Chapter Text
Blasts of light illuminated the sky, glittering bursts of color against the dark of night, dazzling the passerby who watched the unfolding show in awe.
As each whirl of light exploded into a thousand sparks, accompanied by a deafening bang, Kanaho unconsciously tightened her hold on the hand that had never left hers since she joined the festival. She turned her head, glancing at Takane as if she wanted to make sure that all of this was real, as if the girl who has always been by her side would suddenly vanish like she almost did a few years before.
It also began with a blast, followed by the screams and hurried steps of people trying to escape a Huge. Everything that happened that day was a blur, a living nightmare of which the only memory Kanaho could vividly remember was the worst – the unconscious body of the girl she cherished the most, the one who had always been her best friend and who she secretly loved. A person she would maybe never have got the chance to confess her feelings to if death hadn’t decided to spare Takane.
Butterfly sensations all over her knuckles brought her back to reality.
“Hmmm? Kanaho?” Takane smirked as she brushed her lips against Kanaho’s palm. “I know I tried to look as stunning as I could for our date, but I didn’t expect you to fall into a trance for the past five minutes while looking at me ~”
Kanaho blinked, pulled out of her memory by familiar lavender globes whose shine rivaled the fireworks above them whenever they were looking at her. Butterflies tickled her stomach as it did back then. She smiled and sighed in relief. Kanaho couldn’t help but be thankful every day for this beautiful woman still sharing her life with her.
She casually brushed her thumb over Takane’s lips as she trailed her hand across soft skin until she could genty tug a strand of hair behind Takane’s ear. “You know that you don’t have to try, Takane-chan.”
Gentle arms wrapped around Kanaho’s waist and tugged her closer until the two women were only an inch away from each other, their gaze never breaking contact. “I’m not going anywhere, you know? I know you are still worried about me, but we are fine.”
It wasn’t surprising for Takane to read her feelings. After all, it wasn’t the first time Kanaho had worried about this airhead of a woman who wouldn’t think twice before jumping off a cliff to protect her or whatever she cared about, and they often talked about Kanaho’s worries.
“I know we are,” Kanaho pressed their foreheads together, brushing her nose against Takane’s. “You did promise me you would always stay by my side, didn’t you?”
Takane smirked in answer, a playful glow lighting her eyes up. “Of course. I will always be wrapped around your finger, you know that ~”
“Jeez, Takane-chan…”
“I told you, didn’t I?” Takane placed her hand on top of Kanaho’s, their matching rings reflecting the moon and the lights above them. “I will always be yours.”
As the final burst of fireworks sparkled and projected a myriad of colors that seemed to dance around them, the two women closed the distance between them.