Chapter 14

Sousuke approached Kaori's house early on Saturday morning. Her father's car was parked out front, and Kaori was leaning against the hood, a notebook in her hands. She was mumbling things to herself as she read it, and Sousuke smiled. Kaori's pink hair was messily tied back, as it always was when she was studying.

"Good morning," he greeted her softly, dropping his duffel bag beside the bar. Kaori glanced up and smiled at him nervously. Sousuke's blue-green eyes were looking at her with concern. She waved him over and he sat beside her on the hood, peeking into her notebook. "Are you prepared? Relaxed?" he asked.

Kaori took a deep breath and nodded. "Yup. Just revising."

Sousuke nodded and leaned forward to quickly place a kiss on her cheek. Kaori flushed a little, and pushed him away softly, although she was smiling. "Oye. None of that. My father will be out any minute, he's just finishing breakfast and saying goodbye to Mom. Besides, I'm studying."

Sousuke nodded and moved a little further away from her. "Sorry. I'll stay away."

Kaori glanced at him and flushed slightly. He looked good in his Samezuka jacket, with his hair slightly messy, as though he hadn't had time to comb it before he hurried over here. Kaori watched as Sousuke moved away from the hood and reached down to grab his duffel bag again. Just then, the front door opened and Kaori's father stepped out, pointing his keys at the car to unlock it.

Kaori smiled at him and jumped down from the hood. "Otousan! I was about to come in and get you," she explained, moving around to the door. Kaori's father nodded. He was a tall man with a head of mostly grey hair. He smiled kindly when he noticed Sousuke. "Ah! Sousuke-kun, you're here already. Good, good. We can start on time."

Sousuke nodded, bowing quickly to Kaori's father, before taking his proffered hand and shaking it. "Thank you very much for driving me until Tokyo," he said politely. "I hope I'm not too much trouble."

"No, not at all! I'm glad I could help. Let me open the trunk so you can put your bags in." He glanced back to see Kaori about to slide into the front passenger seat and frowned lightly. "Kaori, be polite. Let Sousuke-kun sit in front," he told his daughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kaori said quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Sousuke was about to tell her it was alright, but she shot him a sweet smile and slipped into the backseat. By the time Sousuke finished putting his bags in the trunk and sat in the front passenger seat, she was already buckled in the back and reading her notes intensely.

Kaori glanced up from her notebook. She could only see part of the back of Sousuke's head from where she was sitting. Biting her lip, she looked down at her notes. She had a lot to get through during the two-hour drive. She could hear her father making light small talk with Sousuke in the front.

"So, Kaori tells me that your swimming team made it to nationals," Kaori's father commented. "That's very impressive. You must have worked hard. Samezuka's an amazing school. I attended it myself, although I wasn't much of a swimmer."

Sousuke blinked. "Really? I didn't know that, sir."

"Hai. I remember your father; Yamazaki-senpai. He was my senior in high school. In fact I ran into him a few months ago on some business work. My firm was doing some accounting for him. He runs a chain of hotels, doesn't he?"

"That's correct," Sousuke replied. "It's a family business, really."

"Oh? And will you helping your father with it once you graduate?" Kaori's father asked with interest.

"I'm not sure, actually," Sousuke replied quietly. He glanced back at Kaori, who had her nose buried in her notebook and didn't seem to be paying much attention. He sighed and glanced out of the front window, watching as the trees passed by. This was going to be a long ride.

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"Wow," Kaori whispered as she watched the University come into view. It was a beautiful building; the architecture looked old and elegant, and there were already a number of students milling about near the huge front gates. Kaori's father drove the car as near as he could get, before stopping. "It's beautiful," she muttered. She could suddenly feel her heart thudding. Would she be able to do it? Could she make it into this amazing place?

Kaori's father turned and looked at her with a smile. "This is it. I'll try to be back to pick you up in a few hours. I have a few meetings though, so I might be a little bit late. Good luck, dear."

"O-okay," Kaori muttered. She could feel her hands trembling as she fumbled with the car door. To her surprise, Sousuke also began to unbuckle his seatbelt. Kaori glanced at him in surprise. "Are you getting out here too?" she asked him.

Sousuke nodded, glancing at Kaori's father. "Yes, I'll get down here. I don't want to trouble you, anymore, sir. The stadium's in the opposite direction from your office, and there's a bus which goes straight to it right here. I'll be fine. Thank you so much for your help."

Kaori's father looked a little surprised. "Well, if you're sure you don't mind. Will you be all right?"

"I will, I used to cross this route often when I lived here," Sousuke assured him, getting out of the car and moving to the trunk to grab his duffle bag. Kaori followed him quietly to the back of the car and watched him. Sousuke smiled at her lightly. "Beautiful, huh?" he asked, gesturing towards the university.

Kaori nodded. She waved goodbye to her father and he wished her luck as he drove away. Kaori glanced around nervously at all the other people near the entrance before turning to Sousuke. He was looking down at her, his blue-green eyes shining. He gently grabbed her hand as Kaori took a shaky breath. She looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure you want to take a bus? My Dad could have given you a ride-"

Sousuke chuckled. "That's okay. I actually got down with you because I wanted to wish you luck properly before you went inside." He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. Kaori kissed him back gratefully. She could feel herself relaxing slightly as his strong arms wrapped around her and held her gently. Kaori bit her lip, sliding a hand into Sousuke's hair. "Shh. Hey, relax. You're just nervous," he whispered against her lips.

"I'm terrified," Kaori whispered.

"You'll be fine. You've been preparing for this forever." Sousuke placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up so she was looking at him. "Listen to me. I don't think anyone here wants this as much as you do. And I don't think any of them have worked as hard. You'll do great. And if you're still not sure…" he released her for a moment, digging into his bag. He pulled out a small gold-colored charm and held it out to her with a smile. "Here you go."

Kaori felt her stress disappear as she giggled. "You bought me a good-luck charm?"

Sousuke frowned. "Oi. Why are you laughing? I looked hard for this one. It's meant for studies, particularly to pass exams."

Kaori laughed and took the small charm, running her fingers over it before throwing her arms around Sousuke's neck. "You're so sweet! I can't believe you did this. Thank you so much!" she felt Sousuke nuzzle his face gently into her neck and kiss her hair, before pulling away. Kaori took a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied gently. "Now go there and do what you always do."

Kaori nodded. "Good luck at nationals. Gambatte."

Sousuke smiled as he watched Kaori slide the charm into her pocket and turn away from him. He waited until her small pink-haired head was out of sight before turning to go catch his bus. He was already late to meet the rest of the team.

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A/N – Thanks for reading, guys. Do leave a review, it encourages me to write.