Leo didn't have any kind of fit when we asked him to send us to the lake, which was unusual for him. He only asked how long we would be there—to which we responded about two hours—and then, he snapped his fingers with his sassy grin, bidding us goodbye without a fight (though with plenty of crude remarks).
*I can't wait to see the look on your face when we do the things you joke about.*
The ground under me felt strange as if it had recently rained, and I was trapped in mud. My feet sank into it lightly, becoming encrusted in a crunchy layer. But the dirt wasn't dark brown; it was a light tan substance that seemed intent on ruining my poor shoes, scathing them until they were polished into something else. With the thin sound of their bustling movement, the fragments of the ground whisked around in the water.
Sand. I had never seen miles of it splayed before me. For a moment, I was convinced what I saw wasn't real, but the tactile sensation of the crust and dust was not one I would have devised with my own volition as I gently peeled my shoes from my feet. I let the lines between my toes become distorted as they descended slightly into the earth, and I merged into the transience of the natural world around me.
I thought about it: Neither had I seen a lake so large.
*Never have I seen any more water than that dirty moat and a small river full of housewives washing clothes. My world's smaller than I think.*
The water faded out onto the horizon, reaching the vantage point of the shining moon beyond the mountains. Though I knew the lake's edges were finite, the source of the liquid seemed to be the sky, and I wondered if I'd reach that floating piece of rock if I swam far enough.
There was a white, spectral light cast upon the surface of the lake, ripples distorting the round reflection of the satellite. Yet unlike other places I had seen, the colors of fading sunlight appeared. Purples, yellows, and oranges stretched between milky rays and flowed gently along the surface as if they were leaves or lily pads. They converged and diverged at random spots, patterns forming like the roots of a tree.
The mountains, whose details were faint in my sight, served mainly as boundaries to the moon. They cut through the streaks of light as colossal knives, but the other colors still spread over the shadowed sections of water.
*I wonder: Is this the beauty of magic at work?*
Koharu was as awe-stricken as me; when I waved a hand in front of her, she scarcely noticed. I had to roughly shake her from behind, causing the box to fall from her hands. The sand was sent flying in a dust storm around our ankles.
"Sorry," she muttered, face bright. "It's beautiful. I've only ever seen drawings like this."
I smiled and hugged her over the shoulders, closing my eyes calmly as I inhaled the flowery scent of her hair for several minutes. I let the sound of the ebbing tides soothe me, Koharu's warmth lulling me to sleep.
*This place feels cozy with her. I wish we were staying here longer.*
Abruptly, she grabbed my left arm and exclaimed, "Let's hurry up and jump in, sleepyhead! That'll wake you up!"
She made a run for the water, trying to drag me along. I dug my heels into the ground, but the grains moved so fluidly that the action was futile.
*Why won't this shit pack together? Let's *not* throw me into the water this fast!*
"Stop!" I yelled before letting the white foam paint my toenails. "We have to change!"
Koharu halted, peering down at her extravagant clothes. She grimaced.
"You're right," she agreed with a whiny tone.
I told her, "You left the box back there."
I pointed to the cardboard container. It was abandoned about ten feet behind us and safely away from the edge of the water.
"Oh."
Her mouth formed a perfect circle, and she dashed back to grab it. She untied the fabric bow on top and unfolded the fabric layer to reveal a wooden box with no handle. The lid came off easily.
"Take one." She pointed to three sets of clothing that were all in dark shades: a deep maroon, pure black, and ocean-like navy. "They're pretty much all about my size, and you're only like an inch taller. I think they'll work."
I reached for the black one, and Koharu removed the maroon. It was a vest and a pair of shorts, much less detailed than the usual clothing of nobles. The wool appeared scratchy as stray threads wanted to zap my skin like lightning.
"I've been told this is what's worn in other kingdoms for swimming," Koharu added.
"I'm used to a robe, though that's probably not suitable to play around in."
*This kingdom's too rocky to have many bodies of water.*
Koharu laughed. "I agree. You might as well be naked in that case." She stopped to think. "I'm going to go over there and change."
She nudged her head towards a lonely willow tree in an adjacent grouping of sparse vegetation.
"I'm the only one here, you know. We could just…" I teased as I placed my suit on the ground to free a hand to grasp one of my shirt buttons, and her cheeks went scarlet.
She laughed shyly, but never the one to back down, she conceded, "You know what? We're here to do whatever we want. Let's just enjoy ourselves."
*That's the spirit! Nobody's here to tell us what to do.*
Quite obviously (as the one to suggest the idea), I didn't give one damn about stripping right where I was, so I did just that. By the time I was done, my nicer clothes were thrown across the sand, likely to be dirtied and covered in the substance. If the jokes about it were true, I'd be finding grains in my pockets for the next month, but I didn't mind.
Under the faint light, I glanced over to see Koharu. Based on her shadow and silhouette, I could tell she was nude, and I felt my pulse intensify at the thought—thinking how beautiful she'd look under sunlight and in my arms. I had only ever seen her partially naked when she dragged me into her room in the Sun Kingdom, but she always had the windows covered regardless of whether we kissed or cuddled until we slept.
*Curse the damn lighting of the Moon Kingdom.*
I figured it was fine we took things in small, quick steps, and if she was more comfortable like this, it wasn't a bother.
"You're staring," she called me out as I was wrapped up in my thoughts. Then, she grasped my hand. "Hurry up! Let's get in the water."
After our retreat, the side of the lake was far from where we stood, so I decided to make a bit of conversation, namely in the way of joking like I often did.
"Aren't you glad you aren't wearing those scratchy wool vests? Or anything at all?"
Koharu huffed, and she pushed me straight into the vast expanse of liquid when our ankles dabbled in its circumference.
"Hey!" I shouted as I poked my head above the surface.
"Serves you right!" she yelled childishly before making a grand jump. A veil of water surrounded her, splashing in all directions.
*If any part of me wasn't wet before, it sure is now… I need to get my mind out of the fucking gutter!*
When her head emerged from the water, we both laughed, thinking about how we appeared like some mutant fish who couldn't swim. Our hair already dripped like rain clouds as the tips sealed themselves together, combining thousands of thin strands into small ropes. I splashed some more water onto her, and she made a coughing noise.
"That's not fair!" I told her. "You know I'm right!"
"But we're here to play in the lake!"
And so a fight of weak splashes and giggles ensued until we were both hunched over with cramps in our sides. Koharu crashed into my chest, skin pressing against mine as I could finally make out some of her features—unable to take my eyes off her. Her gentle curves were obscured by the refraction of the water, and only our heads escaped the marine world.
"Oh my gosh, I love you so much." She grinned, the faintest hints of a laugh still present.
I had already calmed down by then, but I blushed a deep crimson.
*Did you… Did you really just say what I think you said? By any chance, is this not a fantasy of mine?*
"That's the first time you've said that to me, isn't it?" I said sincerely to mask the sudden elation that gave me and to receive some sort of confirmation.
*It took almost a year for us to get to that, but I don't regret it at all. Things move at their own pace.*
Koharu came to a revelation with a wide smile. "You're right. At least, I think so."
I pulled her into a hug and pecked her on the lips lightly as I felt the tingle of bare skin pressed together.
"And I love you, too."
*Only you, however much time passes.*