"This is my beach!" Tenshi said proudly. Neko's eyes widened in surprise. She knew Michiru was rich, but would she buy her daughter a beach? Tenshi laughed. "Not literally. It's where I come when I want to be alone. But I wanted to share it with you. It's kind of off the beaten path, so it's almost always deserted. Do you like it?"
Neko didn't answer. She was too mesmerized by the breathtaking view.
"Do you want to go down to the beach?"
"Nani?!" Neko looked down the cliff. It was pretty steep.
"It's ok. There's a good climbing area over here."
Tenshi's parents had brought her and Puroko to the top of the cliff shortly after they had come to earth for a picnic. Tenshi had enjoyed the view so much, that when she learned to drive, this was one of the first places she had gone. Since then she had found a way down the cliff and fastened a rope so that she could more easily climb down. She knew just where to go. Neko had to agree that the climbing wasn't too hard either, since the cliff wasn't too outrageously steep in this area. And the rope helped a lot. Before she knew it, they were at the bottom of the cliff.
"Whew. You didn't tell me to dress for rock climbing today," Neko complained, only half-serious.
"It was a spur of the moment decision at pole vault."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I was suddenly possessed with the desire to share this all with you."
Neko looked around. The cove was much bigger than it looked from above. Although the clouds in the sky had previously been gray, the setting sun reflected off of them, turning them pink and gold, and where shaded, dark blue-purple. The waves shimmered with gold as they crashed against the cliffs. "Not your worst idea, I'd say," Neko said pleasantly.
Tenshi kicked off her shoes and pulled Neko towards the water.
"Iya, Tenshi-kun! I don't want to get wet!"
"That's half the fun, come on." Tenshi pulled her so that the end of the waves could reach her feet.
Neko pulled back and as a result, fell back into the mud.
"Koneko-chan!"
But Neko was laughing. "Well, I'll have to get wet now," she said as the water washed up around her and back.
Tenshi bent over and picked her up. "Gomen nasai," she said uneasily.
"It's ok," whispered Neko. They were face to face, close enough to kiss. She shivered, partly from cold and partly from anticipation.
Just then it began to pour. Lightning flashed, followed immediately by thunder.
"Guess we should go back." Tenshi let go of Neko and ran back to get her shoes.
"So much for not getting wet."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I'm sorry. I should have waited for a clearer day," Tenshi apologized again.
"Tenshi-kun, it was great! The clouds made it even prettier. I loved it."
Tenshi looked over at Neko, and giggled. She was soaked. Of course, so was Tenshi. "I'm glad."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko ran into the house, planning to run right upstairs and change. But before she could, she ran into Mi-chan, who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
"M- Mi-chan!" Neko had almost forgotten about the incident at school.
Mi-chan stood up. Neko was too overcome with her own emotions to read Mi-chan's.
"Mi-chan. I'm so sorry!"
"Neko-chan. I'm so sorry!" Mi-chan said at the same time.
They stared at each other for a second.
"Mi-"
"Ne-"
They stopped again. There was only one thing to do.
*You go first*
*No, you*
*Ok, then*
"Mi-chan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Tenshi-kun was a girl. I- I didn't mean to keep it from you."
"Didn't you trust me? I wouldn't have thought badly of you." Mi-chan's voice was filled with hurt, which only made Neko feel even worse.
"It's not that I didn't trust you," she said quietly. "I wasn't actively hiding the truth from you. Well, not about this." She flashed an embarrassed smile at Mi-chan. Then quickly and quietly she began to explain. "I mean, I guess I was a little nervous at the beginning, but I figured it would come out in time, like after I met someone. And I did, but at first I didn't know if Tenshi-kun even liked me, and when I did know, I assumed that when you saw her at the dance�. But then she looked so much like a bishonen, and she had so charmed everyone�."
She stopped to take a breath. "After the dance, it didn't seem important, and I- I kinda forgot." Neko looked away. "I just didn't think of telling you, except for a couple times, and then there were other things going on. Like when you were in the hospital. I was really worried about you, and it didn't seem right to tell you then. And there just wasn't really a convenient time�. And� gomen nasai. Can you forgive me?"
