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The floor trembles as Yui’s feet touch it, her landing more on the heavy side.
“You should find a cave ten meters on the right,” buzzes the smooth voice in her earpiece.
In front of her is only a thick wall of rampant plants, no entrance for any cave. In her younger days, she would have asked if her assistant was sure, but she had seen enough hidden entrances to know that there is probably one behind all that green.
“Just give me a moment to free the path.”
Yui takes a knife from her thigh holster and starts palming the wall, searching for a thinner liana to start cutting from.
“Professor Takeda called, by the way,” Kiyoko says offhandedly, without a doubt looking over the charts and thinking about what is next for Yui. “The inauguration for his new museum will be in two weeks, and he wanted to know if you’d be there, considering a good part of the findings were thank to you.”
A particularly thick piece of foliage falls, pooling at her feet. “Is there going to be a fancy party?”
“With appetizers.”
“Then I’m in!” Yui can finally start to feel a cold breeze coming from the other side of the cave. “I’ll probably need a dress or something though.”
“I can provide to that.”
Yui smiles, big and bright despite nobody being able to see it. “Thank you! I couldn’t do anything without you around.”
There’s an embarrassed pause on the other side. Kiyoko always gets flustered when Yui compliments her, cheeks going pink and eyes on the ground. It makes Yui want to grab her shoulders and hug her and tell her that she should held her head a bit higher, take her compliments by heart.
“Be ready, the inside of the cave is shaped like a labyrinth,” Kiyoko continues. “I will lead you as best as I can.”
Yui moves away what remains of the wall of plants, stepping in the moist air of the cave. “Please take care of me!”
-
She brings her hand to her comm, praying that it will still work.
There’s some static that make her flinch, but eventually she picks up a voice.
“...Yui...me?”
“Kiyoko can you hear me?” Yui says, sitting up, water falling from her hair and shoulders.
More static. “Badly. What happened?”
“You know how you told me to took the right and not the left?”
There’s a single sigh on the other side. “You took the left.”
“Apparently it lead to a water slide and straight into an outside lake.”
“This is the fourth time this happens.”
Yui chuckles, embarrassed, and scratches the back of her neck. “I really thought I saw something shine this time.”
“I will try to track your position and find an alternative path towards the hidden temple.” Even through the static of the comm, Yui hears keyboard tapping. “Yui, you are too reckless.”
“It comes with the job description!” She rises to her feet, shaking her head not unlike a dog, her hair sticking up in all directions. “If we all stuck to maps and such, we’d never discover anything new.”
There’s another huff, both parts exasperated and amused. “But you wouldn’t be with your butt in some lake.”
“I’d give you that, if it weren’t that I like having my butt in lakes.” She walks toward the shore, looking to the big trees surrounding her. It would take a while but, if necessary, she could totally climb them.
“There’s a path that should bring you back to the entrance of the temple. It will take you approximately forty five minutes to reach.”
“Ah! Damn it. I wanted to wrap this up for dinner.”
Kiyoko giggles, and it comes out a bit muffled - she always covers her smile and laughter with her hand, even if they lit up the whole room. “This is why you follow maps, Yu.”
Yui pouts, then follows Kiyoko’s instructions back to the temple, and when she finds herself at the crossroad again, she turns right.
-
Kiyoko looks at her through the laptop’s screen, hair up in a ponytail exposing her neck.
“There’s no signal down there, Yui, so you’ll be on your own.”
Yui gives her a thumbs up; putting to rest her assistant’s worries is more pressing than holding on as the aircraft flies through a turbulence. “We spent a lot of time studying for this! I’ll be fine, no need to worry.”
Kiyoko brings her knees to her chest, embracing them with her arms. She’s wearing the baby blue pajama that Yui bought her a couple years before. “Telling me not to worry is like telling you to be careful. Useless.”
Yui laughs, reaching toward the screen and pressing two fingers to Kiyoko’s face. “I promise I will be back for supper.”
“I’ll make sure to have your favorite ready.”
“I’ll hold you to that!” One of the men in the aircraft signals her that it’s time to go. “Alright, I’m leaving! See you soon!”
Kiyoko smiles a little, waving with her hand. They both linger for a second, then Yui is called again, and she closes the laptop against her wishes.
She undoes her belt and puts on her parachute. The man opens the gate for her, and she looks down to the clouds and trees running below them.
“Nervous?” the man asks her.
Images of white dresses and golden rings flash behind Yui’s mind. “I’ve been more nervous.”
She smiles to the man, faces the void, and lets herself fall.
-
“Aw man!” Yui grips more the ledge she’s holding onto, her feet propping her back as she dangles above an endless pit. “You promised you’d wait for me.”
“I wanted to, but I had to know if they got together.” Kiyoko tries to sound innocent, and kind of succeeds .
“I want to know too!”
“I can te--”
“No spoilers!” Yui jumps up, right hand grasping another ledge and bringing the rest of her body to the same spot. “And I’m sorry but there’s nothing you can do that will make it better.”
“I can pretend I didn’t watch it when you come back.”
“I know people who got divorced for less.” She sides step a bit, then lunged for the edge of the path. She props herself up, and finds herself again on a horizontal surface.
“I can ask Professor Takeda to get natto with rice at the party,” Kiyoko sing-songs.
Yui bites her bottom lip as she dries the sweat from her forehead. Kiyoko knew all her weak points. “If you manage to do that I will forgive you for all of your misdeeds.”
“I already e-mailed him, and he said it was fine.”
“So you knew I’d be angry.”
“There’s little you care more about than your show.”
“That’s not true!”
Kiyoko laughs, bright, happy and carefree, and she smiles along, as she looks down to be sure not to fall to a early death.
She has a lot to return home to.
-
Yui is twirling on herself, looking at the way her gown follows her movement and closes itself around her, like a yet-to-bloom flower.
Kiyoko had chosen a puffy dress for her, not exactly perfect for that sort of party, but one that she enjoys nevertheless. With her work, she hardly can wear something that weren’t cargos or tank tops, so she takes her chances where she can.
“Are you ready?” Kiyoko asks, entering their bedroom. “The limo is here.”
With a matching black suit and high heels, she looks drop-dead gorgeous. Well, Kiyoko looks beautiful no matter what, in Yui’s humble opinion, but there’s something about that combination that makes her shine even more.
Yui hops to her, arms sneaking around her waist, spinning them both, gaining a laugh from her wife. Kiyoko hugs her at the neck, keeping her close, and Yui can breath in her scent that smells like soap and home.
“Did I tell you,” Yui stops her spinning, but brings a hand to Kiyoko’s cheek, caressing her with the back of her hand, “that I love you?”
She feels the heat rush to Kiyoko’s face under her fingertips. Even after eight years, she still blushes like the first time. “You did, but it’s nice to hear it again.”
Yui grins, brings her down as she raises to her tiptoes. “I love you,” she announces, bright and loud as the first time.
“I love you too,” comes the reply, quiet and intimate.
Yui kisses her, lips soft and warm, uncaring if their lipsticks get mixed together.