Naoko didn't have very many surprises, but she had saved certain places, just in case.
She tried not to let her emotions get the best of her, forcing herself to squash the vague hope that rose up inside. It probably wasn't a big deal. Another day, another place, that was just how it went for them.
And yet.
And yet.
Some tiny voice inside of her made her jitter with anxious emotion. Nerves? Excitement? Who knew? Naoko tried not to dwell on it too much.
But the train's doors puffed open with much effort, and the girls stepped out.
It was harmless enough on the outside, Naoko thought. With its sturdy cement walls. Most of the rolling, decorative blue paint and broad windows on the first floor had been swallowed up by the water, but the second two floors were still intact. The faded blue characters had mostly fallen off, but a few of the strokes still clung to the side.
"Not that way," Naoko chided, gently, as Keyla moved for the large front window.
Keyla gave her a confused look but Naoko pretended not to notice it. Scouring her memory, she recalled taking an entrance to the left side of the building, on one of the windows that were harder to reach. When she had done it by herself, it had taken her nearly thirty minutes to scale the pipe and then ten more to work up the courage to jump to the window ledge.
Now, however, Keyla just boosted Naoko up, then the other girl took maybe two minutes to shimmy up the pipe and jump to the window. Keyla crouched there, on the ledge, head and shoulders inside the building, but Naoko quickly cupped her hands over Keyla's eyes.
"Close your eyes," she said, before Keyla could protest. "Please."
Amazingly, Keyla obeyed without another word. When Naoko tentatively lifted her hands away, she saw that Keyla's eyelids were closed. The bridge across the other girl's cheeks and nose were in shadow as she covered her own eyes with her hands.
Naoko stepped back and Keyla slowly, awkwardly, stepped down from the windowsill.
Uncertain, Naoko nudged Keyla's elbow. The other girl understood, somehow, and shifted one of her hands so it was covering both eyes, offering the other to Naoko.
She hesitated, again, but held onto Keyla's wrist.
That was how they made their way through the rooms, Naoko softly warning Keyla of stairs or sloping ground or any obstacles. Keyla remained patiently silent, but Naoko felt flushed nonetheless.
Then they were there, and still Naoko was nervous. She insisted Keyla be facing a different direction, then carefully (irritatingly) kept adjusting the position, needlessly, until she finally allowed Keyla to open her eyes.
But perhaps it was worth it, Naoko thought, when she saw the look on Keyla's face.
Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped, lips curling. Her arms spread out at her sides, fingertips lifted. Like wings, thought Naoko, like an angel.
"It's beautiful," Keyla said breathlessly, voice barely audible.
It wasn't really that pretty, Naoko thought. But then she turned and looked again, just to check.
The blue curve of the aquarium's glass tunnel swung wide and arced, like a rainbow. Although there were a few stray fingerprints and foggy patches, the majority of the glass was clear. The white light descended, dappled, filtering through the water and across the dark floor. Sea creatures, real, live, soft, sea creatures, drifted lazily above and around. Four-eyed sharks and bright pink rays soared all around them, kicking up pale sand and faded coral.
"Thank you."
Naoko glanced at Keyla, beside her.
"I love it," said Keyla, eyes wrinkling happily.
You do? Noako thought.
"I really do."
---
"Did you like it?"
Keyla asked this sometime much later, after they had left the sanctuary of the sea tunnel to head to the other exhibits. They had found some stray tables and chairs and had settled down to have lunch. Keyla's legs swung amicably, occasionally knocking against Naoko's shins (not that she minded).
It took Naoko a moment to answer the question.
"I didn't really like it, when I first came here," Naoko admitted, looking at the cracker clutched in her hand.
"What! You didn't like it?" Keyla seemed personally offended by this fact. "Why not?"
Naoko shrugged, trying to find a way to word her answer nicely.
"There wasn't anything of value here," She managed.
When she looked up, after a brief silence, she saw Keyla smiling, very gently, like she understood something that Naoko hadn't quite said.
"Nothing of value!" She squawked, and the moment was gone. "It's so pretty here! How could you not want to visit this place every day?"
Naoko laughed as Keyla poked her shoulder, mock-accusingly.
"I can't believe you knew this place existed - for who knows how long! - and waited all this time to show me!"
"I didn't wait-"
"Yes, yes you did! You knew about it! And you said nothing! I can't believe you! This place is awesome! I want to live here! I want to get married here! I want everyone in the world to know that I once lived and got married here, in this place! Forever!"
"Get married?" Naoko couldn't stop giggling.
"Well, maybe not get married," Keyla chuckled, face flushed. "But at least go on a date here!"
"But what about the mold?"
"Pah!" Keyla dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "A good date doesn't care about mold!"
"Is that what makes a good date?" Naoko pretended to think this over. "I didn't know that. That's very specific."
"Shut up!" Keyla shoved her shoulder, laughing.
Naoko drew her legs up to her chest and smiled, feeling strangely... content.
"Okay, fine, Mrs. I-know-it-all," Keyla propped her chin into her hands, grinning back warmly. "What makes a good date?"
Naoko's stomach clenched.
"What does that mean, exactly?" She said, more to buy time than to clarify, to give herself a few more seconds to remember him.
"Uh, let's see..." Keyla frowned, tapping her chin. "I guess it means... things you like in a person? Not just 'like,' though. Like... like-like."
"That's a lot of likes."
"Shush! Just answer the question!"
Naoko pulled at her fingers, trying to think, trying to remember.
He had been tall, she thought. And smart. With dark hair and calm eyes that crinkled up when he smiled. Someone who would share an umbrella, or open the door for others. Someone reliable. Honest. Someone everyone liked.
"Who was he?" Keyla asked, reverently, and Naoko jumped.
She must have been speaking aloud. Naoko blinked and recollected her thoughts.
"Seisaku," She muttered, finally. "Saisaku Sareta."
"Seisaku, huh? He sounds nice."
Naoko swallowed.
"He was."
Keyla smiled at her. It was a different smile. It was full of sympathy and... something else. Naoko couldn't place it. But it made her nervous.
"What about you?" She asked, trying to make her constant shuffling look normal. "What do you like the most in a date?"
Keyla huffed out a slow breath, chewing on her lip thoughtfully.
"What do I like in a date, huh?" The other girl frowned. "I don't know. I think there can be good points to everyone, you know? I'm not picky. Now c'mon. I wanna find the biggest fish in this whole museum."
"Aquarium."
"Whatever."