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The rain outside was harsh, pounding relentlessly against the windows, accompanied by the occasional crackle of lightning in the distance. And watching through one of those windows, was the one and only Tsukasa Tenma. He couldn’t believe the chances of this, weeks he had been planning this, weeks! It was supposed to be the perfect day, for Emu’s sake (and his)… he was supposed to make her smile. Even brighter than normal. He was supposed to sweep this princess off of her feet, it was supposed to be the most incredible love confession of all time, the perfect beginning of a romance worthy of a star like him and a princess like her.
They were supposed to go to the park together! Rui had even had the idea to set off fireworks (the legality of that was… questionable, but anything to make her happy, right?). And now… here they were, stuck inside.
He glanced down slightly towards the little princess next to him, expecting to see the biggest pout and sad puppy eyes. Obviously, she did not know about his master plan, but their plans had still been ruined. But, to his surprise, instead of Sad Puppy Emu, he was met with…
“Tsukasa-kun!” Emu exclaimed, words barely able to contain the amount of overwhelming joy that flowed through the little sunshine’s veins. Honestly, the girl looked like she was about to explode from excitement as she took both of his hands into hers, the brightest smile on her face.
“Huh!?” Tsukasa was mildly startled by her excitement, cheeks turning the slightest tinge of pink. He would never comprehend how this girl could shine so brightly, even in the face of disappointment. “What is it, Emu?”
“It’s raining, see, see?” she said, obliviously pointing out the obvious. “Come on, come on, let’s go!” She tugged on his sleeve, practically dragging the poor boy towards the door.
“H-HWAH!?”
And just like that, they were outside in the pouring rain, with Tsukasa watching from the covered porch as Emu ran out into the storm, jumping and twirling around as she squealed with joy. As impractical and probably somewhat unsafe as it was, he couldn’t help the fond smile that spread across his face as he watched her. He may be a star, but Emu, oh Emu, she was the very sun itself. Even with the dark and threatening clouds above her, she still shined like nothing else in this world.
“Tsukasa-kun, dance with me!” she called out to him, beckoning him out into the rain with her.
And, oh, this was so impractical, and probably dangerous. What if one of them slipped, what if one of them got struck by lightning? But as he saw how brightly she smiled, and how her eyes sparkled with anticipation… who was he to deny his princess? Who was he to resist the chance to perform with the most special girl in the world?
Without another thought, he stepped down the stairs and off of the porch, taking her hands in his. And soon, they were spinning together. It was so uncoordinated and unlike their usual performances at the Wonder Stage, but it didn’t matter. Because right now, they were their own audience. It didn’t matter how much they laughed, or how many times they almost slipped in a puddle. It didn’t matter how many times they almost stepped on each other’s feet by accident, or how Tsukasa held her just a little bit tighter anytime he heard thunder in the distance. Because right now, it was as if they were the only two people in the entire world. All that mattered was them, and the undeniable bond that had grown between them over time.
And as they danced, it seemed, not even the raging storm could compete with their light, as the rain slowed down to a mere drizzle. Or maybe they’d gotten too swept up in the moment to realize how much time had passed. Eventually, they ended up collapsing to the ground together in a fit of laughter (getting covered in mud in the meantime, much to Tsukasa’s dismay). They fell into a rare yet peaceful silence as they stared up at the sky together, watching as the sun began to peek back through the wall of clouds.
After a moment, he heard Emu gasp. “Tsukasa-kun, look!”
Huh. A rainbow.
“Oh, do you see it, do you see it!? There’s so many colors, see? There’s red, and orange, and yellow…”
He sighed in mild exasperation as she proceeded to list all of the colors of the rainbow, but he couldn’t help the small chuckle that slipped out of him.
“Oh, this is the most wonderhoy day of my entire life!” she proclaimed.
And Tsukasa also couldn’t help the way his heart fluttered at those words. “Really?”
“Yes!” she confirmed with a joyful nod. “You’re having wonderhoyful day too, right Tsukasa-kun? I made you smile, right?”
He can’t help but smile, just like she wanted. “Of course. Only a princess like you could single-handedly make me smile like this.” he states pridefully, wanting her to feel as special as she truly was.
And it seemed he was successful, because she gasped, seeming absolutely giddy as she practically jumped into his arms, tackling him back to the ground as her eyes sparkled like fairydust.
“HWAH-!?”
“Really!?” she asks, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. “You really mean that?”
He smiles again, gently running his hand through her hair. “Really.”
Perhaps things hadn’t exactly gone according to plan today, but that was okay. So long as Emu was there, he was convinced that there would always be a smile on his face.