In her lethargic, post-sleep state, Sawako almost forgot where she was. She stared at the ceiling, and passively wondered why it looked so different from the one she was used to. She turned her head to the right, towards the window. Sunlight. There was sunlight for the first time in weeks. The clouds must have dissipated.

She turned her head to the left, and immediately remembered where she was and why she was here. To her left was Shota, sleeping on his side with his back towards her. They had started out sleeping in each other's arms, but like always, Shota's restless tossing and turning brought him to his side by morning. He always slept that way in the end.

She looked at the clock hanging on Shota's bedroom wall. It was past 11 o'clock. They needed to get up.

She watched him for a moment, allowing the soothing sounds of his breathing to wash over her. After a few minutes of this, she could take it no longer. She was up, she wasn't going back to sleep, and she wanted to do something with Shota.

She began by traipsing her fingers up and down Shota's back. She moved them as if they were a person on a morning stroll, alternating her index and middle fingers along in a walking motion.

When Shota didn't wake up, she had to try a more drastic measure. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her body close to his backside, and squeezed with all her might.

"Wake up, Shota," she said as her voice quivered with a laugh as Shota jolted awake from lack of air.

As soon as Shota was awake and realized what was going on, he squirmed and shook Sawako off. She laughed as she was flung off of him, falling off the bed from the force.

Shota looked over his shoulder to see Sawako on the floor, giggling uncontrollably. She laughed a typical Sawako laugh, quiet and yet genuine.

He made his way to Sawako's side of the bed and leaned over the edge so he could see her better. Sawako's giggly morning mood brought a smile to his face.

"If you keep doing that to me, you're going to end up strangling me one of these mornings," he said.

"It's all because you sleep so late," Sawako said between laughs.

"You know, a simple 'Good morning Shota' would work," he said, "That or shaking me until I wake up. Anything but asphyxiation!"

This made Sawako laugh even harder.

As she continued to laugh, Shota made his way over to her. She was lying on the ground next to the bed, and he brought his body over hers, supporting his weight with his arms on either side of her.

Noticing his presence, Sawako's laughter fizzled out, and she stared at him. She said nothing, the look in her eyes daring him to do what he had come to do.

Their lips met delicately. Sawako once again felt the shiver and ache she had felt in the kiss they shared the night before. The sensation crept up and down her body, relaxing her every muscle. The passion of that moment caused her to bring her hand to Shota's cheek, sliding her fingers slowly down it in a gesture he had learned to mean she wanted him to come closer. He did so, relaxing his arms and allowing his weight to press down on her. Not enough to crush her, but just enough to allow her to feel his weight.

They stayed like this for a while, allowing the lukewarm rays of that sunlit winter morning to wash over them as they welcomed the day together.

Sawako sat in the living room as the odors of breakfast cooking flowed from the kitchen.

Shota hummed to himself softly as she continued to work on school work. As she worked, she could not help but smile. Quiet mornings like this with Shota were her world. Neither of them said anything, and they were separated by a wall, but both of them could feel the other's presence as they went about their morning routine. To Sawako, this was nothing short of heaven.

After some time of this, Sawako heard the click of the stove turning off and the clinking of dishes as Shota finished his cooking. Her mouth watered as she saw Shota emerge from behind the wall separating the kitchen and the living room with an enormous helping of food piled on a plate. Shota motioned for her to come to the table so they could eat.

As Sawako sat she caught a glimpse of what their morning meal would be. Shota had gone for a western breakfast: bacon, eggs, and toast. And a lot of it. They usually had something more Japanese, so this change in style was welcome to her. She began to take her share of the food as soon as she hit the chair.

They sat for a while in silence, enjoying Shota's excellent cooking. Shota eventually thought of something to say.

"So. Any plans for today?"

Sawako pondered this for a moment. She hadn't really planned what she would do with Shota that weekend, she was really just excited to be with him and hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

"I haven't thought of anything in particular, have you?" she asked.

"No. Not really."

This was starting to become a problem. Not that it bothered her or anything, but Sawako and Shota had lived in Sapporo for several years at this point. They were starting to run out of things to do. Sawako remembered when they had first moved to Sapporo from their tiny town of Kitahoro. She, Shota, and her friends that had also moved there were overwhelmed by everything to do in the metropolis of Sapporo. Compared to Kitahoro, there was an endless number of things to do. But after a number of years of experiencing everything Sapporo had to offer, it was clear that the endless number of things to do was in fact not so endless. Sawako was not unhappy with this. She had a happy life with wonderful friends and a wonderful boyfriend, but the big city was certainly not quite as exciting as it once was.

Thinking of all this, Sawako continued the conversation.

"Have you ever thought of leaving the city?"

"What do you mean? Like going back to visit Kitahoro?" Shota asked, puzzled.

"No. I mean, like traveling or something," said Sawako, "I've barely ever left Hokkaido. I'd like to see more of Japan. Or more of the world for that matter."

Shota pondered this for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean. I've never really thought much about it, but it would certainly be a nice thing to do."

"I mean, we only seem to go between Kitahoro and Sapporo. Why don't we go somewhere new sometime?" Sawako said.

"I mean, we could take Yuushi somewhere. You hardly ever use it."

Shota was referring to Sawako's car, which she had named Yuushi, meaning wanderer or traveler. Her parents had bought her the car when she graduated high school so she could drive easily between Sapporo and Kitahoro. It wasn't anything special, the car was used and fairly old, but Sawako had fallen in love with it ever since she drove it for the first time.

"I mean, we could do that," Sawako said in response, "I would love to take Yuushi for a drive, we don't get a chance to do that much in the city, but the problem is we could really only drive it around Hokkaido. I've seen too much of Hokkaido. And getting it to Honshu or anywhere else would be difficult."

"There are ferries," Shota said, "It's not impossible."

"That's true I guess. It's something we could do someday, but we would need more than just a weekend to do it."

"Next break maybe?"

"Maybe."

A silence descended on them for a moment as the both of them pondered the idea of a road trip around Japan.

"It's certainly not impossible," Sawako said after some thought, "We should look into it a bit. I would love to visit Tokyo again."

"I've never been to Tokyo," Shota said back, "Didn't you visit sometime in middle school?"

"I did. We made a family trip."

"Lucky! We should definitely go. I feel like everyone should visit their nation's capital at least once."

They were silent for a moment, slightly depressed that they didn't have the means to make a trip to Tokyo whenever they wanted.

Among the clinking of silverware being used, Sawako had an idea.

"You know where we haven't really gone? The mountains. I mean, we would from time to time in Kitahoro, but Sapporo has its own set of mountains completely different from Kitahoro's. We should explore them."

"You know what, you're right!" Shota said with a look of surprise on this face, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Shota promptly pulled out his phone, searching the internet for mountainous regions to check out near Sapporo.

"Here's one!" he said after some searching, "Mount Teine. Thirty minute drive. Oh. Wait a minute. It's a ski resort. We don't have skis. Next I guess."

Sawako stifled a giggle as she watched Shota look so seriously for a place for them to go. He was a good boyfriend.

"Ah! Here's another one. Mount Moiwa. This looks awesome! It's a thirty minute drive on highway 230, so not so bad. It does look like a bit of a tourist trap, but apparently you can take a cable car to the summit of the mountain and get a great view of Sapporo. What do you think of that?"

He turned his phone towards her so she could see it. On the screen was a picture of Sapporo at night seen from atop a mountain. A few groups of people leaned over the fences, taking in the many glittering lights of Sapporo's metro area. She thought it would look much better in person.

"Wow. That looks great!" she said, "Let's do it!"

"Cool!" Shota said as his eyes lit up at the prospect of the day's adventure, "Let's get going as soon as we're done here."

By the time they got going, it was almost 3. Both of them were known for being slow to get going, especially on their days off. They had to hurry.

Yuushi reluctantly sprang to life, the engine roaring and then sputtering with the effort of starting after a long period of sitting unused in Sapporo's cold climate.

"Yeah! It's time for an adventure with Yuushi!" Shota said excitedly.

Sawako giggled. Shota was always so excited to ride in her car as he didn't have one himself. That, and driving a car was definitely a nice change from riding the subway lines all the time.

Sawako reversed the car, moving it for the first time in months. She then put the car in a forward gear and they were off. As the car began to move and gasoline started flowing through its veins, it gradually sputtered less and less as it got used to the idea of moving.

It had taken them a while to take the subway from Shota to Sawako's apartment, but the wait was well worth it to get behind the wheel of a car. There was something about the sense of freedom a car brought that a public subway could never emulate. As Sawako gracefully conducted the car through Sapporo's city streets and eventually onto the highway, she felt a power she could not easily describe. The rumble of the engine, the wind through her hair, and Shota's excited expression made her feel alive.

They drove down highway 230, which was surprisingly clear of heavy traffic. They talked of things of little importance as the landscape passed by. The cityscape quickly gave way to the interesting blend of colors that was Hokkaido in winter. The pine trees gave off a dark green spotted with the white of Hokkaido's almost ever present snow.

It was a beautiful drive that ended all too soon. They came across the turnoff to Mount Moiwa and drove up some winding mountain paths, and before they knew it they were at their destination.

Sawako was happy to have arrived, but also somewhat sad that their drive was at an end. Not only was the scenery on their way beautiful, but there was something special about driving down a highway with the person she loved most.

They made their way to the small building that stood near the parking lot and paid the fare for the cable car. They were told they would have to wait twenty minutes for the car to arrive from the summit.

While waiting for the cable car, they made small talk and watched all kinds of people go about their activities on Mount Moiwa. There were young couples like them, groups of friends poking fun at each other, families with anywhere from one to three kids, foreigners with their enormous backpacks, elderly couples leaning on each other as they struggled to walk from their cars to the nearest bench. Sawako was impressed by the immense diversity of humanity they had encountered on the mountain that day.

After what seemed like only a few moments, the cable car arrived. An announcement in a man's voice played over some loudspeakers.

"The Mount Moiwa Morris Car has arrived. Please make way for unloading passengers before boarding the car. The Mount Moiwa Morris Car has arrived…"

The announcement repeated three or four times.

"Well," Shota said as he stood up, pushing on his legs to give himself a boost, "Shall we go?"

She nodded and took his outstretched hand, allowing him to pull her onto her feet.

They walked to the cable car and showed the attendant their tickets. They pushed their way into the already somewhat crowded cable car and were lucky enough to secure a spot by the window. Once everyone was aboard and the doors closed, the cable car rumbled to life. As the car began to move, it wobbled unsettlingly as the cable from which it was suspended rocked from side to side. Sawako had to use Shota's shoulders for support in order not to fall. As the cable car increased speed, it became more and more stable. Sawako could finally let go of Shota's shoulders and take in the passing scenery.

The view from atop Mount Moiwa was nothing short of incredible.

The cable car ride had taken some time, and the sun had set. By the time Sawako and Shota reached the overlook, Sapporo glistened in a menagerie of light. They stood hand in hand, gawking at the glittering lights of Sapporo that stretched far into the horizon.

"Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it," Shota said, breaking the silence.

Sawako was surprised by Shota's voice. She had been staring at the lights of the city in an awestruck trance for so long that if it weren't for his hand in hers, she might have forgotten he was there.

Taken so suddenly out of her stupor, her mind raced for a response.

"I never thought it was so big," she said finally, "I mean, it seems big at ground level, but being up here really gives you an idea of the scale of it all."

"I don't think I've seen it from this high up before," Shota said in response.

A moment of silence descended on them as they took in the view once again.

"You know, I wonder what Tokyo would look like from this height," Shota said, still staring at Sapporo.

Sawako tore her eyes from the city and looked at him, his face obscured by the darkness of night.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Well, you mentioned taking a trip there earlier today, and it's got me thinking. In all the years I've known you we've never taken a trip like that. I mean, we go to Kitahoro all the time, and we venture outside Sapporo from time to time, but not often. I think we should go somewhere like that together."

Sawako smiled, although she wasn't sure if Shota could see her do so in the dark.

"I would love that."

Having made their unofficial plans to go to visit Tokyo at some point in the future, they stood for a while longer admiring the view. Sawako pulled herself closer to Shota and allowed his arms to wrap around her. His embrace warmed her body that much more in the frigid alpine temperatures.

She could stay like that forever.

"Attention all Mount Moiwa visitors! Please be aware that the park will be closing in one hour. The final cable car to the parking lot will be leaving in fifteen minutes. Please make sure you board the final car. Attention all…"

The announcement repeated as before.

Sawako and Shota looked at each other and noticed they had both jumped out of their embrace in surprise as the announcement had caught them off guard. They were annoyed that the announcement had brought an end to such a special moment, but they could not help but snicker at each other for getting so scared. They obeyed the announcement and took the cable car back to the parking lot, started the reluctant Yuushi, and drove back to Sapporo in the darkness.

As Sawako pulled her car into her apartment's parking lot, she felt her eyes starting to close on their own. It was good that she didn't have to drive much further, because she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it.

Shota looked just as tired, his head resting on the passenger window.

"Hey," she said as she gave him a nudge, "We're here. Time to get out."

He grumbled in his fatigue and slowly got up and began to gather their things. Neither of them said a word as they left the car and made their way sleepily to Sawako's door.

"Stay at my place tonight," Sawako said, putting her hand on Shota's shoulder to get his attention, "It's late. You're not going to make the last train home."

He nodded in agreement as they reached Sawako's door.

Fumbling with her keys, Sawako unlocked the door to a symphony of mewing. Junko stared at them sitting on the floor, mewing in protest at Sawako's absence. As she took off her shoes, Sawako gave Junko a quick pat on the head as an apology for being gone, and the cat almost immediately began to purr and nudge her nose against Sawako's hand with affection.

After removing their shoes and winter gear, the pair stumbled towards Sawako's bedroom, using each other for support so they wouldn't fall down.

They reached Sawako's room and fell side by side on Sawako's bed, ready for sleep. Junko jumped between them, circling for a moment before lying down to get comfortable.

Sawako's eyes were closed when she felt something brush her cheek. She opened her eyes to see Shota's half-closed eyes staring at her. The look in his eyes told her exactly what he wanted.

She moved closer to him, nearly crushing Junko in the process. Their lips joined quickly before separating only a moment later. A customary kiss before bed.

Satisfied with the day they had shared together, Sawako's eyes closed, and she quickly drifted off to sleep.