Project Sekai Ships One-Shots✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧✮

KanaMafu- Where the Moon Meets the Ocean‧₊˚ ִ☾.

Fourteen fish. Mafuyu was crouched down,  examining the small tank built into the front desk of the new aquarium that just opened close to where her friend Kanade, or K, as she would call her whenever they communicated over Nightcord, lived. There were fourteen fish swimming around inside the small space, with a miniture pirate ship decoration placed at the bottom, along with a little treasure chest to top it all off. The aquarium was quiet, since it was a Tuesday afternoon. No one but Kanade, who didn't attend in-person school, would think this was a good way to spend their time right after finishing school. Mafuyu had made up an excuse about a trip to the aquarium being a good opportunity to learn more about marine biology, something her mother had easily bought and said it was great Mafuyu was making such an effort to educate herself in so many different fields. 

"Mafuyu. I have our tickets." Kanade said as she tapped her friend on the shoulder, holding up two day passes for the aquarium. 

"Thank you." Mafuyu replied, taking her ticket from Kanade, who was smiling softly at her. Not in the condesending way her mother often would at people she deemed inferior to herself and her family, but in a happy, almost sleepy looking way. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Mafuyu asked, confused by Kanade's expression.

"Are you asking me why I'm smiling at you?" Kanade asked. She didn't seem to be annoyed, simply trying to get a better idea of what Mafuyu meant by her question. 

"Yes." Mafuyu nodded, completely expressionless as usual. 

"I'm smiling because I'm happy to be here with you, Mafuyu." Kanade replied. "Let's go check out this place now. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't care. You can lead." Mafuyu answered.

"Alright. Hm, let me check the map here..." Kanade said, unfolding a brochure she must have also picked up from the front desk. "There's jellyfish over here," Kanade said, showing Mafuyu a spot on the map. "I like those. Can we go there first?"

"Okay." Mafuyu agreed. 

The two girls walked in silence through the nearly empty aquarium, Mafuyu admiring all the beautiful fish in the tanks. A sense of calm always came over her whenever she was in an aquarium, like the water was washing away her imperfections and making her clean and whole again.

"You like aquariums, right, Mafuyu?" Kanade asked, watching the purple-haired girl as she looked around at all the different things the aquarium had to offer. 

Mafuyu pulled her gaze away from a large orange fish that was moving so slowly it looked like it was just sitting there in it's tank. "I don't know if I like them." Mafuyu said. She couldn't remember how many times this had been her answer to Kanade's questions, but it was the truth. And Kanade didn't seem to mind. Mafuyu knew better than else how hard Kanade worked for her, and it made the constant knot in her chest loosen just a little bit. She wanted to one day, once Kanade had made the song that would save her, repay Kanade with that kind of affection. Mafuyu allowed her mind to wander, picturing a future where she smiled at the shorter girl just because she felt like smiling. She wondered what that would feel like, where they would be. Would they be back in Kanade's room, where Kanade had made her applesauce and held her hand, or in their favourite diner, the one where they had first met in real life?

Mafuyu's thoughts were inturuppted by a smaller hand slipper into hers as she walked. She look over at Kanade, surprised. Kanade just looked right back at her, her gaze unwavering, eyes as blue as the water that surrounded them.

"What do you feel?" Kanade asked. "What does being here, in the aquarium, feel like?" Her eyes were pleading with Mafuyu, and the latter felt a small tug in her chest, like the knot was so desperately trying to unravel itself for the sake of the girl in front of her, yearning for answers, wanting Mafuyu to just be truly alright.