The gentle sea breeze ran its fingers through her long green hair, the only one that would ever dare do so. Mizuno Neko closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of the waves on the beach. She opened them again and reveled in the sight of the ocean stretching out until it reached the horizon. It was so beautiful and always would be, and she took great pleasure in knowing it would be there for her forever. Just like her companion.
"Where the sea meets the sky�," the blonde beside her said absorbed in the sight as well.
"Sounds nice," Neko sighed. "Mizuno-Tenoh."
The blonde chuckled. "While this sky king might belong to the water forever, I think it's Tenoh-Mizuno, isn't it?"
"Ara, you think so?" Neko's response was one of amusement. "You're going to have to convince me of that one, Miss Tenoh-Kaiou."
"Oh? What did you have in mind?"
Neko didn't answer. She merely pranced away, clearly a challenge to come and catch her. Tenoh Tenshi took the challenge and ran after her, tackling her so that they both fell and rolled in the soft sand at the edge of the sea.
"Looks like I'm on top," Neko said triumphantly. "Mizuno-Tenoh it is!" She sealed the deal with a kiss.
"Oi oi," Tenshi groaned, resigning herself to her fate. "I don't know why I play this game with you. You always win!"
"You play because you love it," Neko said cheerfully.
"Come on, Koneko. Don't I have enough hyphens in my name? Do I really have to be Mizuno-Tenoh-Kaiou Tenshi?"
"You could just be Mizuno Tenshi," Neko suggested, rolling onto the sand next to her. She put her arms around her. "I'd be willing to share my angel with the sea."
"I don't know when I became the girl in this relationship," Tenshi protested. "Wasn't I the male half?"
Neko smiled as she laid her head on Tenshi's chest. "You've always been the girl. And me too. That's why I like you." Not everything was about gender. Tenshi knew that probably better than anyone. But Neko didn't mind reminding her every once in a while that they were equal in this relationship. And that there was no pressure for her to follow in her papa's footsteps and assume the role of a husband. As far as Neko was concerned, they were both the female half� most of the time at least.
And speaking of Tenshi's papa�.
"Ne, Tenshi? Should we tell Haruka-sama and Michiru-sama that we're engaged?"
Tenshi sighed. "We should. We really, really should. You know, I could do it alone if you preferred."
"No, I'll be at your side."
"Pretty brave," Tenshi complimented her appreciatively. "Want to tell them without me?"
Tenoh Haruka and Kaiou Michiru were nice enough people, but when it came to Tenshi and Neko's relationship, Haruka had always wanted it to go slower. Neko knew Michiru would be fine with it. She'd probably think it was adorable and make some comment to Haruka about the speed with which their own relationship had progressed. But Haruka was tougher on them, and she could be pretty scary when mad. Neither girl particularly wanted to face that alone.
So far, Neko and Tenshi had relied on the knowledge that Haruka and Michiru's relationship had also been a fast one when defending theirs. Afterall, Haruka and Michiru had had a more physical relationship when they were both younger than even Neko. And while Neko and Tenshi were still exploring different levels of intimacy with each other, they hadn't gone far enough to lose that line of reasoning.
But their defense would evaporate as soon as Tenshi's parents found out they were engaged. Certainly Haruka and Michiru hadn't gotten engaged this early in their relationship. They both worried Haruka would chew them out or disown Tenshi or something. Tenshi was further worried because she was working on her parents to let her move out and get an apartment near the school next term. Neko knew she suspected that if her parents didn't say yes to that before the couple told them, her punishment might include a rejection of her request. And Neko feared that Haruka might not let her see Tenshi anymore, although Tenshi believed that that could never happen. She had faith in their ability to overcome any outside obstacle. But that didn't mean it wasn't going to smart when Haruka raked them over the coals.
"It won't be that bad," Neko said optimistically. "We'll just point out how in love we are and that we've gone through the worst that could possibly happen to us and that we're going to wait until I'm in college to get married anyway. Haruka-sama can't dispute all that, can she?"
"Haruka-papa can dispute anything she feels like and won't give in until she's been proven wrong a hundred different ways, been told off by someone like Neo-Queen Serenity, and threatened by Michiru-mama that if she doesn't accept it she'll have to sleep on the couch. And even then she'll cling stubbornly to her belief until the issue comes to an end, and she doesn't have to worry about it anymore."
"Well, Neo-Queen Serenity and Michiru-sama like us, so we're in luck," Neko told her, squeezing her tighter for comfort.
"You're so kawaii, Koneko."
Neko sat up. "Cute, like how?" she asked inquisitively. If Tenshi said she was cute like a kitten, she'd have to be punished.
Fortunately, Tenshi knew that. "Like the most beautiful of angels," she told her smoothly.
