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"Hey, Kaori!"
She heard her before she saw her, which was a rarity. Normally a girl just north of 6 feet tall, with hair as black as the void, could be seen from a half mile away. Maybe it was Kaorin's sense of excitement that attuned her hearing for the familiar resonance of her girlfriend's voice. Maybe it was the extreme anxiety that Kaorin was feeling. This was the first time Sakaki was visiting her for real, after all.
As she turned, she spotted the slightly angular, bright pink face of Sakaki towering above the crowd, adorned by a pink-and-blue winter hat, and broken out into a massive smile. She squealed as she grabbed and held Kaorin extremely tightly, smooshing her face right into her chest.
"Sweetheart...can't...breathe..." Sakaki let go a little.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
"Same here. I'm so glad you chose to come north for the holiday."
"I could use the quiet."
"Heh. God knows it's never quiet around the others."
"Plus, it's not like I never see them the rest of the year. I'd rather spend time with you."
"God it's been...intolerable not being around you, like a piece of myself has been missing."
"Yeah, I know that feeling. It's felt really empty back home."
"How are the others?"
"Well, it's the throes of the school year, so, busy."
"Ah. Yeah. Right. Forgot that school was a thing."
"You're still attending, right?"
"Yeah!" Kaorin said, slightly indignant. "Doesn't mean I can't forget that I am!"
"You're so adorable when you're pouty."
"Mrow," Kaorin said, obviously making an over-the-top pout.
"God, I love you," Sakaki laughed.
"It's gonna be really nice to spend a couple of days with you."
"So where first?"
"Let's go back to my place, and make sure we're rested enough to go tomorrow."
The snow was gently falling, the sky a deep magenta, meaning more snow on the way.
Sakaki was surprised the Kaorin actually managed to pull the strings necessary to get a spot at this cabin. Sakaki was surprised that Kaorin had strings to pull, let alone could pull those strings. Sure, she generally had faith in her ability to do things, but let's be honest here: Kaorin was not someone that one would assume was well-connected, or socially capable enough to be well-connected, enough to get things like days at a lakeside cabin. But surprise surprise, one of her lab buddies knew someone or another.
They had gotten there via motorcycle, a hobby that Kaorin had decided to pick up that fall. She liked working with her hands (heh), and the exhilarating thrill of speeding along country roads. So much more fun than taking the bus to the observatory to do her lab work, and it gave her time to think to herself. Usually about Sakaki, but occasionally other things, too.
"Ah, we're here!" Kaorin said. Others were milling about the front, some looking at the newcomers. There was a family, another couple, and a few others. "It's not private, per se, we have to share the kitchen and some common areas, but we do have a room to ourselves."
"We're gonna need it," Sakaki purred.
"Eh-heh..." Kaorin giggled, blushing a bright pink. "Let's get our stuff inside first."
It was not a large building. On the main floor were the rooms, the dining and living area, and the commissary. Downstairs were things like ski and ice skate rentals, and a large rec room. On the main floor past the bedrooms was the trail to the hot springs. The lake was not more than about 100 feet away.
Sakaki whistled. "They've really got everything here," she said. "I want to do ice skating first!"
"Miss Go-Getter, are ya?" Kaorin said. "Breathe, we're gonna be here for a few days, there'll be a chance to do everything at some point. Right now, let's get settled in and then orient ourselves."
"I'm going to orient myself towards the ice skate rental."
Kaorin stared at her, Sakaki staring back with a knowing smile on her face.
"Tonight, kitty-cat. I need a rest after driving up here, and I wouldn't mind just resting in the common area for a bit."
"Promise?" Sakaki looked her in the eyes, holding her hands tightly, her face pregnant with excitement and sheer emotion.
"I promise," Kaorin replied. Sakaki squee'd in excitement, hopping up and down.
Kaorin took a short nap and afterwards she found Sakaki in the common area, reading a book and listening to music. She snuck up behind her distracted girlfriend and covered her eyes with her hands.
"Guess who?" she taunted. Sakaki looked up to see Kaorin standing there, making a silly face.
"Kitten!" she said excitedly. "Can we go skating now?"
Dear God, what has gotten into her? Kaorin thought. "Can we eat first, though?"
"Oh. Yes. I am hungry."
Sakaki didn't say it, but she'd wanted to go ice skating since she was a kid, but never got the chance to. She saw it as a more romantic activity than almost anything else, even dancing, and had long harbored a fantasy of skating around on the ice with her significant other, than relaxing afterwards. And this place had all the fixings for one of her most cherished date ideas.
"So," Kaorin said as they were in the kitchen cleaning up after themselves, "what's with the ice skating? You've been talking about it non-stop!"
Sakaki blushed. "Because...well...um...I've always wanted to go on a date where me and...a special someone...go ice-skating."
"Oh, sweetie! That's so lovely! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to make it a surprise."
"Ready for this?"
"For so long."
Kaorin got her skates on with no problem, and was soon zooming around the lake. Sakaki, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. She started wobbling pretty bad.
"K-K-Kaoriiiiii!" she cried out as she fell on her butt.
"Sweetie, do you want some help?" Kaorin asked as she helped her up.
"Yes, please."
"Okay. Here, just hold onto my waist. I'll hold onto yours. And just try and follow me."
Slowly, they made their way across the ice, Kaorin going super slow as Sakaki would wobble and topple over, Kaorin catching her every time.
"Am I just...too top-heavy?" Sakaki wondered.
"N-no, dear," Kaorin blushed. "For your first time, you're not so bad."
"You weren't so bad your first time, either," Sakaki replied with a big smile. Kaorin turned pinker. "Here, lean on me a little bit more. It's okay, I can take it." And using Kaorin as a ledge, Sakaki was able to maintain balance for longer, still having trouble staying upright, but for longer than thirty seconds at a time.
"Ready to go a little faster? Again, watch me."
And they continued in this pattern every couple of minutes, until the couple were sailing around the lake. Sakaki had never felt such a thrill.
"This is so much fun!" she cried out. "We're going so fast! Wheeeee!" Kaorin laughed, and held Sakaki's waist a little tighter. "Wanna go sailing into that snowbank?"
"Sure!"
And they built up speed, and then flew into the snowbank, tumbling around in the snow, laughing themselves silly.
"You're such a delight," Sakaki said. "I love you so much, Kaori."
"I love you so eternally much, Sakaki," Kaorin replied. And they shared a kiss, lying in the snow.
"Wanna go to the hot springs before we catch pneumonia?"
"Yeah, probably a good idea." And they took off their skates, put on their boots, and walked hand-in-hand to the hot springs.
In the spring, Kaorin snuggled up against Sakaki's bosom, purring with contentment. "This is the best winter vacation I've ever had," Sakaki told her, stroking her hair. "And for me, too," her girlfriend replied.
Sakaki looked up at the sky and exhaled deeply, smiling. It couldn't get more perfect than this.