Chapter Text
It was a typical day in Uchiura; the cicada’s summer anthem played loudly through the greenery and the occasional sea breeze was a welcome comfort to the inhabitants of the small coastal city. Kanan Matsuura, third-year student and ocean enthusiast, was currently being blessed with one of such breezes as she stared out the window dreamily into the landscape lying around her.
The shop was empty, silent except for the noise of the fan, which labored on the highest setting in attempt to make the place cool. After all, money was tight in times like these- air conditioning had to be sacrificed. That’s exactly why, Kanan thought with a sudden sense of duty, that she had to stay here and work the shop. I mean, sure- It was usually slow, but there were customers! Its secluded location on the offshore island of Awashima gave it an air of speciality, of mystery and interest. Kanan, who was humbled just by the sight of her home, certainly understood the beauty of the place more than anyone else.
… Still, Kanan sometimes wished they had located their small shop somewhere else. Maybe if they were closer to the city, people would come more often, and they would be able to stir up a bit more business. Once, when she had spoken with her intelligent and business-savvy friend Dia, Dia had suggested plainly: “advertise it!”, which led to Kanan hand-making posters for the shop to hang up on telephone poles and the like. Of course, it was only after she had spent hours on end making them that Dia curtly informed her she had meant “show off her feminine allure” by advertise.
Naturally the idea had seemed ridiculous at the time, but now… well, the family really needed money. She felt selfish not following her friends’ advice just because of her ethics, and besides, it wasn’t like she really had another choice…
After watching the hand of the clock strike eleven without a single customer, Kanan finally gave in. She swapped her favorite blue diving suit for a tight-fitting striped swimsuit (gifted to her by a certain blonde who insisted that it would look perfect on her), scribbled a quick note to explain her absence when her grandfather came home, and last but not least grabbed a particularly glittery handmade sign. She was halfway out the door when a sudden sight stopped her clear in her steps.
Mari.
Bent over to tie a rope to the Matsuura’s dock, the blonde stood inches from a brand-new jet ski in glittering magma pink. Kanan, who was trying to figure out why exactly she was even still shocked by her friend’s constant unannounced visits, could only purse her lips and suppress a smile at the sight of her friend. Mari was dressed in a loose t-shirt (of Kanan’s, she realized with a flush to her cheeks) over a bathing suit and a lifejacket that matched the jet ski perfectly, like a cutout from one of her Italian fashion magazines.
“Kanan!” Mari exclaimed, apparently done with anchoring the jet ski. “Shin-”
Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she interrupted herself. “You’re wearing the bathing suit I bought you! Oh, wow!” And in a single bound, Mari had jumped on Kanan and was burying her face in her chest. “So cute!!”
“Hey, cut it out!” Kanan squealed out in surprise, looking around and puffing out her cheeks. “Mari! I will not hesitate to push you straight off of this dock!”
“Ooohh,” Mari chirped, wearing a mischievous grin. “But yours make me feel safe, Kanan!”
“Th-that’s beside the point! It’s not normal to grope your friends in public!”
Mari leaned in close at this as if she was sharing a secret, looking up at Kanan with ironically wide and angelic eyes like a child being faced with the prospect of candy. “Does that mean I can in private?”
“I said, knock it off!” Kanan pushed Mari away without any real force, unable to meet her gaze in embarrassment.
The other girl only giggled, leaning back against the jet ski. “So mean! You’re starting to act like Dia, you know!”
“Dia would’ve slapped you ages ago!” Kanan replied indignantly. “Hey, where is she anyways?”
“Oh, I invited her to come, but she said she was busy. Probably chasing Ruby. She and Maru ran off to the beach again today.”
“Those two are pretty close, so Dia’s probably getting suspicious,” Kanan agreed, nodding. “Oh well.”
“Honestly, I’m kind of glad it ended up being just the two of us though,” Mari smiled warmly. “Sometimes you just need some alone time with your best friend.”
Best friend. Right. The words brought a sudden heaviness to Kanan’s chest just as their previous counterparts had lightened it; a reminder that Mari, who was so close, was also so out of reach.
“Hey, don’t be sad. Come on, I’ll take you out on my new baby!” She patted the seat of the heavy piece of machinery that lay next to her on the dock.
Shaking her from her thoughts, Kanan blinked a few times and spoke. “I was actually going to go to Uchiura to advertise for the shop…”
“Oh! Well then in that case, let’s go to Uchiura!”
And just like that the two were off. In the wake of a fantastic spray of water they sped across the shore, complete only with Kanan screaming to “SLOW DOWN!” while staring at the speedometer in absolute horror and Mari’s grinning response of “I can’t hear you!” barely audible over the engine. And Mari, in all honesty, loved this part; this part where she got to feel the wind in her hair and the ocean spray on her face and, most pertinently, the way Kanan hugged her tightly, the way she couldn’t help but laugh through the fear against Mari’s skin. It was all over too soon.
Once Mari had been lectured into oblivion about the perils of speeding, they docked the jet ski and headed to the most crowded beach they could find. Mari had packed her shirt into a bag, revealing a pink and black bathing suit (which also matched her jet ski, Kanan couldn’t help but notice); and frankly, she wasn’t sure whether she should feel more or less embarrassed by that in the sparse crowd of people. To her, of course, it seemed like an entire population.
“Come to the Dolphin House!” She cheered, gathering up all her energy and love for her family business to channel it into the advertisement. No one seemed to notice.
“No, no, no!” Mari cried out in English. “Kanan, you’re doing it all wrong!”
“Huh?” Kanan’s eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. “What do you mean?”
Mari huffed, moving so she was back to back with her friend and putting on a dazzling smile. “Do you love Uchiura as much as I do~? If so, come see the beautiful fish in action and support our local businesses at the Matsuura family Dolphin House!” The cheer was loud and energetic enough to catch the attention of the families gathered, and thus impressed a wide-eyed Kanan. Mari was always good at being the center of attention.
Basking in the newfound limelight, Mari moved her arms so that she was gesturing towards Kanan like a display in a case. “The lovely and beautiful Matsuura Kanan will help you live an ocean dream~! Come to see the exquisite sea life at Dolphin House on Awashima island and you’ll get to spend time with this real-life mermaid!” An excited murmur moved through the crowd and Kanan was finding that her face was getting increasingly red. “It’s just like being an idol, Kanan!” Mari whispered happily. “Come on, it’s your turn!”
Kanan took a deep breath, finding comfort in her friend’s words. Right... it’s just like being an idol.
“We’d love to host you at the mysterious and secluded Dolphin House on Awashima Island, home to a unique and exotic display of fish, coral, and the glory of our ocean! I’ll work extra hard to bring a smile to your face!”
Mari gushed, having to restrain herself from hugging Kanan tightly and instead putting her energy into cheering. About an hour passed like this, with the task becoming easier after adjusting to the attention, before the girls decided they couldn’t leave the shop just to her grandfather anymore and phoned home.
“Grandpa?” Kanan spoke warmly. “Is everything okay back at the shop?” “Good afternoon, Kanan! And a good afternoon it is indeed... I’ve had three different groups of customers since I got home.”
“Oh, really?” A smile tugged at her lips. “Wow, that’s great! I’ll come home right away then!”
Her grandpa chuckled. “You think I don’t know who is responsible for the sudden popularity? I can handle the shop myself, Kanan. You should take a break for the day.”
“But...” Kanan trailed off. “The customers...” “Like I said, I can handle it. And even if I can’t, I can book them reservations... You deserve a break.”
Mari, who had been listening in intently, suddenly grabbed the phone from Kanan’s hands before she could argue. “Hey, Mr. Matsuura! It’s me, Mari!”
“Hohoho, hello Mari. Make sure Kanan follows directions and takes the day to relax, alright?”
“Yessir! I’ll see to it that she has the best day ever! Take care!” Mari quickly hung up before Kanan could steal the phone back and grinned devilishly. “Come on! I’m about to give you the best day you’ve ever had!”
-
Soon the pair were back on Mari's jet ski, and once she promised to go at a somewhat decent speed, they took off into the dazzling expanse of sea. Kanan actually found herself growing to love the experience of riding it now that the initial fear had worn off; as long as Mari didn't go too far from shore, they would be fine. At first, she looked around her in sheer awe at the majesty of Uchiura: the glistening electric blue of the waters, the sparkling green countryside, the neverending glistening horizon... but then she surprised herself.
Perhaps it was the wind in her hair, or the beautiful figure of Mt. Fuji getting smaller behind them, or the way that Mari was so firm and confident in her driving, but she began to stop paying attention to what was going on and start going into another world. Her eyes drifted shut, leaving her to focus in full contentedness the warmth of Mari's skin as she hugged her from behind. The sun warmed her skin like a blanket.
She had always taken great joy in appreciating nature- she could spend hours just sitting outside looking, listening, experiencing it. And yet now, she found herself surprisingly disregarding the beautiful landscape in favor of focusing on the warmth and comfort Mari projected onto her.
It was such that without realizing it, the two drove for hours on end simply enjoying each other and their surroundings. Dusk came more quickly than they would have liked. Unfortunately, the absence of the sun shook Kanan from the place of total warmth and security she had previously been in- she was still contented from the afterglow, but consciousness seeped into the dreamlike state that had enraptured her and reminded her of reality. Lifting her head from where it had been resting on Mari's shoulder, she looked around slowly.
And then it dawned on her.
Uchiura was nowhere in sight.
"Mari." She grabbed Mari's shoulder. "Where are we?"
"Huh?" Mari looked up suddenly and Kanan realized that she, too, had been enamored by the sleepy joy of simply driving with nowhere to go. "Oh-uh-"
The engine spurred to a stop as Mari looked around her quickly. "Oh."
Kanan swallowed, examining her surroundings, though her mind was elsewhere. What was happening to her..?
Though she knew cerebrally that she was hours out at sea with no idea of even what direction home was in during the first signs of sunset, she was not at all worried or scared. Strangely, she felt no fear at all. In fact... was she... glad?
"Mari, what will we do?"
The engine purred back to life at Mari's will. "We have to keep driving... See that over there? I think that's Uchiura." She gestured with her free hand towards the shadow of what must be land, the other resting on the jet ski's handle. "Hold on tight, Kanan. If we don't want to be out at night I'm going to have to go a bit fast."
Kanan dreaded Mari's definition of fast, but could come up with no argument and so simply tightened her grip around her friend. "Alright... let's go."
With a roar the jet ski sped into life and skipped across the water. Kanan was scared at first, of course, but gradually began to let the exhilaration overtake her as the speed became less and less frightening, and eventually even she couldn't help but laugh with happiness, grinning wildly and holding on to Mari just as tightly as before.
They reached the land just as the sun was setting, but both girls realized instantly that there was no way it was Uchiura. Instead, they seemed to have stumbled upon some sort of island- and from the looks of it, it was very small and devoid of settlement.
"I guess we have to stay here, at least for tonight," Kanan mused, once again marveling at that feeling bubbling up within her. Was she that glad to be able to spend time with Mari? To not have to say goodbye for the night?
"Yeah. There's no way we could make it home now even if we knew what direction to go in."
And so it was settled. They anchored the jet ski, and after Mari insisted upon bringing her backpack from the jet ski's compartment, swam through the shallow water up to the coast (which proved to be a bit difficult for poor Mari, whose hands were occupied with keeping the backpack dry and above water). Walking through the forested island in hopes to find a clearing to rest in, they talked about various random things- mostly Aqours, Love Live, and their feelings about the whole experience. Kanan was surprised to find that Mari also thought herself unfit to be a school idol, and promptly informed her that Mari had all the traits of a good idol, to which Mari responded that she thought the same of Kanan. To hear that someone, someone like Mari no less, thought so highly of her was incredible and in all honesty it felt unbelievably comforting to have someone who understood and believed in her like Mari did.
The sound of rushing water shook them out of their conversation and the two fell silent in order to hear better, walking towards the noise with curiosity, before stumbling upon what was one of the most beautiful sights Kanan had ever beheld.
She gasped slightly, staring at the rushing waterfall which was orange in the sunset's glow. Palm leaves and plant life grew in an emerald wall around the waterfall and its pool; everything was bathed in dusk's golden ichor, all shadow and contour, like the stuff of dreams. It left her speechless.
Once they had absorbed the beauty of the waterfall, the tranquility, Mari was the first to speak.
"Shiny..."
"It really is, isn't it?"
Mari paused, suddenly reaching to grab Kanan's hand. "Come on... let's go!"
Flushing with surprise, pleasure and embarrassment, she followed Mari over to the pool and stepped back in surprise when Mari simply jumped in.
All was still for a moment. Then, Mari resurfaced and looked at Kanan with a huge grin. "It's hot! Look!"
Sure enough, steam was rising from the spring, previously unnoticed in the evening's veil. Kanan laughed, and finding Mari's smile contagious, jumped in to surface beside her.
"Oh wow," She whispered, grinning at the contented Mari. "This is actually... really nice."
"I know," Mari hummed. "Hey... Can I say something crazy?"
"Of course. It's me, Mari."
"I'm actually kind of glad we got lost," The blonde admitted, closing her eyes and resting up against the edge of the pool. "I mean... we found this place, right?"
Kanan's eyes widened and then she chuckled. "So... you feel that way too?"
Mari looked over at Kanan, and in that moment, she had never seen anyone so beautiful. Her fair skin glowed in the orange sun, amethyst eyes twinkling with more shine than the ocean itself, hair like shimmering navy blue silk dripping wet and tied up into her signature ponytail... it was enough to make Mari go numb. She watched a drop of water glisten down Kanan's cheek and dance over her cherry-blossom lips and found herself wishing... wishing she could feel those lips against her finger, against her own, just once...
And then she realized that the drop was not from the spring. It was from her eyes.
"Kanan," she gasped, her voice tender with compassion as she quickly drew close to her friend. "What's wrong?"
Kanan simply smiled softly and shook her head, lifting her gaze to meet Mari's and looking at her with bright, shining eyes. "I'm... I'm just so happy.."
As Kanan let out a gentle, content laugh, Mari drew her into a hug and found tears stinging at her own eyes.
"I thought... I had lost you forever... That I had to... lose you..." She gripped her ever more tightly, as if she were afraid Mari would disappear if she let go. "I thought I had to leave you so that you could live a good life... You have so much ahead of you, Mari..."
"Kanan." Mari said firmly, biting her lip to keep from crying. "I don't want any of those things. I don't want anything if it's not you."
And just like that, Kanan felt warmth build up inside her and overflow, and she couldn't have held her more tightly if they were still speeding on the jet ski. Laughter broke through her tears, the kind that comes from overwhelming happiness; and she laughed and cried until she had nothing left. Nothing except warmth, and fullness, and most importantly, Mari.
And just like that, together they fell asleep in the hot spring, never wanting to let go of one another.