A Beautiful Feeling

"Nee nee Yoshi~" A girl about thirteen years of age, having brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, called out to a boy who was carrying her on his back.

The said boy looked to be the same age as her. He had a calm expression on his face and was sweating a little because of carrying her on his back.

He was a cute kid with black hair and green eyes. He was wearing a pendant, which was similar to the one that she was also wearing; indicating that they both purchased it from the same shop.

That boy, Yoshi as she just called him, was walking down the sidewalk with her laying on his back as he stared into the sky to notice that it had gotten dark.

"Stop ignoring me Yoshi!" The little girl said while poking his cheek with her index finger.

Yoshi sighed after seeing his hyperactive friend's action and without breaking his gaze from the road in front of him, said

"You shouldn't talk. You hurt your ankle pretty bad remember? Just rest till we reach your home." Yoshi said in a reprimanding tone of voice but there was a hint of concern in it too.

The little girl smiled after hearing her friend's words, understanding how much he cared about her which led her to give him a tight hug from behind.

"Aww~ Look at you being all soft for my sake. You are so cute!" She squealed while hugging him tighter.

"N-Namina.....C-C-Can't...b-breat-th." Yoshi choked out after getting his neck squeezed between his friend's arms.

The little girl named Namina, released Yoshi from her hug and had the decency to look apologetic after doing something which physically hurt him and said

"I am sorry! Are you hurt?!" She asked worriedly while looking at Yoshi.

Yoshi after getting his bearings back, turned his head a little to look at Namina who had a worried expression on her face. Looking at her worried expression, he smirked and said

"Who is being a softie now?" He asked and looked at Namina to notice her face had turned red for some reason. She buried her face on his shoulders while muttering something to herself and didn't say anything to him for a few moments before pulling herself together and said in her usual cheerful voice

"Well, I have always been a softie for you Yoshii~" She said while smiling brightly with a small blush still visible on her face.

Yoshi just smiled after hearing that before his smile turned a bit mischievous and he said

"Oh really now? You? Being a softie? You almost strangled me to death just a few minutes ago missy." He said while giving her a fake sob.

"I already said I am sorry! You are such a jerk Yoshi, stop teasing me!" She said with an annoyed expression on her face which made Yoshi laugh.

Hearing his laugh, she couldn't help but laugh alongside him.

As Yoshi kept on walking, Namina looked at his back and subconsciously grabbed her pendant.

She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She tried again and the same thing happened.

After a few more failed attempts to say whatever she wanted to say, she took a deep breath and clenched the pendant in her hand tightly before gathering her courage and said

"Yoshi!" She called out to him a little louder than she planned to.

Yoshi after hearing her shout his name was alarmed so he stopped walking and looked at her worriedly and asked

"What happened? Did I hurt you while walking?" Yoshi asked worriedly.

All the courage Namina gathered inside her heart vanished just as she heard Yoshi's voice and she once again failed to say what she had on her mind.

Looking at his concerned eyes, she decided to quell his worries by smiling a little and said

"I.... thought I was going to fall for a moment there. Don't worry I am fine!" She said with her usual chirpy voice but Yoshi didn't buy it.

He felt like she was hiding something from him but he decided not to question it. At least not for now.

He started moving again and after 5 minutes of walking they finally reached Namina's home.

Namina noticed that Yoshi was not showing any signs that he was going to put her down. He was actually planning to carry her all the way to her room like this so in a panicked tone of voice, she said

"Wait-Yoshi, what are you doing you idiot!? Put me down, I can walk that much distance without any problem!" She said while flailing her arms in front of his face. If her mother saw her in this condition, she is sure she is going to get teased for the whole month!

Yoshi after hearing her words, stopped in his tracks and asked worriedly

"Are you sure? Your were bawling your eyes out when you fell from the stairs though. I am not saying this to tease you by the way. It's just that it looked like it hurt a lot." Yoshi said sincerely while putting her down gently and stretched his arms around a bit.

After hearing Yoshi's words, Namina smiled.

'He has always been like this hasn't he? He said the same thing that day too...' Namina thought while looking at Yoshi who was now doing jumping jacks.

Looking at him right now, Namina thought it to be the right time to say it.

She has been holding it back for an entire year now. She needs to tell him before it gets too late!

As she was thinking these thoughts, Yoshi stopped doing his jumping jacks and spoke up

"Well, guess you are fine now. Seeing as you are able to stand properly. If you get better by tonight and I hope you do then I will see you in school tomorrow. Bye!" Yoshi said before moving towards the direction of his house.

Just as he was about to leave though, Namina grabbed his hand and stopped him from leaving.

Yoshi after being stopped by his friend, looked at her worriedly and asked

"You okay? Do you want me to carry you again?" He asked while putting his free hand on her shoulder.

Not getting any answer from her, he was going to ask her again but his words stopped when he caught her sight.

She was standing in front of him with her hand holding his, while the moon glistened in the night sky behind her. Her face was red and she was looking at anywhere but him and her other hand was clenching the pendant hanging on her neck.

Yoshi didn't know why, but he felt his heart beat faster after seeing that sight.

After a few moments which felt like eternity, Namina finally found the courage to look at him and opened her mouth to say

"Yoshi, do- do...." She muttered something under her breath but Yoshi couldn't hear her so he asked

"Uhm, Nami, You okay there? Your face is red." Yoshi said while his face also started going red.

Namina after finding the courage to speak, stared into Yoshi's green eyes with her beautiful blue ones and asked in a hopeful tone of voice

"Yoshi, do you.....

Do you love me?"

After asking this question she looked towards Yoshi to see a sight she thought she would never see.

Yoshi was blushing. He was blushing even harder than her.

Seeing that expression on his face, she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach.

Yoshi was surprised after hearing her ask this question.

If it was any other time, Yoshi would have answered Namina by a simple 'Yes, I do.' with a pat on her head but at that moment, he understood she was being serious.

He could see the hopeful expression on her face the moment she asked him this question.

Looking into her eyes, Yoshi was about to answer her when his cell phone started ringing.

"Oh, It's my mom! She must be worried why I am out so late." Yoshi said with a pale expression on his face after seeing that it's his mother who is calling him.

Namina after hearing his words, became just as pale as him because she knew Yoshi's mother personally.

And if you were to ask Namina what she thought of his mother....

She will define his mother as nothing short of terrifying.

"Pick up the phone already then! You are going to get both of us killed!" She shrieked after realising the consequences of not answering his mother's phone call.

Yoshi, silently thanking his mother in his heart for her call at that moment, decided to pick up her call.

He regretted his decision a second after.

"Hello mom. I—" Just as Yoshi was about to say he was on his way, his mother's voice bellowed from the other side of the phone.

"Where are you Matsumura Yoshihiro!?! Do you have any idea what time it is! Come back home right this instant or you will face consequences for your actions!!" His mother's voice boomed and his face started turning pale.

He is dead!

Yoshi thought while crying inside his head but then heard Namina say in an embarrased tone of voice

"I think you should take your leave Yoshi! Your mom is scary, she might even decide to punish me alongside you too, just like the last time." She said while muttering the last part to herself.

Namina wanted to know Yoshi's answer but she was feeling really embarassed at the moment. She was internally cursing herself for being such a coward.

Yoshi after hearing Namina's words, smiled and patted her head. Namina after being patted by him melted into his touch and smiled goofily.

"Well then, I guess I should leave now. Mom is going to beat the crap out of me otherwise." Yoshi said before waving her a bye and started running towards his house.

After getting a short distance away from her, he stopped and looked back to see her going inside her house absent mindedly.

After looking at her for a few moments, he decided to call out to her and said in a loud voice so that she could hear him

"Hey Nami!"

After hearing Yoshi's voice calling out to her, Namina turned around to look at Yoshi standing a few feet away from her with a big smile on his face.

Yoshi after seeing Namina tilting her head at him in confusion, grinned and spoke in a loud voice

"See you in school!"

After hearing Yoshi's words, Namina smiled.

Before Yoshi called out to her, she was feeling a little sad. She finally got the chance as well as the courage to ask Yoshi this question, but failed to receive an answer. But after hearing his words, she was not sad anymore.

Yoshi had been her friend since they were children. They have played together, cried together, slept and even bathed together! Their bond was strong so she could tell what Yoshi was trying to say through those words.

'They will meet again tomorrow. They have got time.'

After hearing his words, she understood that she could ask him this question again the next day, and if she again failed to get an answer out of him, then she could just ask him at a later date. They have got each other's back for the rest of their lives, and who knows?

Maybe just maybe, she might be able to confess her feelings to him too when she asked him this question again?

She was too embarrassed to say it at that moment, so she ended up blurting out that question but there is a chance, that one day she would be able to say it properly. One day she would be able to tell Yoshi that-

'She loves Yoshi. For forever and ever.'

Looking at his smiling face, she couldn't help but smile brightly too before answering in her usual chirpy voice

"Yeah! See you at school Yoshi!" She said while waving both of her hands before going inside her house with a bright smile still present on her face.

Yoshi after getting her reply and seeing that she had entered her house without falling, started running towards his house while blushing a little.

He didn't understand why....

But after seeing her smile, he started feeling butterflies in his stomach.

It was.....

A beautiful feeling.