Loud rustlings fill the hall and the room as Akari twinges along the floor. Her movement is such a loud ruckus, yet her mother laying beside her does not notice. Despite her body searching for relieving positions to settle the discomfort, her eyes are fixated on the ceiling above. She cannot determine whether the summer heat is keeping her awake, or the recurring thought of the heated interaction that had occurred merely minutes ago.
Her pulse still rages through her body at recalling the wonder that was their kiss. She cannot believe how involved she became during the heat of the moment, and that it seemed that Haruto had actually responded in kind. She can swear that she felt his own tongue participating with hers; so soft, smooth, passionate... Her legs shuffle against each other in an attempt to calm the coiling warmth at her core. Without a doubt, she is well-aroused just thinking about Haruto.
Akari leans herself up using her elbows as support. Her eyes close as her breathing begins to labor. Her imagination of Haruto undressing before her ravages her vision: his hair ruffles as his head sneaks through the collar of his shirt as he pulls it off; his revealed abdomen cringes inward as if to adjust to a sudden change in temperature, emphasizing the unexpected sharp tone of his abdominal; his pectorals tighten inward as the hem of the shirt is forced over the crown of his head, providing some aspect to how much training Haruto places towards physical endurance; his broad shoulders raise and fall gently with the calmed breathing of his body; his shining greys glance up towards her as he graces her with a smile. The glisten in his eyes emit the overwhelming feeling of lust, as if physically undressing her from afar. He begins to take strides of steps towards her while cradling the hinges of the shorts he wore from tonight. Slowly, he began to slip his hand into the openings, patiently sliding the shorts down. Inches worth of skin became exposed to her as he progresses downward, getting so close to his crotch. Her mind is unable to process the unexpected pale tint of his revealed skin, for it is jumping ahead to see his...
Somewhere during the envision, her left hand slithers past the hem of her shirt, making its way through an opening in her shorts. The reeling touch arouses her sensitivity to higher levels, fooling herself into thinking of Haruto traversing through her clothing. Short mewling escapes her muffled mouth as she gains close to her womanhood, her legs desperately jostling around to relinquish small portions of the stimulation. Before she was able to touch herself, she mentally reemerges into reality and pulls away to pace herself. Her hand withdraws up to rub against her face layered by sweat.
"Urgh, there is no helping it." Akari cannot decipher between whether she is wiping off sweat or tears. It is clear though that she is absolutely in love with him, now reenacting provocative experiences of him. She cannot confront him about these issues for he needs to focus on reconnecting with the forlorn case that is Eba. She can easily choose to hate Eba for selfishly taking away her chance to become romantically involved with Haruto, but knows that she is not doing it with intent. Haruto is the type of person to never abandon a single person; to one-sidedly assist a person in dire need, even in minimal risk. Eba is this person that Haruto desperately wants to save.
Though it is an idiotic approach to living and will cause much suffering to Haruto later on, Akari cannot refuse herself from admiring him for it; he is a perfect example of a 'knight in shining armor' for the ideal 'damsel in distress.' She remembers that she even had instances of dreaming that she is in such a situation, and Haruto overcomes all odds to rescue her. Amusingly, she would grant her hero a "reward" in the dreams, ranging from a simple kiss to very intimate exchanges. She blushes at the very thought as she looks over to the shoji leading towards the porch. A smile occupies her face though her mind is crying a thousand year's worth of remorse.
If only Haruto would come to save me right now...
Akari manages to stand up with the utmost silence to prevent waking her mother. Her body is in dire need of fresh air after the explicit inheat. Her mind hopes that Haruto is not out there anymore; he should not see her in such a vulnerable state, though she really wants to avoid the possibility of her sexual instincts abruptly attacking him to satisfy her secluded desires. The quick slide of the shoji allows a wonderful gust of air to sweep pass her figure; so refreshing to her overheated body. She quickly walks past the shoji and shuts it behind her in silence.
Standing on the edge of the porch, she stretches her arms to the side to comfort her fatigue. "Ah... Much better," she whispers out as she continues to indulge in the sensational feeling. She doesn't realize that she has begun to walk down the porch towards where she departed from Haruto, as if she unwillingly needs to see him once more. She only manages to cover a meter's distance before stopping. In front of her, in the same exact spot, is Haruto slouching in his demeanor looking out to the garden.
Her breathing immediately hastens, her heartbeat's flutter accelerates to painstaking heights that brings her hand up to support it, her legs beginning to tremble. Haruto is still there. Her mind is repeating the notion to retreat from there before he notices her, yet her body insists to go to him like sabotage. She remains at her stance for what seems to be minutes, struggling to calm herself.
I need him. I need him. I need his comfort. I need to tell him that... I love him.
Her mind utterly shatters the moment Haruto happens to shift his sight over to her. She is even surprised that he twitches in place upon seeing her, quick to adjust his glance back to his previous sight, his hands staggering on his lap. Even more surprising is that it seems that his face is much more flushed than normal, even back at their particular moment. This causes her own face to brighten even further.
Haruto's breathing quickens to irrational extents, his palms moisten with the nervousness that wracks his mind. His glare tries to remain steady on the landscape in front of him, yet it sneaks at quick intervals over at Akari standing a few meters away. He remained outside instead of retiring to bed to try calming his rationale from going overboard. His recent self-questioning provided regretful facts that he wished to keep unaware. However, there is no way to keep those hidden for long, especially with her standing at a short distance. It is certain that he has some distinct feelings towards her, yet he cannot exploit such. It will be harmful to himself, her, and his retired-but-still-acknowledged girlfriend Eba. This is something that is utmost forbidden for him to indulge.
However, this conviction is short-lived as he notices from the corner of his eye that Akari began moving. She is not moving away as he hoped, but rather moving towards him. Her patient steps contradict the rapid beats pulsing from his chest, confusing the accurate distance between them. He tries to not rely on his sight for he knows that his current disposition will reveal it all.
Several meters distance the two. His quaking heart disrupts all thought that occupies his mind.
A meter distances the two. Her heart pains her chest more than the disapproving thoughts that ravage her conscious.
The two are within each other's grasp, several centimeters apart. Akari stands to his back on the left while Haruto still staring at the backyard.
The cicadas dominate the sound of the night. Their location must not have been too far off. The two share the awkward moment filled with appropriate accompaniment, each trying their best not to engage one another in visual contact. The two wonder if the other could hear the raging throbs of their heart. Haruto's hands drop to his sides, embracing the wooden planks below. Akari's stare adjusts to his moving hands, once again imagining the feel of them. Akari clears up the clog in her throat with a purposefully loud cough, exciting Haruto who twitches.
"...Couldn't get any sleep either?" She tries to jest with a weak voice trying to regain its former strength. He is able to understand such as he nods his head.
"Y-Yeah, it is too hot to try and get some sleep." Haruto registers a soft laugh from Akari with an acknowledging chuckle to express her agreement. Even with such a small opening, the two are unable to provoke further conversation. The silence continues as neither are willing to move. Akari is the first to break the sequence as she walks forward and plummets down to sit beside Haruto. His hand flinching back before settling back at its original location... which was close to her hand's new location.
She musters enough courage to look over at Haruto, who in turn moves his head towards her. Though blushing furiously, she smiles at him. "You know what, sleep is overrated. I think I can survive staying awake through one night." Her glance moves down to notice the inseparable distance between the two hands. She is the first to take the initiative, creeping towards his hand.
"Haa... Must say I feel the same way." His sight follows hers. His heart aches noticing her slithering motion towards him, a small smile inconveniencing his face. Without any need for thought, his hand moves in response to hers.
A centimeter separates the two. The two opposing fingers crawl towards one another in timid want to merge. The two can only summon enough courage to look at the development taking place between them, not even daring to look each other in the face.
Mere millimeters divides them. The feel of skin is so impeding that it seems like they have already linked. Warmth radiates from their hands, yet continue to reach farther for more. Akari sneaks a glance over to Haruto's face as she takes in a deep breath. Haruto tugs his head to the side as he peeks towards Akari, studying her wavering composure before closing his eyes in attempt to back out of the development. However, his body refuses to follow.
It is a slight brush that confirms their contact, fingers rubbing in desire to verify the distinct feel of the other. It only took a few strokes to provoke Akari to raise her hand above Haruto's, cradling it with minuscule sways. By instinct, he slips her fingers in-between his and clamps them close, as if it is just in this situation to indulge in their natural yearn for comfort. Despite his mindset to avoid becoming too involved, a smile cracks through his frown as he stares out into the garden.