Aqua Terrarium (Nagi No Asukara)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"How are you?" I asked Chisaki after she has resurfaced from the sea.

I had decided to sit near the edge of the rocks, watching the water lap against it quietly. The sun over the horizon was slowly dipping, signaling the end of another day. I had my leg dipped into the water, the waves brushing against my knees as my Ena soaked up on the needed moisture before we headed back.

"A bit better now that I've rested. Thanks, Aoi." Chisaki smiled while she waded over to my side.

"You should've told us if you weren't feeling well, you know," I scolded her lightly as I stood up and stretched out my hand for her to reach for.

Chisaki giggles at me, my brows furrowing deeper in frustration. "It's not funny! Be glad Tsumugu caught you or you would've hit your head."

"And here you always told me that I was too much of a mother hen."

"Th-that's-" I fumbled to defend myself, knowing well that Chisaki would never live it down.

"You're unreasonable!" I could only say before spinning on my heel and ascending the cliffs.

"I'm sorry, Aoi!" I could still hear the smile in her voice as she followed after me. "Where are you going?"

I huffed and turned to face her, her form nearly colliding into me when I did so. Good. She deserved that for making fun of me acting like a mother hen to her. "I'm getting our stuff. You need to rest so I'm heading back to get our things."

"I already told you I'm-"

"No buts." I tut before turning to Tsumugu. "You'll keep an eye on her so that she doesn't go back, okay?"

"Got it." He merely replied just as I met the steady ground and waved at them.

"I'll be back soon so keep on resting, Chisaki!" I warn just as I began to make my way to Tsumugu's house.

--*--

Halfway through my trip, I noticed that Kaname was making his way towards me. He looked completely out of breath when he stopped, his hands on his knees as he remained bent, doing his best to take in the much needed air.

"I h-heard... How is she?" He wheezed before coughing a few times to regain his composure.

I can't help but inwardly sigh at the sight. The only time Kaname had ever fully lost his composure was when Chisaki was always involved. I guess I still have a long way to go before I get the chance.

I've waited this long. I can still hold on for a few more...

"She's resting by the edge of the sea." I gestured to the direction behind me. "I left her with Tsumugu to get her things."

"I see..." Relief swelled in his eyes after I told him what happened.

As he moved past me, I held my breath. It's harder than it looks... To hide the emotions that threaten to eat you up. Patience... Waiting... It's all I can do.

"You're heading on over there, right? Will you be heading back or am I going to pick up your things too?" I asked him, noting that he had also left his things behind. Probably due to worry. Just as Chisaki lost composure when it came to Manaka and Hikari- Kaname was the same when it came to her.

"Ah... I forgot my things," Kaname replied with a sheepish chuckle, his eyes apologetic as he looked at me. "I hope you don't mind?"

"As expected." I grin while easily schooling my features to be as composed as possible. "Go on. I'll be back soon."

Kaname nods at me before running off once again. The moment he vanished over the edge of the road, I couldn't help but release the breath I had been holding before inhaling deeply. I could feel the pinpricks of tears welling up, my hands wiping it away before they could fall.

After all this time... I can't help but wonder if maybe I was wrong. That maybe- I'm already too late.

--*--

I'm busy arranging Kaname and Chisaki's things when I see Tsumugu arrive.

"Did they head on home?" I asked him to which Tsumugu merely nodded before walking off, his rather distracted expression not escaping my notice.

Did something happen?

"Aoi-chan! Dinner's ready." Manaka's head peeks from the shoji doors that lead inside the house.

"Eh, Kaname-kun and Chii-chan aren't here?" She asked when she noted that only the kids and I were left to finish the Ojoshi-sama's stand.

"Chisaki wasn't feeling good today... So Kaname accompanied her back home." I answered her before inwardly cursing at how sullen I sounded.

Why am I getting impatient... I said so before, right? I waited this long so I could wait a little more. Was it because of what I have seen? The sight of Kaname running for Chisaki... His worried expression that made him look like her worried boyfriend...

The feeling of defeat that clung to me as I watched him run off...

I shake my head. I hate these feelings. These emotions that make me ugly. Chisaki is my friend. The person I grew up with since we were kids. She would never intentionally hurt us, that's the kind of person she is.

Yet jealousy is a terrible companion.

Fortunately, Manaka doesn't notice the tone of my voice. Instead, I hear her mutter to herself about checking on Chisaki before inviting me over to the house.

--*--

"That was a good meal, Manaka." I compliment her while we walked back home.

Takashi had gone back home before me since he wasn't allowed, even with me, outside when it got too dark. That left Manaka and I to head on off home together since Hikari still adamantly refused to go back to the sea.

"I wanted to try making a dish that'd show our companionship with the land people. I'm glad people didn't think it tasted weird." Manaka blushed at my praise, earning her a grin from me.

"It was delicious! My stomach feels like it's going to burst." We both giggle at my comment before I sighed.

Shioshishio was just as beautiful at night as it was in the morning. The star illuminating from above giving the sea an almost ethereal glow. Of course, the light from the sky wasn't always enough to serve as our light so Uroko-sama had decided to have his sacred flames placed as torches all over town as both protection and light.

"Today was fun, right?" Manaka asks me, to which I look at the salt-flake ground quietly.

I couldn't bear to tell her that I didn't quite enjoy the day as much as she did. So instead, I remained quite as we continued to walk onwards.

"Neh, Aoi-chan. What's going on?" Manaka's query makes me snap my head in surprise, wondering if she saw through me. Saw the truth that my eyes reflected. The fact that, for once, I'm losing the game of waiting with Kaname and Chisaki.

I wanted to ask her what she meant by that, to assure myself that she didn't see anything and that I was only being paranoid, but her face wasn't turned to me. Rather, her eyes remained glue on the sight in front of her, prompting me to do the same.

The sight is enough to make me feel uneasy, almost like a foreboding feeling as if a calm before the storm.

There before us, all the adults had gathered. They carried with them different containers that housed the sacred flames, casting a bluish light that shone in a way that made me feel wary of it. At the center, Hikari's father and Uroko-sama stood- their eyes watching us as if waiting for us to arrive.

I could see Manaka back away warily from my peripheral vision, making me move forward as if hiding her behind me.

What- What on earth is going on?