As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

"Don't you think we're just making things hard on ourselves? When most people are still sleeping at this time, we're already heading out. Look, the sky is still dark outside."

Himari's chatter was replied to by a series of laughter from Kazuya.

"Hey, you've already agreed to go and watch the sunrise. Of course, we have to go before that," Kazuya helplessly smiled at her.

Today was Saturday. Because summer was approaching, the sunrise would be as early as a quarter to five in the morning. Since the couple had decided to hike while waiting for sunrise, Kazuya went to pick Himari up as early as at two.

The two children were left to Shuichi. That man was happy to take up the babysitting task as long as Kazuya would fulfill his promise to bring Himari to see him soon. Of course, it still depended on Kazuya's willingness. 

Himari just followed Kazuya's arrangement. 

"I'm just saying ah," Himari pursed her lips. She eyed the man beside her, "En, since today should be our official first date alone, I have to be generous and just accept it."

Kazuya had an impulse to squeeze her cheeks. She sounded so righteous as she said the words.

"Yes. I have to thank my girlfriend for being magnanimous with me," answered Kazuya.

Himari laughed. She raised her brows smugly.

"You can sleep first. It'd be another thirty minutes before we reach there," Kazuya raised up the temperature of the car, letting more warm air flowed inside the space.

"It's okay. I have to accompany my driver," Himari replied with a grin.

But, even though she said that but, she was the one who drifted off to sleep after a few minutes.

Kazuya held back his laughter as he glanced at Himari who was sleeping with her head tilting down. He let go of his hand from the steering and tried to adjust her position. 

"Hehe, who's the one saying she wanted to accompany me driving?" Kazuya finally laughed softly.

For the occasion, both of them wore sportswear in a dark color. Himari also tied her long hair up into a ponytail.

Both of them chose to go to the hiking trail at one of the hills in the city.

Himari wasn't a sports enthusiast but, she thought she could still conquer 300-meter hills. The only exception was she had to make quite a few stops before reaching the peak.

If it was up to Kazuya, he wanted to go to one of the mountains. Considering the fact that his girlfriend would just reject it, he didn't even voice out his choices.

The couple arrived at the hill at 2:40 AM. The area was already brimmed with people who came for a hike as well. 

They weren't affected by sleepiness at all as the groups of people chatted and sang joyfully under the dark sky.

"Himari, wake up, we're here already," Kazuya gently shook Himari's shoulders. At the sight of her daze look, he laughed, "Haha, how sleepy are you? Come."

"En..."

At this moment, Himari really regretted coming here. She swore she could hear her bed whispering her name, luring her back to sleep.

Chobi should still be asleep by now. That silly son of hers didn't even realize when she walked out of the apartment.

Himari washed her face before she was pulled by Kazuya to do stretches and warm-up exercises. The man laughed when she did silly mistakes due to her unfamiliarity.

To exact revenge, Himari pinched his arm.

After ten minutes, they were finally ready. They walked side by side, following the hikers who had already gone ahead of them.

The air was cooler than the nighttime as twilight gradually dawned in. Himari was energized as she eagerly watched her surroundings from the starting line until she went uphill. 

Although it was fairly dark, the lights coming from the moon and the torchlights helped to illuminate the paths. The dews trickled down from the leaves before falling to the ground thus dispersing the earthy scent to the air.

Kazuya suppressed laughter from escaping his lips as he silently watched the animated look on Himari's face. He didn't expect to see her looking so happy just by coming here.

"...!"

"Careful!"

Himari nearly fell if not for Kazuya quickly grabbing her. She randomly grasped both hands on him, her heart almost jumped to her throat by what would happen if not for the man's quick reflex.

"Are you okay? How's your foot?" Kazuya asked anxiously.

Kazuya had just wanted to say something when he saw Himari slipping from beside him. Because of the dimness, she didn't notice that she was stepping on a stone. It was slippery due to the moss growing on the surface.

"Okay... Okay," Himari nodded. She moved both of her ankles, "My feet are okay..."

Himari unconsciously blushed as Kazuya's warm breath fanning her from above. Although this was not the first time she was being so close to him, she couldn't help but feel a bit bashful.

Kazuya let out a sigh once he heard her. He hoisted Himari up and carefully supported her until they reach a flat stone nearby. Many big and flat stones could be found in the area as the place resembled a platform before the terrains turned steeper.

Kazuya urged her to sit down. Himari quietly followed the man's gesture.

"Your foot should feel strained even for a bit. Let's just sit down first," Kazuya uncapped a water bottle and handed it to her, "Rest for a moment, okay?"

Himari pursed her lips and said pitifully, "But, we haven't even reached half of the trail. What if we missed the sunrise?"

The people who hiked behind them had all went up the hill. Just looking at them hiking happily without constraints made Himari felt upset.

Kazuya smiled with indulgence in his eyes. He crouched in front of Himari and said gently, "No worry. Either we reach the top before sunrise or not, isn't our main objective to have a date? Just the two of us?"

Himari blinked and nodded yet, she still appeared dejected.

Kazuya rose slightly from the ground then he sat next to Himari on the stone. With their arms brushed together, the coolness was toned down. 

"It's okay. Just sit here for 10 minutes. Then, we'll continue hiking, en?"

When he spoke, he sounded as if he was coaxing someone precious to him.

Himari's downturned lips curled upwards due to his words. She was easily persuaded by this man. Her eyes twinkled under the moonlight as she looked at him.

"Okay."

The corners of Kazuya's lips raised up to another angle. He lifted up one hand and placed one palm over her head, gently stroking the back of her head.

"In 10 minutes, we would continue, okay?" Himari said while smiling, "I don't want our trip here to be a waste."

"Our trip won't ever be wasted," He replied. His voice was tinged with a layer of tenderness.

The cool breeze sent musing to him, softly rippling the calm ocean of his mind.

He thought...

They didn't have to finish the hike if they couldn't. They could just simply sit here and watch the sun rising from where they currently were.

He was glad if they could come here again to make up for this trip.

But, a thought was still a thought. After ten minutes, Himari excitedly jumped out of her seat and pulled Kazuya to follow her. He only laughed out loud to see her regaining her momentum.

"Are you sure we can reach the peak before sunrise?" Kazuya deliberately teasing Himari who was now being careful with each of her steps.

Most of the hikers that arrived here at the same time as them should already celebrate their success at the top. The ones who had just come were still hiking behind the couple.

"Don't underestimate me ah! We can watch the sunrise from the peak!" Himari answered while slapping her chest, "If not, I'm just sacrificing my sleeping time for nothing right now."

It was hard for Kazuya to withhold his laughter. His shoulders kept on shaking as he laughed.

Annoyed by this man's antics, Himari let him tasted her crab claw again by pinching his arm.

"Kazuya! Hurry! The sun's rising!"

Himari exclaimed once she saw the faint rays of light sneaked in through the dark horizon. 

"Hahaha! Okay, okay. We're nearing the peak now," answered Kazuya in amusement, "Relax. We're on time."

"You've mentioned that a few times already," Himari grumbled. She shot him a glare, "From the beginning, you only know to say 'we're almost there', 'we only need another five minutes'. Do you think I'd be fooled again by you?"

"Silly," Kazuya squeezed her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin under his touch. He smiled, "Hold my hand. We're going to hike quickly now. Are your feet really okay?"

"What? Yes! Let's go!"

Once again, Kazuya's pleasant laughter drifted in the air. He clasped his hand around Himari's before he tugged her to follow his steps. 

"Here we go," He smirked.

In every step he took, Kazuya held Himari's hand securely. This time, they didn't make any stop. As they got nearer and nearer to the peak, both of them could see the sky dyed in the shades of amber and ruby.

Finally...

"We reached the peak!"

Himari was so proud as she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted the words to the sky. 

Kazuya pulled her closer when he noticed she almost stepped on the edge of the steep terrain.

"Hey, do you want to fall down again?"

"Hehe~"

In the sea of people around them, Himari and Kazuya stood close until their arms touched. Both of them threw their gaze at the sky as they were happily welcoming a new dawn.

The foreglow of the rising sun basked the surroundings in warm orange color, tainted the grounds in gold.