'Takeru, where are we going?'

He doesn't answer immediately. Dragging her as they run, he only laughs and pulls her along as she runs with him. She follows him because she trusts him, and even though he's never rushed her anywhere like he's doing now she knows somehow that it will be worth it.

'Just wait!' He says, grinning, running and still holding her hand.

They both sprint, and eventually it becomes a sort of race. Takeru could easily outrun her if he wanted to, but he sensitively holds back so she can keep up. Their hair picks up in the wind, and Hikari's loose and airy dress floats - she doesn't mind, she's got cropped nude tights on underneath. Takeru, in his striped t-shirt and cargo shorts, looks eager as ever for the summer.

They run across bridges and over canals, and past apartment buildings resembling their own, and past parks where they've hung out on dates. The coast looks like it's getting closer and closer, but as cars and taxis and trucks fly by, Hikari wonders if maybe Takeru has something else in mind.

She's half-right.

He comes to a stop suddenly, and Hikari finds it hard to break. They're young, full of boundless energy - sure, she can feel her heart in her throat, and her chest is burning, but she's fine. She loves that Takeru doesn't treat her like she's fragile. It's a wonder she hadn't tripped once. She was wearing simple pumps that had gotten her through soccer matches with her brother - she could keep up.

Hikari refuses to fall behind.

She looks around at the pebble beach, and at the boardwalk where the public presence is dwindling. She's totally stumped. Taking a heavy breath, she gives up and says, 'Ok, you have to tell me right now. What are we doing here?'

'We,' Takeru begins, sounding like a teacher with his itinerary, 'are going to quickly watch the sunset. This is the perfect viewing point, and today's sky is totally clear. I made us run 'cause the internet was telling me we were gonna miss it.'

'The internet told you, huh?' jokes Hikari with a weak laugh, looking out to the horizon.

The sky is, like Takeru planned, completely cloudless. The tones in the sky above them move - the blend of orange and purple and red and pink and blue and yellow - its mind-blowing, how many shades of colour exist in a sunset. She'd never really stopped to concentrate on one as carefully as she was doing now. Takeru's arm comes up around her waist, and she shuffles closer; the moment is perfect.

'Sure is nice.' She says.

He nods, but she can feel him itching to move. She just knows him like that. And, like she predicts, he explains what he wants to do next. He admits after a moment, 'This wasn't the whole date, though.'

'Of course you have something else planned...' she says, mock-wary.

He says casually, 'I do have something else planned, actually - I didn't bring you here to stare at the water all night. But now I'm scared I'm setting the bar too high. Your date ideas won't even be able to compete with mine. Maybe we should just go home...'

She shakes her head, excited. 'Try me, Takeru.'

He takes her hand - the sun hasn't even set yet, but he's already ready to move on. Hikari supposes that whatever he has planned will probably require a little light; of course, their parents know they'll be out for the night (their circle of friends is doing an amazing job at helping them keep their cover). He walks her from the railing by which they'd stopped, and away from the beach and the pretty horizon, and then -

He waves a grand hand to their right, and presents triumphantly, 'Ta-da!'

She turns, and it's… it's a car park.

'Takeru?' She says, half-laughing, half-lost, 'What am I looking at?'

He smiles, and nudges her with a shrug. 'Um… A parking lot. Our first date.'

'Takeru, I don't understand-'

'Come on.

His hand still grasping hers, he walks her around the corner and - no, she's still baffled. Yamato's beat-up Saab convertible is parked up in front of a huge black wall, but there aren't any other cars in the lot. As they get closer, Takeru finally explains.

'I figured you'd find this cool; I got one of those olden-time-y video projectors. Koushiro-san helped me set it up. I figured we could watch a couple of movies, have some snacks, just spend some alone time. We both know how hard it is for us to get any privacy, so… yeah. Our very own drive-in cinema.'

She doesn't answer. She's touched that he's put so much thought into this. She really wouldn't have minded something smaller. He's a total romantic.

After the moment in which she forgets to react, he backtracks, 'I - I'm sorry, if you don't like it. I didn't mean to go so far, I just couldn't find a space wide enough for the films… I can take you home if you want-'

'No!' She cries, quickly grabbing him in a hug and gushing, 'This is amazing! I love it. It's going to be so great, just… to be us, without annoying brothers and everything else. I love it! Let's get started! I hope you've got popcorn stashed somewhere… You've totally set the bar too high.'

His smile beams.

As they approach the car, ready to get settled in, she grabs his arm and squeezes all of her appreciation across to him. And as he rattles off some details about the movies he brought for her to choose from, she can't help but think how crazy she'd have to be to ever let him go.