.
"But, yeah. We should totally cook breakfast together more often. Like, that was super fun, so- mmph!"
The feeling of Takina's lips on hers wasn't unfamiliar to Chisato, nor was it unwelcome. In the moment it took to process, Chisato almost instinctively wrapped her free hand around Takina's shoulders. Pulling her in close, she began prodding her tongues against Takina's lips and was just about to begin toying with her tongue when-
"No!"
Chisato blinked twice, slightly surprised when Takina pushed her away, covering her mouth. Immediately, Chisato's mind began to race and she felt a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I thought since, y'know, with yesterday, you'd be comfortable, but-"
"That's not it!"
Looking at Takina now, Chisato noted the redness in Takina's cheeks and the renewed softness in her tone.
"I-its just that we're in public, so…"
Well, this was quite the turn of events. Taking Takina's hand, Chisato was almost scared to ask, but as she brought Takina's hand to her lips, Chisato whispered into Takina's hand:
"So, if we were at home, then…"
Just as Chisato was about to start wishing that she was home, however, something else caught her eye, causing Takina to lurch forward when Chisato stopped in her tracks
"Oh! We're here!"
Takina raised an eyebrow at this building.
"Isn't this the same place where we went clothes shopping?"
Chisato rolled her eyes.
"How could I forget when that dress you bought is the only thing you wear outside of work?"
"If you're not counting work, then we've only been out of the house once.."
"Which means that you've worn it 100 percent of the time. In any case, the reason we're here is far more important than plain old clothes shopping! We're here…"
Chisato paused for dramatic effect, letting go of Takina's hand and running out in front of her, doing a curtsey as she said:
"...for swimsuit shopping!"
Chisato looked to try to gauge Takina's reaction, but the only thing she saw was a blank stare on her face.
"Takina? Hello? Are you there- woah!"
Chisato swiftly caught Takina who, thankfully, appeared to be alive.
"Takina? You alright? Did you faint or did your legs just give out from how perfect and cute I looked just now?"
Takina feigned unconsciousness, but the colour of her face gave her away. This was a fact that Chisato did not hesitate to exploit.
"Well, I guess that I'll just have to kiss you awake, Takina-chan!"
Whether she really wanted a kiss or was just calling Chisato's bluff, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't going to matter because moments after Chisato pressed her lips up against Takina's, Takina sat up in Chisato's arms.
"Hello, there-"
Both of them were quite taken aback by how close their faces were. Takina slowly got to her own feet, simply stating:
"We should go shopping now."
"R-right! Shopping!"
And with that, the 2 of them headed inside.
###
We're already here, but…
Chisato wasn't completely immune to shame or embarrassment. Upon entering the swimsuit section, she blushed whenever she laid eyes on a particularly stimulating outfit as she would begin picturing Takina wearing that attire only to shake the thought out of her mind before spotting another racy article of clothing, wash, rinse, repeat. She'd hoped that Takina would at least be as embarrassed as her or even more, but, well…
"How does this one look, Chisato? Or how about this one? Or this one?"
…those hopes were dashed when Takina turned into a virtual bulldozer.
"Um… that one's fine."
Chisato pointed at a blue one piece that Takina held, prompting her to head over to the nearest changeroom to try it on. Chisato stood outside of it, tapping her foot impatiently.
Geez… How's she staying this composed? I just panicked and picked one on a whim…
"I'm done, Chisato."
Chisato hesitantly turned around, almost unable to open her eyes, but when she did, the first thing that she noticed was:
"Where'd you get that scar?"
"Oh, this?"
Chisato bent forwards, staring at the long scar that ran down Takina's shoulder, not realizing that she was unconsciously reaching towards it until the last moment. She jolted backwards, looking up at Takina with an apologetic smile.
"Ah, sorry."
"What for?"
Takina traced Chisato's line of sight from her eyes to Takina's own shoulder before putting two and two together.
"You can touch it if you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Go ahead."
Almost as if afraid of damaging her skin, Chisato rested her fingers on the scar, her fingertips barely grazing Takina's skin as she ran them down the length of skin that it covered. Her voice lowered to almost a whisper as her face rested inches away from Takina's ear.
"You sure you don't want to cover it? I'm sure we can find a swimsuit that goes over the shoulders-"
"Why would I want to cover it?"
The volume and strength of Takina's voice startled Chisato, causing her to flinch momentarily before recovering and returning to running her fingers up and down the scar as she talked.
"Well, I just thought that… Something like this wouldn't be something you'd normally show to people, right?"
Takina shrugged, causing Chisato to lurch back right before the shoulder made contact with her nose.
"You alright?"
The second adrenaline rush in less than a minute seemed to knock Chisato back to her senses.
"Yep! Never better."
Or back out of her senses, depending on how you look at it. Either way, Takina decided that she wanted to give a response.
"I got this scar from saving your life, so it's not something I'd want to hide. I guess you could say…"
Takina paused, debating whether or not to continue before turning away and saying:
"I guess you could say that it's a symbol of my love for you."
…
The 2 of them shuffled on the spot for a few moments, turning red as they did before Chisato broke the silence.
"B-by the way, I couldn't find an opportunity to say this, but that swimsuit looks good on you."
"You think? T-thanks. I'll try on this one now."
If Chisato thought that she was going to be free from embarrassment, she was dead wrong as she noticed that the swimsuit in Takina's hand wasn't another one piece, no, no, no.
She's seriously pulling out a bikini right now…
Chisato was having trouble staying still, shuffling on the spot in anticipation. Knowing Takina, though, she figured that she wouldn't have to wait long for her to finish, and lo and behold:
"Come on in."
"Eh?"
"It's a little embarrassing to be out there right now…"
Chisato gulped, holding and rubbing her own hands together in an effort to soothe herself.
"Sorry to intrude…"
For once in her life, Chisato had no idea what to say other than that purple was definitely Takina's colour. A part of her almost wanted to chastise Takina for dressing like this in a public setting yet another part of her never wanted this moment to end so that she could keep on looking, and looking, and never stop-
"I-I know that I asked you to come in, but do you have to stare that hard?"
Ah. Right. Chisato looked off to the right, praying that Takina didn't notice how red her face had gotten. Then again, Takina had also probably gone the colour of a fire engine, but I digress.
"S-sorry."
"It's no problem, just… How do I look?"
Again, Chisato was speechless. It was as if she could go on for days, preaching to the heavens of the beauty of the girl standing across from her and how perfect that purple bikini looked on her, but for some reason, whether it be due to embarrassment or otherwise, no words came out besides:
"You look… perfect."
"Oh…"
Indeed, Takina's face had gone from a fireplace to a wildfire in terms of how hot it was, and when Chisato said that, she was pretty sure that her brain had started to short-circuit from sensory overload. She merely gave a nod before grabbing her dress, saying:
"I… guess I'll buy it then."
The 2 of them stood in the room in silence for a bit longer, neither of them daring to break it until Takina managed to get out:
"C-can you let me change now, Chisato?"
"Ah, right! I-I'll be grabbing some swimsuits for myself, so you just wait here, ok?"
"Ok."
And with that, Chisato exited the change room, debating whether she should do everything within her power to purge her memory or if she should burn this into the back of her brain.
###
"You can come in now."
Takina had done an unimaginable amount of things in her short life. She'd stopped terrorists, saved lives, hip-fired a machine gun into a room without so much as scratching a hostage. Due to all of this, one would think that Takina would be the picture of composure upon entering this room.
"H-hello there, Chisato…"
But one would be dead wrong! Her legs are shaking so bad that she can hardly stand, she's looking about as far away from Chisato as she can, and don't even get me started on the colour of her face!
As for Chisato, she was initially embarrassed, but after seeing Takina's lack of composure, she immediately went on the offensive.
"So, how do I look, Takina?"
"Um… You look great…"
"Oh? I didn't realize how much I resembled the corner of a changeroom."
Peeling her eyes from the corner of the changeroom to the floor, Takina's voice went from on the verge of breaking to an annoyed mumble.
"Shut up."
"Come on! Just look at me, Takina!"
"I…"
Slowly, Takina raised her gaze, cautiously reopening her eyes. The changeroom was exposed, Takina realized, what with the harsh fluorescent light beating down on the 2 of them. The atmosphere was claustrophobic, there being little to no room to move around, but the bare walls and presence of the love of her life right in front of her became too much to ignore.
Takina took a quick glance in front of her, immediately taking note of the amount of exposed skin that Chisato had.
"Um… You look good, but this is a little, uh…"
Takina put her hand over her mouth, mumbling out:
"It's a little too stimulating…"
Chisato gave Takina a curious look before a sheepish expression appeared on her face.
"Ah. Um… sorry. I probably should've had you pick, huh Takina?"
"It's not your fault it's just…"
Takina took a deep breath before saying:
"If I looked at you for more than a second, I don't think I could stop…"
It was as if someone had taken an arrow and shot it straight through Chisato's heart, but in her defense, whose heart wouldn't burst at this kind of proclamation?
"Well, just so you know, Takina…"
Takina froze as she felt Chisato place her hands on her cheeks, directing her gaze straight at her face. She had a soft smile, not like the one that she wore when she was teasing. Rather, it looked as though not a word coming out of Chisato's mouth would have an ounce of dishonesty as she said:
"...We have all the time in the world, so don't worry about causing me trouble. You can just keep your eyes on me, ok?"
Takina could barely breath as her gaze flit between Chisato's face and her chest, unable to say a single word besides:
"Ok…"
That's when Chisato felt something off. Over the course of the past few seconds, Takina had been getting less and less red until her face began to lose colour at an alarming rate. Chisato let go of Takina's face, growing more worried by the second.
"Takina? Are you ok-"
And then, just like that, all the blood that had previously pooled in Takina's face came rushing out of her nose, almost flooding Chisato's lap as Chisato swiftly caught her before she could collapse.
###
"Hgnh…"
When Takina came to, the first thing she noticed was the gentle pressure and tissue being applied to her nose. The second thing she noticed was that her seat was unusually soft. Once she grabbed it, however, she noticed the third thing since she'd awoken, namely, the fact that this was not a chair.
"Um… good morning? Or, uh, I guess, goodnight?"
It was Chisato's thigh.
"Gah!"
Taking stood up, realizing that they were now back at home at the kitchen table. Had Chisato carried her all the way here?
"I'm so sorry, I'd just woken up and I wasn't thinking and-"
"Don't sweat it. Honest."
Taking note of the pink tinge on Chisato's face (though Takina's own face was probably at least 5 shades deeper), Takina put her hand to her nose, wiping it.
"There's no more blood."
"All thanks to yours truly~"
Even when nursing Takina, Chisato never failed to find new ways to annoy her in the most adorable ways imaginable. I mean, were those jazz hands really necessary?
"Anyways, it's about time for lunch, Takina. I'll cook, so you can just rest up."
"But I-"
"No buts! They don't call me the greatest chef in Japan for nothing!"
"They don't call you that and we're in America."
"You get the point! Just head to your futon and let the witch work her magic."
As Takina walked back to the futon, though, a sense of unease began to well in the back of her mind. She'd passed out, but all in all, Chisato seemed to be mostly unaffected by all of this. Did Takina really have that little of an effect on her? But if she was affected and did see Takina in that way, that was also a little scary. Takina felt like the second would be preferable, but that brought up a new question:
Did Chisato want to… y'know… do it? And if she did, when would it happen? And was Takina ready? Takina definitely didn't feel ready, especially since the mere sight of Chisato in a bikini was enough to make her pass out, but what if Chisato insisted?
Would I just go along with it to prevent her from leaving?
"Oi, Takina! Lunch is ready!"
"Eh? That fast?"
The door to the room burst open as Chisato hauled Takina off, dragging her by the arm.
"Weren't you going to let me rest? And again, how'd you cook it that fast?"
"Your body needs calories for energy and as for your second question, I just heated up some leftovers from this morning."
"So much for 'greatest chef in Japan'."
"Hey! Even the greatest chef in the world enjoys cup ramen every now and then!"
And as a giggle escaped her lips, Takina decided that she could worry about that another time.