Chapter 10 - Two Hearts, Beating As One

The next day arrived. There wasn't much going on today. The students were preparing for the bonfire dance that would take place tomorrow. Fuutarou was helping with transporting the logs from the warehouse to the fire site. Yotsuba was with him, helping carry the logs.

One by one, the logs were placed on the fire site. After carrying the logs, he then looked for Nino. He asked the classmates of Nino if they had seen her around. None of them gave a satisfying answer, except for the student who Nino was close with. She said that Nino wandered alone in that direction. Fuutarou thanked her and left to the direction Nino wandered towards.

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-Fuutarou POV-

I walked in the direction Nino went. From the ground, I could see a path. The dirt path had some parts where grass was growing. Whatever this place was, it used to be a place for visitors, but somehow it had been forgotten.

As I looked forward, I could see the end. I could see something shining on the ground. As I got closer, it turned out to be a lake. The full moon's reflection could be seen on its surface. My admiration was interrupted by the sound of soft breathing.

When I turned toward the direction from which I had heard the breathing, I saw Nino sleeping with her back against the tree. She looked so beautiful asleep. She looked so vulnerable that I didn't know if I would be able to control myself.

As I got nearer, she still showed no signs of waking up. Now that I got a closer look at her, I could see her beautiful face even more clearly. Her closed eyes were sleeping peacefully, with her long eyelashes that seemed to glitter under the moonlight. Though what captured my attention the most was her pink, glossy lips.

Her peach-colored lips looked soft and inviting. As I gazed upon them, I wondered what they would look like against my own. I knelt down beside her and turned her head towards me. With my hand on her chin and my eyes closed, I slowly moved closer to her lips. My hand felt her shiver. When I opened my eyes, I made eye contact with hers.

I quickly moved my face away and let go of her face.

"Huh? Fuu-kun? Why did you stop?" She asked me.

"Did you not sleep?" I asked.

"I was sleeping until you came near me; don't you dare dodge the question, Fuu-kun."

"I was surprised, so I stopped."

"What do you think of my lips?"

"It looked soft and inviting. I wondered what it would feel like against my lips."

"Do you still wonder what it feels like?"

"I do."

"Me too..." I looked at her when she said that; her finger on her lips, she looked seductive. I came closer to her; her eyes looked at my lips hungrily before moving to my eyes. Her eyes looked lovely, like a diamond shining bright. My arms found their way around her back as I hugged her; her scent flooded my nose with the familiar scent of cherries. I could feel her chest against mine.

She puts her arms around my neck. I put my arm on her face and caress it. With each caress, I could hear her purring like a cat.

Seeing that it was time, I slowly approached her face. Her eyes were closed as she readied her lips for the kiss. I gently pressed my lips against hers. She whimpered as I felt her kiss me back lovingly. Because our bodies were so close, I could feel her heartbeat matching my own.

Her lips were so soft that I couldn't help but lick them; when that happened, she whimpered for the third time. Her face was bright red like a ripe tomato. Her lips tasted like cherries. It was the second time I had sensed cherry flavor.

She separated from me angrily. She looked at me and I giggled and said,

"It tastes like cherries." Her expression shifted from anger to shyness; I gave her one last peck before she could even react.

And just as she was about to speak, a sudden rustle came from the bushes nearby. Nino and I both realized that we were now surrounded by a forest. Nino jumped onto me in fear, clinging to me for dear life. I prepared myself to protect her at all costs. The rustling continued until...

Two rabbits emerged. One rabbit lay down, while the other hopped over and began to pound furiously. I wasn't unfamiliar with how rabbits mate; neither was Nino. I looked at her face and saw how red it had become. She looked at me and muttered, "Fuu-kun... The rabbits are, the rabbits are!"

She must be thinking something naughty... I couldn't help but think the same... About us two... Yeah... Fortunately, my phone suddenly rang. I took a look and saw the name was Ichika. She and her sisters were probably worried about their sister, so I answered the phone.

"Hello, Ichika?" Nino heard me answer the phone. She probably got a gist of what it was about when she heard me say Ichika's name.

"Fuutarou-kun, have you seen Nino?"

"Yes, she's with me."

"Where are you two?"

"By the lake."

"Lake?"

"There's a lake out here. So far, it seems that only I and Nino have found this place."

"Oh ok, thanks! And don't do anything naughty, okay?"

"I–Ichika!"

"I'm only joking, Nino. One more thing."

"What is it?"

"Please don't do anything naughty. We don't want to hear that you two were sent home because someone couldn't keep their voice down."

"Ichika, please shut up." Nino sighed as she massaged her forehead.

"Fufu, then I'm hanging up, okay?" Ichika said as she disconnected the call.

"Let's go back, Nino"

"Uhn."

I grasped Nino's hand in mine. Her smile was beautiful to me. Five years ago, I had let her go. This time, I wouldn't let her go.

"Fuu-kun, what are you thinking about?" She asked me.

"I love you and I don't want to let you go again." I answered.

"I love you too, and even if you say you're tired, I'll make sure I'm the only girl you see." I swear I could almost see her eyes swirling... It's probably just my imagination...

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-Third Person POV-

Fuutarou and Nino returned to camp and were greeted by Nino's sisters.

"Ah! Uesugi-san and Nino are back!"

"Welcome back, did you guys do something naughty?"

Nino remembered the rabbit, and her face instantly flushed. Seeing that, Ichika was surprised. Even with her warnings, they still did it, she thought.

"Wait, you guys really did it?" She asked.

"Are you two together now?" Itsuki asked.

"Don't ignore me!"

"Yeah, we are."

"I said, don't ignore me!"

"Congratulations then."

"Ah, Miku, they're ignoring me!"

"Thanks."

"They're still ignoring me, Miku! Tell them something!"

"Fuutarou, I'm next is that alright?" Miku said with a smile.

When Fuutarou heard that, he was struck by deja vu. "I swear I heard that before, but where was it?" he thought.

He quickly forgot about it. Nino went towards him and pulled him.

"Fuu-kun! After this, let's go on a date!"

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Then, there's a newly opened mall by..."

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Author Section :

1225 words. It's been a while. August 11 is on Friday and that's the sixth month, half a year has passed since the first chapter. I'm thankful for everyone who kept reading this fanfic. We've through a lot.

I also realized something. Writing because I want and Writing because I need is very different from each other. I still don't know but I think I'm going to take a break. Though I will update you guys if I'm going to.

I know that volume two is very short but I want to end it before I messed it up more. Next chapter starts volume 3, yay!

Onto the kissing scene. What are your thoughts? Let me know so I can fix it in the future. Thank you.

Next Chapter, Mad Dog Of Asahiyama.