Hikari fought hard to calm to racing of her heart, the thundering sound that echoed in her ears with every heartbeat, and the burning in her cheeks. She didn't know why such a simple touch brought such a reaction, but then again, maybe she did. She'd never held a boy's hand this way before, so it made sense, right? Or perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps it was unique to him. She couldn't say, really. Somewhere inside she knew the answer, but she wouldn't actually admit it, even to herself.<br/><br/>Her heart skipped a beat, running away from her again when he responded by gently squeezing her hand rather than pulling away. Her cheeks burned redder than she thought they ever had and she looked away, staring in front of them rather than at him. Still, a smile spread across her lips and the timidness she had felt before disappeared. He hadn't said anything, but he didn't need to. His actions and the look on his face told her all she needed to know, assuring her that she had made the right choice and that she had nothing to be nervous about.<br/><br/>It made her happy that she could comfort him and calm him, that she could do something to help him. It eased her worries, allowing her to banish them from her mind, leaving nothing but relief and happiness. A light pink still lingered on her cheek and the smile never left her face as they made the rest of the journey to the lake unhindered and, thankfully, uninterrupted.<br/><br/>She glanced his way when he glanced her way, noting the look on his face, memorizing it. It wasn't as though he was beaming with happiness or anything, but behind the slightly blank expression there was some happiness, and that was enough for now. She smiled sweetly, the pink lingering, but didn't look away this time, even if a part of her still felt a tad bit shy. She wasn't a shy person, so she couldn't really explain this feeling, but she managed not to let it take over. There may be a small hint of it remaining, but it was far outweighed by the happiness that radiated from her features.<br/><br/>She felt of tinge of regret when she felt his fingers part from hers, but she brushed it aside, looking around and taking in the sights around her. It was a beautiful day, so she was surprised, albeit pleasantly so, that they had actually found a spot. The first thing she did was kick off her boots before she closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the breeze and the kiss of the sun against her skin, but it wasn't the sun or the breeze that she felt. She had missed the smile that might have told her what he was planning because her eyes had been closed. Then again, would she really have guessed it even then?<br/><br/>Her eyes popped open, her heart bounding away from her as her eyes landed on him. Sure enough, she was in his arms, for however brief a second before he spun her around and tossed her into the lake as though she were a child who weighed nothing at all. She couldn't help it, she let out a loud squeak before she hit the water. She hadn't had time to prepare herself for the landing, really, or else she might have prevented herself from sinking to spare her clothes. Instead, she only had time to make her entrance into the water just a little more graceful, turning it into a sort-of dive rather than landing unceremoniously where ever she may.<br/><br/>Despite the surprise, the moment her head emerged from the water she broke out laughing. It was light and airy, a beautiful, happy sound. She grinned brightly, hearing him laugh, a beautiful sound itself, she thought. Another thing she would commit to memory, along with the bright, joyful look his face held. Why did seeing him like this make her so happy? Why was she able to elicit such a response from him? She'd never dreamed she would see a side of him like this. To say that she was surprised would be the understatement of the century. But she dared not question it, instead she decided to just go with the flow for once, to just enjoy something instead of questioning every little thing. She couldn't explain why it made her so happy to see him happy, or why it took her over the moon to know that she played some part in that, but it did, and for once the why didn't matter. She didn't care. She was happy and so was he, that was what mattered.<br/><br/>She watched as he jumped in after her before she swam a little closer to the edge of the water and shed some of her wet clothes, tossing them up onto a branch in hopes that the sun would dry them. She waited and watched him find a comfortable position lying on his back, floating on the water in the sunlight. It was quite a sight, she had to admit. He looked so peaceful and happy, she almost hated to disturb him.<span style="font-style: italic">Almost</span>. She smiled playfully and a moment later water burst from beneath him, sending him up into the air. She waited for him to splash into the water and resurface before she jumped out of the water, attaching herself to his back. "That's for throwing me in and getting my clothes all wet." She practically whispered in his ear before giving him a sweet, innocent smile.<br/><br/>As soon as she'd given him the smile she threw herself backwards, diving back into the water and disappearing beneath the surface, swimming away as though she were a fish and the water was her natural habitat. Moments later she resurfaced a few yards away, giving him the same sweet, innocent smile she'd given him before. Her blue eyes, however, held a playfulness, something of an impish glint dancing in them, almost as though they were daring him to chase her.<br/><br/>She was having entirely too much fun, but was that really a bad thing? No matter what happened in the future, no matter what pain she might endure because of this, because of him, she doubted she would ever regret this. It would be worth it, no matter what. At least that was what she wanted to believe, what she had to allow herself to believe. She wouldn't let anything ruin this moment or let anything take away the way she felt right now. Happy. She was truly happy for the first time in such a long time. She was excited to be alive. She was enjoying herself. For once, she didn't care about the future. She didn't want to live in the past or worry about the future. She wanted to live right here, right now, with him. That was, in and of itself, a miracle.