I reached up in the cupboard to get a bag of chips and headed into master's study. I plopped down in his plush chair and popped the bag open.
A few days had passed since that day I went to the shrine. That woman, Ayako, left the day after and was now away on a trip for her work as a model.
This meant lots of time with just master and myself in the house.
I guess the Gods heard me yet again, I thought. Thank you so much.
I smiled as I crunched on another chip.
Master was at his desk writing a new article for work. His face was very serious as he focused on piecing the information together and finding words to express his thoughts.
I didn't think it was going very well because he kept letting out sighs of frustration every once in a while. Eventually, he gave up and pushed away from his desk.
"I need a break," he groaned tiredly.
Without thinking, I got up from the chair and wandered over to him, leaving my bag of chips behind. When I got to him, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tight.
He tensed up at first, but soon relaxed and hugged back. After a few moments like that, I pulled away. He looked me up and down, taking in my baggy hoody and pants (or lack of).
"Thank you, Hikari. I needed that."
I simply smiled.
Yamato smiled back and reached his hand up, touching my face gently.
"You're so cute when you're like this."
He immediately blushed when he realized what he had said.
With his kind words, I couldn't stop my feelings of love from overflowing as I quickly leaned in to kiss him.
His eyes grew wide with shock as I planted a soft, loving kiss on his lips.
When I pulled away, the dumbfounded look on his face made me giggle and turn red. He was speechless.
Without a word, master reached for me, pulling me close to him; and kissed me. It was far better than our first kiss so many nights ago. This kiss was full of hunger and need as if we wouldn't be able to survive without it.
I sat on Yamato's lap, straddling him with my arms wrapped around his neck. A strange feeling crept throughout my body as his warm hands slid up the back of my hoody and pressed against my lower back and rear.
A small noise escaped me when master bit my lower lip. The sound seemed to encourage him as he slowly pulled the hoody up and over my head, throwing it to the floor.
I couldn't' help but feel embarrassed with my body exposed like this. I was glad I had remembered underwear for once.
I let out a few soft moans as Yamato kissed from the edge of my mouth, down the nape of my neck, and across my chest.
So many new feelings were rushing through my body, I didn't think I'd be able to contain them much longer.
Just as master's hand was reaching for my underwear, his cellphone began to ring. His hand froze, and I could tell he was debating whether or not he should just let it go to voice mail or not.
I let out a shaky breath, completely winded from the ordeal, and climbed off his lap. He sighed heavily as he turned to answer the phone.
I slid my hoody back on over my head and wandered out to a different room, looking for a distraction to get my mind out of the gutter.
After a while, I finally settled for some TV and started watching some kiddy cartoons.
~•°•○•°•●•°•○•°•~
The next day, master took me to the local aquarium. It was only a twenty minute drive, so it wasn't that far away.
When we first arrived, I had no clue what an aquarium was. I knew what fish were from what I'd seen on TV. I also knew they tasted mighty fine when grilled.
Master seemed excited to be able to take me somewhere and show me the world outside our neighborhood. I was excited, too.
The aquarium was inside the biggest building I'd ever witnessed in my entire life. It was several stories high, and much, much wider and longer than any house I'd ever known.
Inside, huge tanks of blue, crystal-clear water lined every wall, completely surrounding the people touring the aquarium.
Behind the thick glass, countless numbers and species of fish and other marine life thrived in their homes of living coral, anemones, seaweed, and other various marine plant life.
My eyes grew wide as I saw all the fish. I pressed my hands and face against the glass of a tank containing a bunch of tropical fish, all brightly colored and unique.
Yamato couldn't help but laugh at my childlike wonder. Even though he'd been to this aquarium countless times in the past, he seemed to still enjoy it quite a bit.
When I was done looking at tropical fish and jellyfish, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me over to the area where they kept the sharks.
I'd never heard of a shark before, so my curiosity drove me to the glass yet again. I couldn't see anything except for the blue water and a bunch of bubbles.
A dark grey figure suddenly swooped up in front of my face, and I let out a yelp of shock. In my moment of terror, I had jumped back and bumped into Yamato.
Master smiled, amused, as he put his hands on my shoulders to steady me.
"It's okay, Hikari. It can't get you through the glass," he teased.
Embarrassed by my fear, I protested, "I know that! It just surprised me is all."
"Mhm," he grinned.
I gave him a small shove, half playful, half irritated.
He wrapped his arms around me and spoke softly, "Do you want to touch a shark?"
My eyes grow wide. "Wait, what?"
"You heard me."
"You mean we can touch a shark?"
"A baby shark, yes."
"Is it scary?"
"Would you like to find out?"
I glanced uncertainly at the black figure lurking in the dark water.
What am I afraid of? It's just a baby. I can do this!
After a few moments, I finally nod, and master leads me over to an opening in the floor filled with water. A glass sliding door separates us from the little shark swimming around below us.
It wasn't very big at all, just about the length of my forearm, maybe a little more.
One of the aquarium workers squatted by the glass door.
She looked up and greeted us. "Hi there! Come to pet the baby shark?"
I smile shyly and nod. Yamato hands her some money that she sticks in a pouch attached to her khaki shorts.
She gives me another warm smile and opens the door. After sliding some thick protective gloves on, she sticks her hand in the water and fishes around for the shark.
It doesn't take her long to catch it. "Now," she speaks calmly, "I can't exactly pull him out of the water for very long, so you'll have to kneel down to pet him. That way I can keep dunking him to keep him wet. Sound good?"
I look a Yamato for a moment before nodding. We both kneel down next to the lady. She pulls the shark out, holding it just above the water. She gripped right behind its gills and at the end of its tail.
When it was time to pet the shark, I hesitated, fear starting to take over.
Is this thing going to eat my hand?
I flinch when I feel a large hand come to rest on my shoulder. I look up to see master giving me a reassuring look.
When I still hesitated, he grabbed my hand in his and held it out, pressing my palm against the shark.
It's skin felt surprisingly smooth. A smile crept across my face as I grew more confident and started running my hand down the length of the shark.
I look up at Yamato, a huge grin on my face, and he snaps a photo of me before I even have time to notice the camera.