Tenshi pulled into a parking space and looked at the building they were in front of in trepidation.
�What�s wrong?� Neko asked glancing back and forth between Tenshi and the building. It was labeled �Crystal Arena,� but there was nothing else to indicate what lay in store for them inside the beige building.
But Tenshi knew. �I was just trying to decide how much of my dignity I want to sacrifice today,� she replied as she got out of the car. �Don�t worry. This is something you�ll enjoy. I�m sure it�ll be second nature to you, maybe even more than pole vault was.�
She had gotten Neko�s attention at least. The younger girl seemed to be taking everything in, as Tenshi led her into the building.
*Shimatta.* The ice rink was teeming with skaters today. The last few times she had come here with Neko there had been few or no other skaters. Then it was okay for Neko to try and teach her, no matter how unsuccessfully. But apparently, Friday afternoon was a popular time to come to the ice rink.
�On second thought, let�s go somewhere else,� she said quickly, attempting to corral Neko out of the building.
�You�re nervous,� Neko observed, her eyes twinkling. Tenshi nodded. That was an understatement. Falling every five seconds was fine when she was with someone who loved her unconditionally. But in front of a hundred strangers (and a girl she was still trying to win over)? She wasn�t that self-confident!
But Neko smiled shrewdly. �What if I said I found your anxiety very attractive?�
Like Tenshi was going to ignore that. �You are so mean,� she teasingly pouted as she took her over to rent them each a pair of skates. �You have no idea.�
�I can�t wait to find out,� Neko sang, skipping off to put on her skates.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko walked up to the ice and took a tentative step onto it. So far, so good. She took a few graceful glides across the ice before turning back to Tenshi, beaming.
�This isn�t hard at all!�
Tenshi hesitated by the rink�s edge, putting off her first step onto the ice. It was soon obvious why. As soon as she worked up the courage to take that step, she slipped and fell.
�No, not hard at all,� she agreed, sarcastically, her face bright red. �Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to show you how hard I�ve fallen for you?�
Neko giggled and came over to get Tenshi back on her feet. She covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile. Tenshi looked utterly humiliated. �We can go home,� she offered.
�No, no, I�ll be fine,� Tenshi lied.
Neko took her arm, and they followed the crowd in a circle around the rink a couple times. How someone so poised could be so uncoordinated while skating was beyond Neko. But with Neko�s support, Tenshi wasn�t doing all that poorly. She just had trouble keeping her balance on the ice.
�You can do tricks,� Tenshi informed her. �I mean, you could before. Like twists in the air and pirouettes and stuff.�
That Tenshi was not only willing to come here and embarrass herself in front of Neko and others just to make her happy, but also willing to tell Neko how much better Neko was than her, thrilled Neko to no end. But she wasn�t about to (attempt to) show off when Tenshi was obviously so inept at skating herself. That wouldn�t be fair to her.
�Maybe someday when it�s less crowded. Maybe�� She tried to get Tenshi out of her humiliating situation with delicacy. �Maybe I�m kind of tired of this for today. Maybe we should go. What do you think?�
Neko could tell, Tenshi was trying hard not to look too relieved. �Maybe I could take you somewhere else? Maybe somewhere special?�
�Maybe,� Neko answered. She released Tenshi and twirled around, skating backwards to the skating rink�s exit. She winked at Tenshi, clearly daring her to come and get her.
�Nice to see she�s already gotten over the shy, awkward stage,� Tenshi muttered as she slipped and skidded her way to Neko.
She had almost arrived without incident, but as she reached the edge of the rink, she lost her balance. Her foot slipped backwards, and she fell forward into Neko.
Neko caught her and kept her on her feet. �Close enough,� she said, rewarding Tenshi with a quick peck on her reddening cheeks. �So where are we going?�
�Do you trust me?� Tenshi asked as Neko helped her off the ice.
Neko bit the top of her lip and considered the question a moment before nodding earnestly.
Tenshi smiled happily as she began to unlace her skates. �I�m taking you somewhere that�s special just for the two of us.� She freed herself from the overburdening skates and jumped to her feet. Taking Neko�s hand, she twirled her around.
�Tenshi-kun!� Neko laughed, enjoying herself too much to seriously scold the gleeful blonde. But she wasn�t even out of her skates yet � a situation Tenshi was eager to rectify. Tenshi lifted her up and sat her on the back of the bench and began to take off her skates for her. �In a hurry?� Neko teased.
�Hai,� Tenshi answered seriously. �I don�t want to miss the sunset. It�s the best part of the day. Didn�t you know that?�
�I�m sure you�ll have me convinced by the end of the day.�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Here they were again, once more at Tenshi�s beach. For some reason Neko had never lost her enchantment with this cove, no matter how many times they had come here together.
This Neko had never been here before, but she was just as enchanted today as ever. She dropped her jacket into the sand and kicked off her shoes and socks before running ankle-deep into the water. �Oh, Tenshi-kun! This is wonderful!�
�And the sun hasn�t even hit the horizon,� Tenshi said.
Where the sky meets the sea�
Tenshi came up behind Neko and put her hands gently on her shoulders. When Neko didn�t object, she continued, �I�m glad you like it. It belongs to the two of us.� Neko looked at her questioningly. �It�s really isolated, and I adopted it as my own when I started coming here a lot, but I gave it to you to share when we got�� She caught herself before she said �engaged.�
��together,� she finished seamlessly.
Neko settled back against her, inviting Tenshi to wrap her arms around her as they watched the sky turn a deep pink and orange.
She had forgotten she had promised to sing to Neko. It seemed like a good moment to fulfill her pledge. She had had a song going through her head for awhile, and it was blocking out all other tunes she could think of. That was fine, Neko liked it when she sang Ogata Megumi songs. She said her voice was good for it.
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