--

Love, love…

Love is like a weed. It blossoms where you least expect it. It vines about your heart, constricting it. Love is pure, love is holy. Love is corruption, love is depravity. And above all else, love is truly insanity.

Love lead you to this place, after all. You were desolate before you found your loves. Bitter, isolated, wallowing in grief and misery…

"Well, that's a two-part question," you reply easily. "What does it feel like to be in love though… Hmm."

How best to describe what love feels like to Kaina…?

Ah. You've got it!

"Hey, Kaina. Reach out, okay? Gimme your hand~!"

Your love tentatively reaches out with her slim, pale hand. You eagerly latch onto it with your own hands so you can press her palm between your breasts, right up to your sternum. Then, you scooch closer to Kaina, wiggling your butt, shuffling until you're pressed right up against her slim body.

"… Ah. Are you… Asking me to read your physiological reactions again…?" Kaina blushes, but she's quickly caught onto what you're doing!

"Yeah! Read my expression! Touch my skin, feel how warm or cold I get. Am I sweating? Is my heart racing?"

"Heartbeat elevated. Skin flushed. Soft and slick… Sunscreen or sweat?" Kaina mutters, her eyes flitting from your exposed chest back up to your face. "And your eyes, your face… You're happy right now. You're smiling. But your reaction… Are you feeling attraction again?"

"Yep!" You beam, reaching out with your hand to take up a lock of Kaina's hair, threading it between your fingers. So silky~! So nice to the touch!

"This reaction is also consistent with… Nervousness though, isn't it?" Kaina ventures.

"It sure is!"

"Then what exactly is it you're feeling right now…?"

"Well, obviously I'm feeling arousal, attraction. And I'm probably feeling a bit nervous too. After all, a really cute, cool girl's seeing me nude, I've let her fondle me, I've rubbed myself up against her…" You giggle. "It's like butterflies are flitting around in my stomach!"

Gosh, you really are a bit anxious! You just… Want this to go well. You want Kaina to be happy!

... You'd like for her to stop feeling that terrible, horrible sadness she carries all the time...

"You're worried?" Kaina frowns. "… What's making you worry?"

"I worry about a lot of things, but right now? I'm worried about you, Kaina. As for what I'm thinking? Right now, all I can think about is that I want you to be happy! And that I want to hold onto you and never let you go!"

"… Ah…"

"And those are all components of love, you see. Because the thing about love is that it's really indescribable? Everybody's got their idea of what love's like. Wars have been fought over love, debates have been had over the nature of love... And there are different types of love too. It's all very confusing!"

Kaina doesn't reply. She just watches, enraptured by the movement of your lips.

"All forms of love are beautiful," you say. "But you're interested in romantic love, aren't you? That's what you were asking about. For me, romantic love… It's that feeling you get when you want to hold the person you love to you and never let go. It's when you want nothing more than for the person you love to be happy. It's the sensation that you'd head out to move mountains rather than see one hair on your lover's head harmed. The thought that you'd rather walk through fire than let the person you love suffer a moment longer."

"… Love is other people's happiness then…?" Kaina asks.

"No, no," you shake your head. "Love is a shared experience. Love is when one person wishes for their lover's happiness… And when their lover reciprocates that feeling."

"Nnh," Kaina mumbles. "So then…"

"Love is nervousness, attraction, shared happiness… Love is all of those things bundled together. It's intense, Kaina. It's insanity. Love doesn't follow logic; love leads you to do things that you'd never do…"

Love's what led you to this wretched city you'd thought you'd abandoned long ago. You'd have been content living a life on the fringes of society before you fell in love again, raping and pillaging across isolated settlements all over the Pacific…

Then you saw that news footage in a town out in the middle of nowhere and fell in love at first sight.

And now?

Here you are. Telling your love all about why you love her. How you love her.

Ah~! You've been blessed. And it's high time you return that blessing to a cute girl who deserves it more than anyone else.

"Love is all of these things," you finish. "And all of these things are what I'm feeling right now. It's confusing. It's intense. And yet it's fulfilling. That's what love's like."

Kaina remains quiet for a long, long time. She shifts just a bit closer to you, her legs tangling between your own.

"… I see. Then… Alice," Kaina wets her lips. "Alice, do you…"

You smile your secret smile and put a finger to your lips. "I'll answer that question in a bit. Just be patient for now, okay?"

"… Okay. I'll wait. But I want… I want an answer, Alice..."

--

Night falls all too quickly on this pristine beach. You shiver as the night's chill blows through you. Thank goodness you've put your clothes back on. And that you've got your fluffy bathrobe wrapped around you. Brr! The chilling effect all this moisture has on your skin…!

Fluffy warmth wraps around you as Kaina drapes her towel across your shoulders. You sigh out gratefully as your love presses herself against your side. She's so warm~!

"Aw, thanks Kaina! It was getting pretty cold!"

"Mmh…" Kaina murmurs. Her hair rustles as she nestles her head against your shoulder. "Alice, may I ask another question?"

"You may~!"

"Why are we still here?" Kaina asks. Her voice comes out a bit muffled, her cheek squishing against your upper arm.

"For my surprise!" You grin, staring up at the night sky. There aren't any stars out yet. The sun's only just set, and the round moon's just begun to peek over the horizon. Even still, the night sky's just… A lovely, endless, indigo canvas reflected on the dark mirror of the water below.

A beautiful night sky to match this beautiful beach.

"Hey, Kaina. Look up."

"Are we searching for something, Alice?" Kaina obliges though, cranes her head skyward.

Come on, it should be kicking off now… You reach down, check your watch…

And that almost causes you to miss the first fireworks that go off over the horizon.

[Spoiler=Fireworks[MEDIA=youtube]0E4haJHYUJw/MEDIA/Spoiler]

Kaina sucks in an excited breath as streaks of fire rise high in the air, as fast as any arrow, whistling shrilly in the air. Flowers of flame burst into existence in the sky with thunderous cracks, and booms. Brilliant flashes of light. Red, orange, yellow, white…

A riotous torrent of colorful sparks lights up the night sky.

"Fireworks…?"

"No romantic trip to the beach would be complete without these!" You cheer out. Having your maids prepare this on such short notice was such a pain! You had to knock over a fireworks supplier, appropriate an appropriate barge, pay off the damn harbormaster. Thousands of credits, hours of labor, all of this effort spent on this last-second fireworks display…

But it was all worth it—every last credit.

That's what you think as you turn to look at Kaina. At the wonder-filled expression on her face, her face that's illuminated by the shower of lights sparkling and sizzling in the sky above...

"So pretty…" You hear your love whisper out. Her tone is awed, dazed. It's as if she's been transported back to the memories of her childhood...

Yes.

Yes, Kaina is very pretty.

"Hey. Hey, Kaina~!" You whisper now, your breath ghosting across the shell of your love's ear.

"…?" Kaina jerks her head, turning to face you. For a moment, you stare at one another, backlit against the night by the fireworks high above...

"Kaina, I think I'll answer your second question now..."

–-

Infinity Princess: 85/100 Corruption (Stage 1)

15 corruption for date quality

10 corruption for teaching Kaina about love and its nuances

10 corruption for date venue/choices