Track 13

The next morning, Crow made sure to get up early enough to help his parents, just as he had promised. When he woke up, Hikari was nestled comfortably in his arms. He smiled at just how peaceful she looked. He didn't want to wake her, so he carefully slipped away from her and pulled the covers over her to keep her warm. He picked up the little plush Crow and tucked it into her arms. She deserved to sleep in a little. This was supposed to be a vacation for her.

When Hikari woke just a few hours later, she opened her eyes to find herself in an empty room. She sat up holding the plush in her arms and looked around. It was a little disappointing to wake up alone, but she knew he had responsibilities to take care of each morning.

She got herself dressed and made her way down to the barn, where she was sure to find Crow. She walked in and saw the hedgehog brushing and talking to one of the cows. This cow looked much different than all the others. Rather than being white with black spots, this cow was black with white spots.

The animal nuzzled her face against his hand as he spoke. Hikari watched from the doorway and listened carefully.

"...She's really great, you know. But come on, you and I both know that if anyone should have a girlfriend as great as she is, it should be someone as great as I am, right?" he said, confidently as he brushed her. The cow let out a happy "moo" in response.

Girlfriend... Wow. Hikari was actually someone's girlfriend. It was honestly a title she never thought she would have.

"Ma and Pa seem to really like her, and so did all of my friends. I just hope when we get back to the city our friends there aren't so hard on her. They can say anything they want to me, but I don't want them to upset her," he said with a sigh. "She's been through a lot, and I want to make sure she is happy."

Hikari smiled and finally decided to speak up. "I will be..."

Crow dropped the brush at the sound of her voice and spun around with an embarrassed look on his face. She heard all of that?

She walked in the barn and kissed his cheek. "Morning, Hoglet." This only made his face even redder.

"M-Morning," he said with an embarrassed laugh. "I had no idea you were listening."

"Yeah, well I wanted to come find you... I didn't know how much longer you would be, so I decided to see if you needed any help," she told him with a smile. She bent down to pick up the brush and handed it back to him.

"I still have a lot to do, so you should go relax... I didn't want to bother you since you're supposed to be on vacation and all, and-"

Suddenly, Crow was interrupted by the cow using her head to nudge at his back and push her into the girl, causing him to take her in his arms. He was completely flustered. All Hikari could do was giggle at him. "You're on vacation, too. If I help you, you can finish sooner! I've already spent enough time alone this week when I was working on music..." She gave him a playful pout which only made him blush more.

"Alright, you win... But one way or another you're going to take some time to relax!" he told her with a serious look on his face. She couldn't just spend her whole time off working.

"Fine... But so are you!" She rolled her eyes. Something felt so different here. She felt different here. The normal Hikari would be just fine being locked up in a room by herself for a whole week, but she was so addicted to being around him. If she was going to "relax," then she was going to make him relax with her.

He chuckled and stole a quick kiss before letting her go. "Okay, okay..." He turned back to the cow and pat the top of her head. "If you want to help, you can finish brushing her while I get some hay."

Hikari nodded, then paused for a moment to look at him. "I don't understand something... Why is it that you brush and take care of this cow but none of the others?"

"Oh! Well... that's because that cow is mine. I used to sing and practice my guitar for her when I was first starting out... and sometimes I would just come out and talk to her. She's a great listener you know," he told Hikari, making her laugh a little since she knew he was referring to what she walked in on. It was kind of cute, she had to admit. "Now that I'm not around as much, I try to spend a little extra time with her and tell her how things are going with my life and my music career."

"You know... that's really sweet Crow. You seem to have everything here." She looked to the cow and gave her a little pet, herself. Hikari loved the farm life. She really appreciated all the hard work that was put into it all.

He watched her with a smile as she started brushing the cow for him. It was a nice sight to see her helping with the cattle. Just the thought of having her by his side in everything he did, whether it be at his home helping on the farm, or back in the city working on music... it made him happy. While there was nothing wrong with his life before meeting her, now that she was around everything seemed brighter.

After what seemed like hours, all of the cows were fed and taken care of. Hikari even watched Crow milk one of the cows, and even teased him a little while he did, embarrassing the poor boy. She did make it up to him, however, when she accidentally stepped in the bucket... When that milk was ruined, he was forced to do it all over again, but she stepped in and asked him to teach her instead since she felt so guilty.

When they went back inside, his mother had lunch all prepared for them. It was nothing huge, but the little sandwiches were so adorable. They were cut into cute little shapes like cow bells and milk bottles. The soup she made was delicious, too!

Crow ate a little too quickly, making a mess all over the table. She wasn't all that surprised. He did the same thing at Angelica's every time they went down with their friends. She laughed and grabbed a towel to clean it up, but the moment she touched the table with it, he grabbed her wrist. "Nuh-uh! You sit back down and relax. I got this!"

Hikari rolled her eyes with a smile. "Please... I've never seen you clean up after yourself after eating."

"Wha-? But... I... There was that time-" he started... but couldn't even come up with a time that he had. God damn it... She was right. "That's not important! You're not doing any more for me today! You deserve a break."

"Oh come on, Hoglet... I like helping around here," she told him as she cleaned up the mess anyway. Sure it was still work, but it was a different kind of work than she was used to.

He pouted when she started cleaning up anyway. When she took their dishes and started washing them, an idea struck him. Hikari seemed to enjoy the simple things, so it would be a nice little "getaway" for her.

Later that night after they finished having dinner with his parents, Crow took Hikari up to his room, where all of her stuff now was. Before they ate, he disappeared for a little while, saying he needed to get something ready for her. He told her to grab everything she might need for the night. She couldn't help but laugh at how excited he was. Where were they even going?

They packed a bag, which Crow took from her, snuck something inside and threw over his shoulder, then took her hand. He walked with her through the fields and closer to where they had gotten off the bus earlier that week. It had just grown dark out, and she couldn't tell where it was they were walking. "So... are you going to tell me what we are doing all the way out here?"

The hedgehog only chuckled. "Oh you'll see..." He squeezed her hand before letting go and running toward the old barn that Hikari remembered seeing the day they got there. She followed behind, watching him curiously.

He sat the bag down, then flipped a switch. Lights that he had strung all around the inside of the barn came on, giving a calm, dim lighting to the small building. He smiled to her and held out his hand for her to take and follow him inside.

Hikari blinked, admittedly a little shocked. He lead her inside, where a large pile of hay was lying... and plopped himself down on top of it. She raised an eyebrow at him, with a bit of a judging look on her face.

"What's that look for?" he asked with a laugh. "Come on! It's comfortable!" He pat the spot next to him.

She sighed with a smile. He had done all of this for her. How could she not do this one thing for him? She got down next to him and relaxed into the hay. It was crunchy and a little scratchy, but it was nice.

"Well...?" he asked her. "What do you think?"

She chuckled. "It's nice. I've slept outside a few times before, but I think I like this..."

"See? Maybe you should listen to me more often!" he told her with a cocky smile on his face as he rolled over to face her. "What did you sleep outside for?"

She folded her hands on her stomach and stared at the ceiling if the barn. "Well... there were a few times while I was still at the orphanage. I'd get so annoyed with everyone there that I'd take really long walks. Sometimes it got dark before I'd head back and I wouldn't remember how to get back... So I'd sleep wherever I was. And there were also a few times that Kamiko and I would fight and... I'd stay out in my garden all night." After a pause, she continued so he wouldn't worry. "I know it all sounds bad, but really I don't mind it. I love being outdoors."

He nodded as he listened. Her past sounded so sad, but no one could suspect anything like that had ever happened to her if they knew nothing about her. She was such a strong girl. Even if she did have a bit of a temper at times, it was rare that anything ever actually bothered her that would really eat away at anyone else.

She continued, still looking up at the twinkling lights that hung above them. "It's nice, you know... I love breathing in the fresh air and the stress free atmosphere. I don't have to worry about anyone other than myself." As that last phrase escaped her lips she quickly rolled over and looked at him, hoping that didn't offend him. "But I feel a little differently about that now. Spending time out here with you right now is much nicer."

Once she turned to face him, he moved a little closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you feel that way. This barn was where I'd play my guitar for the cattle until my parents remodeled our home and put that studio in my room. It was my favorite place to come and be by myself. No one ever bothered me out here... which is why I thought it would make the perfect spot to bring you to relax."

"You're too sweet, Hoglet... But why are you so concerned with me relaxing? I don't mind helping out," she asked with a curious look on her face.

"It's just... When we are at BRR, you always seem so stressed and overworked... but since we got here, I've seen everything change. You've seemed so calm and happy. I don't want to see that go away. You deserve to always feel that way." He rolled her over so she was laying on her back again, but this time he rested his upper body on hers, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

She could feel herself get a little choked up at his words and gave him a small, gentle kiss on the lips. "You don't have to worry about me like that. I can take care of myself..."

"I know you can, but I really care about you, Angel..." he said, not realizing he used that name.

"Wait, what?" She blinked, failing to hide the red in her cheeks.

"I said I ca-"

"N-No... What did you call me?" she asked. Surely she wasn't just hearing things. And if she wasn't... how sweet was he? Not only that, but did he really care about her that much? How should she even react to such a thing?

"Huh? Hikari, of course... What else would I have called you?" he said with an embarrassed laugh, catching on to the fact that he let it slip.

"Crow... You called me Angel... Why? What's that all about?" she asked. It was hard for him to tell if it actually offended her or if she liked it.

"Well... why not? I think it suits you... You have a name for me, anyway..." And while "Hoglet" used to be something that was embarrassing to him, he had really warmed up to it coming from her. After all, it wasn't all that different to having her call him "baby," but this way it was unique, just like him.

Calling her "Angel" just felt right to him. He had never met someone so beautiful and perfect as she was. At least that was how he felt, whether she thought so or not.

Her vision became fuzzy as her eyes started filling with tears. Not once had anyone ever treated Hikari the way Crow did. And this wasn't the first time, either. He made her feel special, like she actually mattered. Something she didn't exactly feel very often.

She hoped it wasn't too soon for her to feel the way she did about him, but he was so special to her. If only he had entered her life a long time ago. She could only imagine how things would have turned out.

She swallowed back her tears and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down all the way to kiss him. He closed his eyes and melted into the kiss. She had a way of making him forget about everything around him when she kissed him this way.

He ran his hand down the side of her body, feeling the soft, thin material of the black dress with the grey leopard spots she had worn just a couple nights before when his friends visited. The dress drove him crazy. It was a bit of a shorter, summery dress that came just above her knees... and the shoes she wore with it did amazing things for her legs. If only she would wear such things more often...

Crow's mind continued to race, being filled with images of her all dressed up and for no one else but him, when he heard the petite leopard make a small noise beneath him. She seemed to enjoy his touch way more than he had expected. He wasn't ready to stop, either. He let his other hand slide down her body, going just a bit further this time and brush against the outer side of her thigh.

Before he knew it, she kissed him a little deeper letting her tongue slip into his mouth for the first time. Feeling caught a little off guard, he froze, letting his hand rest on her hip. His eyes opened the moment she released her arms from his neck and felt her hands slide down his chest and... start unbuttoning his shirt?

Was this going where he thought it was going? Of course, he had come prepared, but did he expect her to be the one to initiate it? No... Was it so hard for him to believe that she wanted to go that far with him? Hell no! Who wouldn't, honestly?

By the time he snapped out of his thoughts again, she was already slipping the shirt over his shoulders... She sure moved quick...

He was careful not to break their kiss as he started unbuttoning the whole way down her dress, feeling selfishly ambitious as he felt around under the dress to find that she was wearing a lacy bra... He felt his heart stop. From the kiss, he couldn't actually see it, but it wasn't hard for him to imagine.

Hikari, who seemed more than confident beneath him felt like she might die inside as she slipped her arms out of her dress. This was really happening... Even if they had really only been together for a few days... it all felt right. Like it was meant to be. They were completely alone. When would they get another chance like this? She swallowed any fears she might have and started working on his belt.

The hedgehog gulped. There was certainly no turning back now. He pulled away to give her a little assistance, feeling his face burn with crimson as he caught a glimpse of her. When all of their clothes were removed, he leaned into her again invading her sweet lips with his own once again. He kissed her softly for a few moments before pulling away and whispering into her ear. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Without even trying he sounded a bit over confident with himself. Of course it was just a way to distract him from the nervous rush he was feeling.

Hikari wanted to speak, but no words came out. Instead she nodded quickly and placed both hands on his face as she pulled him in to kiss her again.

The moments that followed felt like a huge blur to the two of them. They both lied next to each other in the hay, covered by a red blanket that Crow packed for them. Since neither of them had any experience before that night, they weren't exactly sure what to expect, but boy they most certainly weren't disappointed.

After a few long moments of silence, Crow rolled over so he could be over top of Hikari again. His face shimmering from the lights shining against his sweaty face. "I know that had to be amazing for you, but damn... that was so good," he said while catching his breath.

Hikari couldn't help but smile at his adorable cocky attitude. He was always so full of himself, and she loved every moment of it. But she also enjoyed teasing him for it. "Well... I'm not sure I'd call it 'amazing'... I mean... it was okay I guess."

"'Okay'!? Puh-lease... you were practically begging me for more! Not like I could blame you, my Angel... If I had the chance to be with someone as talented as mys-"

Hikari put her hand over his mouth with a huge smirk on her face, trying her hardest not to crack up. "Whoa, there Hoglet... I don't need to hear what you do with yourself when you're alone." Her face was bright red after hearing the first part of his response, however. He wasn't exactly making that part up... It was a good thing they were far away from everyone else. She rolled her eyes with a smile and continued. "You win... It was amazing. I never knew it could be like that."

He let out a little tiny hedgehog squeal from under her hand just before falling next to her in the hay again. "I'm so amazing!"

Hikari let out a little giggle and rested her head on his chest, hugging his bare body close to her own. "You know what... I think so, too." She closed her eyes with a big smile on her face.

Hearing her say such things only inflated his ego further. Just as he was about to say something else, he felt her relax against him. With a warm smile, he ran his fingers through her soft hair, brushing a few pieces of hay out. "But you... You really are something..."