You was dumbstruck at the sight of the car.

"Mari-chan you really don't have to, I can just call a cab." You insisted.

"No no no. I insist." The blonde puffed out her chest. "I want to do this for my precious underclassmen. I've been watching after you two for so long after all."

"But I don't feel right now, asking you to drive us to and from our date. That's just weird. I shouldn't have taken you up on this."

"If its about the car I'm sorry but my other one ended up going into the shop yesterday. Now get in, or you'll be late."

You felt her heart sink. This was supposed to be a special night. But she did as the older woman insisted.

You stood outside the door to Riko's apartment. At Riko's request she was wearing a long dress, in deep teal, and carrying a small black purse. You would have been more comfortable wearing a suit, especially for today, but it was a special night. She quickly glanced inside her purse, the sight of that tiny black box simultaneously soothing her nerves, and agitating them.

At the sound of the knob turning, You fumbled to close up the purse. Riko closed the door behind her and turned to face You. Seeing the redhead's smiling face nearly took her breath away. She was wearing a dark magenta dress that ended midway past her knees, and her hair was pulled up into an elegant bun.

"You look stunning, Riko-san."

"San?" Riko giggled. You felt her face flush.

"San! Uh, Riko! Um, chan, Riko-chan! You look stunning Riko-chan!" she blurted out as she bowed. Her face had to be redder than Riko's outfit at this point she thought.

"You look beautiful You-chan, but is something on your mind? Or are you just nervous about tomorrow?" Riko asked as she put her arms around the fidgeting girl.

"Yeah, that must be it." Its true that You was nervous. Tomorrow You would officially begin her job as a ferry captain, just like her father before her. She'd always dreamed of this. But the reality had set in that she would be responsible for people's lives. It was nerve wracking. But still, that wasn't what was bothering her now. The two walked arm in arm down to the street as they chatted.

"So I asked Kanan-chan to help me pick out a new dress for tonight." You explained.

"Really? Oh I hope you didn't think I meant you had to buy a new one You-chan, I'm sorry." Riko apologized emphatically.

"Nah you were right, it's nice to wear something different for a change. I don't have much occasion to wear outfits like these lately."

"Well it doesn't matter what you're wearing okay? You're still the same-You, what is this?" Riko stopped and gawked at their ride for the night. Before them sat the most gaudily painted car Riko had ever seen. Surely this wasn't their ride? It would be more respectable to go around in Ruby's Hanayo itasha than this thing that looked like the 60s condensed into a blender.

"Ciao lovebirds! To where am I taking you on this shiny evening?" Mari, inexplicably dressed like a chauffeur, jumped out of the driver's seat to wave and then open up the rear door.

"Mari. You. What is this?" Riko asked flatly.

"Well where's the fun if I can't dress up too? It's not often I get to play driver instead of the driven." Mari teased as she continued to usher them into the abomination of a car.

"What's with this car. And why are you here?" Riko questioned.

"My other car is in the shop, sorry And really, why not?" Mari reasoned rather absurdly as she closed the door on them and got back into the driver's seat. Riko's face was buried in her hands. You felt like she would be sick. She knew this was a bad idea. She could've driven herself, but her car was also being repaired. She should've just called up an ordinary cab. But when Mari learned of her plan, she insisted she be allowed to drive them. You couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. The duo sat in silence on the way over to the restaurant, tuning out Mari's occasional small talk.

Once Mari pulled up to the restaurant, Riko hurried out of the car, in through the door, to wait for You through the other side. You solemnly thanked her for the ride as Mari apologized again for the car. You let her know that it was okay but she'd prefer to just call a regular cab when they were ready to leave. Mari pouted but hugged You, wishing her luck.

Once inside You apologized to Riko. "Its okay You-chan, I was a bit cold to Mari-san though. She meant well, and I should apologize to her tomorrow." Riko smiled but was clearly a bit forlorn.

This is a special night but all I've done is mess it up. You frowned. At least there was the dinner. This was an expensive restaurant, but Hanamaru and Yoshiko, surprisingly, had recommended it to You for this occasion. You then got the ever classy Dia's opinion of the restaurant before placing a reservation. She silently prayed there would be no problem with her reservation.

"I'm terribly sorry, I understand you have a reservation but it seems the house has overbooked." The Maitre d' clasped his hands and apologized. You could swear she were deflating. Just disappear into nothingness. These were clearly omens. "But, if you wouldn't mind waiting just ten minutes, a booth will open up."

Riko sensed her partner's growing despair and tried to reassure her as they waited. "It isn't your fault, you couldn't have known. And its only ten minutes."

"This was supposed to be-" You caught herself. "I just wanted to give you a nice night out for once. We're always so busy, and I'm only going to get busier." Riko put her arms around You and kissed her on the cheek.

"Its okay. I'm just happy being with you." Riko's words comforted her. You didn't like letting her moods be read so easily. Not even with Chika who she'd known forever. But it had always been easy to be open with Riko. It seemed so natural and obvious why that was, once she had realized she was in love with her. And she was so happy to learn those feelings were returned. That's why tonight had to be special.

They were seated and dinner progressed without any further problems. As they ate, the two reminisced about their days as school idols, and made small talk about their coworkers, You's upcoming maiden voyage, and Riko's dog, Prelude. The waiter even brought their desert complimentary as an apology for the wait at the beginning of the evening.

Alright, it's almost time. You thought as she nonchalantly reached for her purse. Her purse which wasn't there. Her eyes widened.

"Oh god." She whimpered. "Oh god. Oh god. Oh god." A worried Riko stared at her girlfriend as she fretted in her seat.

"You-chan what's wrong?"

"I can't believe this. I'm sorry Riko-chan, I lost my purse." You said as she buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, well, if its about the bill I can-"

"No!" You snapped. Riko was taken aback by her girlfriend's behavior. You instantly regretted her action. "I'm sorry Riko-chan. I didn't mean that. It isn't the money. I had something important in there." You could feel herself about to burst. It was a special night. And not only did she lose the entire reason for the night, she yelled at Riko.

Riko's scowl gave way to a gentle smile. "Use my phone to call Mari-san and see if she has your purse. You can explain yourself later at my place."

You's face lit up while her tears couldn't be held back any longer. Of course! Mari-chan drove us here! It has to be there. Wait,

"Later? Your place? You aren't mad at me for ruining everything?"

"Right now I'm more worried than upset. You've been acting odd all night." Riko sighed. "Oh You now your makeup is messed up." She pulled some tissues out of her purse and handed it to the crying girl. She smiled again to comfort her. "Here, I'll call Mari-san and ask her to come by with your purse, you go fix yourself up."

You got up, but before walking over to the restroom, hugged Riko and apologized again. Everything would be okay. She reassured herself. She could still salvage this night.

Mari hurried over to meet the duo outside of the restaurant. You hugged her tightly after she stepped out of the car with the missing purse.

"I'm so happy to see this car. I'm so sorry Mari-chan. I can't apologize enough, thank you, thank you." You was nearly about to cry again.

"I know its impolite to go through another's belongings, but I double checked before I came over. It's still in there." Mari whispered into You's ear reassuringly.

"Thank you." You couldn't stop repeating those words.

"Well since I'm here, how about I just drive you two back?" Mari beamed as she opened the rear door.

Riko bowed, then acquiesced. "Thank you Mari-san. I'm sorry for being rude earlier." The older girl just smiled and told her not to worry. Once everyone was seated Mari beckoned you to lean forward.

"I have a surprise for you, if you don't mind." She whispered. You was confused as to what Mari could have in mind but reluctantly gave her permission. The night had long since gone off the rails anyway.

"Now then there's one more destination before your night ends." Mari announced to the bemusement of her two passengers. "It's a little out of the way so just sit back and relax, lovebirds."

Riko reached for You's hand and laced her fingers in between her's. You smiled at Riko and for the first time all evening felt her breathing and her heart rate calm. They leaned against each other and closed their eyes. Mari glanced up at them in her rearview and smiled.

After an hour's drive they had nearly reached their destination.

"Now keep your eyes closed and no peeking." Mari warned them as she pulled off of the highway. After a few more minutes You felt the car come to a stop. She wondered where they were and why Mari had brought them here. "Okay lovebirds, I'll stay here but you can get out now."

You and Riko opened their eyes to find themselves at a beach. It wasn't their beach, not the one they knew so well, but it was enough to remind them of home. They got out of the car and let their heels off so they could feel the cooling evening sand beneath their feet.

So this was her surprise. You thought. She did say she'd been watching after us all this time. You couldn't help but chuckle. It was just like Mari to do something silly like this. But You understood what Mari was telling her. She was overthinking it. The ocean would always be her home, and it was by the ocean that she found Riko.

Riko seemed to understand too. "I fell in love with the You who loved the ocean, who loved uniforms, and her friends. It doesn't matter how old we get, or how our lives change. The You that I love is as constant as the ocean. Although you may be less steady than you let on," You blushed given her performance tonight, "you'll always be where I feel at home. We've never needed to put on airs with each other." Clasping her hands behind her back Riko turned to You and smiled warmly. The sea salt in the air tinged You's lips as she began to speak.

"Riko, the years I've spent with you have been the happiest of my life. The ocean had always been my home, but now I can't imagine any home that doesn't include you. You're so beautiful that it takes my breath away every time I see you. You've completed me even when I didn't realize anything was missing. You've understood me in a way nobody else has, and nobody else ever will."

"Riko," You had some trouble getting down onto one knee, and then she pulled the tiny box out of her purse. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She opened up the lid, to reveal a modest yet dazzling ring. Riko covered her mouth with her hands and felt tears fall down her cheeks.

"Will you marry me Riko?"

Riko got down to her knees to hug You, "Of course You-chan, of course. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else." She took You's chin in her hands and kissed her. They parted, and You fumbled as she nervously tried to slide the ring onto Riko's finger. Riko held her hand high as they stood up, although the light had mostly faded by this time. They kissed once more before remembering Mari in her car. You had no idea how to thank her.

When they got back into the car Riko thanked Mari for helping them out tonight before asking her to take them back to her place. She turned to You, "This certainly explains your behavior throughout the evening."

"Shiny! A long night of celebrating ahead eh?" Mari teased as she started the car.

"No I have to be up early tomorrow so-" a blushing You opined until she noticed a familiar, cute, but slightly worrying expression on the typically reserved Riko's face.

"You made me worry a lot earlier You-chan."

"I know, and I'm sorry but-"

"You need to properly apologize when we get back. After all," Riko smiled and glanced at the ring upon her finger, "this is a special night."

In which Mari plays the semi-responsible older sister type who watches over her silly underclassmen. However I felt like I meandered a lot more here and didn't have a solid idea of the setting or the characters. I promise not every story will include the word "night" in its title.