I tried not to smile as I watched Tetsu so close to my face. We were almost nose to nose as he applied my makeup with care, making such attention to detail that now he was applying a brow pencil to my cheeks. He was poking them repeatedly with it, his eyes squinting every time. I was entranced as he got me ready for the day.

"What are you doing?" I asked, not able to take it anymore. I was going to laugh.

"Sobakasu," he said simply, stepping back to behold his work, then coming back. The pencil rose again.

"Huh? What's that word?"

"Hmm?" His pretty eyes went wide so close to mine. An immediate blush formed where he was working. I hoped I didn't ruin it. Ah, but his smile came just as fast. It made me blush worse. "You don't know the word 'sobakasu'?"

It wasn't often that I didn't know a word. A medical term here or there, a more complex expression to describe something normal, a metaphorical phrase that was so Japanese in feeling that it was lost on me, or an old Japanese word that wasn't used anymore but for in classical literature. To be honest, Yami had taught me a lot of Japanese, and he didn't speak very difficultly. I'd learned the rest from TV and interactions at school, picking up more along the way in life. But, this word? I'd never heard it spoken before. Was it rare?

"What does it mean?"

He paused in his work, smiling a little now in thought. His hand cupped his cheek, the pencil between his fingers, precarious.

"It's for summer," he said. "Hmm. I don't know the English."

For summer? What could it be? Something in summer... I had no idea.

He went on. "I'm making little dots."

"Are you going to blend them?" I matched his smile, trying to figure it out. "Is it for a shadow effect? Or highlighter? No, wait, it can't be highlighter. Is it another term for 'shadow'? To make some light on my face?"

He giggled a little in his hand. We'd never had this problem before, my not understanding him. It was a breath of fresh air, something new that was good. He was adorable. Oh, I wanted to be taught by him. Yami had taught me so many words. I wanted a word that was all Tetsu's.

"No, I'm not going to blend them. I think they're cute cute cute." He said the word "kawaii" over and over, shaking his head and grinning, totally taken with what he'd done to my face. I had to see it.

"You're the cute one. Can I see them?" I asked, having to laugh with him. He was too adorable. I couldn't stand it. He was getting this cute over me?

He paused to touch the twin buns he'd made on top of my head, sighing with that smile. He thought I was too cute, too. He'd tried so hard with my hair earlier, and it was the perfect summer style, like Sailor Moon without the ponytails coming out of her buns. I'd never thought to wear my hair this way, but he'd manipulated my wig to do it. He was so skilled.

"Okay, okay," he grinned. He brought over the hand mirror and held it up. And ah, what I beheld.

"Freckles!" I gasped, immediately laughing. Tiny light brown dots were all over the tops of my cheeks and delicately across my nose.

"Fuu-reh-ku-zu?" He laughed with me. He repeated it quieter to himself. "I like that better," he concluded as he put the pencil down on the top of our dresser. He leaned down to me, putting his forearms about my shoulders, meeting them behind me. "You taught me a word," he said, mesmerizing me with his closeness. I felt the heat from his mouth as he said it.

My lips went into a pucker as I closed my eyes. Ah, but what came next...

He let out a shock of air, and his arms went away. My eyes opened back up as I still puckered, but my hand went over my mouth as I started laughing. He straightened up and stamped his feet, his hands going to his cheeks. That grin was worth a million dollars. He shook his head.

"You're too cute, I can't-" He laughed so hard.

We laughed together, beside ourselves over some freckles. It was so precious to me. I didn't want it to stop.

I was all ready for the day as I sat on the bed. I was wearing a white t-shirt with a pink heart on it under pale pink jean overalls that were kind of baggy. My feet had white socks. A gold colored bangle was on my wrist, and a gold colored heart shaped locket was around my neck. He'd even coordinated my necklace to match my shirt. He'd beheld me in full at the end, announcing I was too cute for words, so cute that he couldn't even look at me, so I'd teased him. He'd blushed so much, but now he was deadly serious as he put on a kimono.

We'd be going to our new house soon to meet everyone. We were going to be practicing well into the night, and I hoped I was up to it. He'd be wearing this kimono all day as he practiced dance and singing, and I couldn't wait. I'd never seen him practice intensely before, or even seen a full live performance of his in person. I found myself more nervous than I'd been before seeing Yellow Lizard's live. As I thought about it, of course I was. I was far more a fan of his than I was of Yellow Lizard.

He secured the mature looking black furisode kimono around himself, tucking here and there. The collar of it dipped severely down his back. I'd watched him stitch another collar into it to stiffen it up before he'd put it on. Now it was sticking up, almost dipped down to his shoulder blades. He'd explained to me as he did it, almost absentmindedly, that a lady's back, especially this part of it, was the equivalent of showing cleavage. No, it was even more tantalizing. This forbidden part of a woman's body.

He shook his shoulders, trying to gaze at his back as he adjusted and adjusted some more. There was obviously a problem. He reminded me a of butterfly fluttering its wings when wet, struggling gently, but with a severity.

"Wah, I can't get it right," he sighed quietly, to himself. "Maybe it's been too long. My muscle memory is going..."

I'd seen this part of his costume so many times. I'd focused on it on purpose when watching videos of him. He was entirely right, this part of him was the most tantalizing in his ensemble. It was a rare bit of skin, the only part you could see unless he chose to show you more. In his dance, he might slide his sleeve up his forearm a little, showing you a strip of wrist or other flesh, and if he got up to his elbow then... I was blushing. These forbidden pieces. I'd seen it all now, but thinking of him dressed this way... With what he chose to show.

He was still talking, facing the mirror, but looking at his folds about his stomach, as I slipped off the bottom of the bed. "Maybe I should call my mom. She'd know. She wears kimono all the time-" He jumped as he felt a tug on the back of his collar. His eyes alighted on the mirror and his jaw dropped.

My fingers fussed with the back of it, remembering. How he liked to wear it for dance. Exactly how many inches it should be from his nape. What should show and what shouldn't show. His silky skin, that gentle slope. I knew every angle and every intent.

As I fussed with it, he was entirely silent. Watching me. I tugged and smoothed, gently wiggling it into place. It was stitched cleanly, all of that was perfect, but he'd twisted it just a little. That's why it wasn't laying right. I fixed it, diagnosing the problem. Now, it was correct.

"There," I breathed. It was just as I remembered it. His dignity was in tact, but that mysterious skin... He was perfect.

"Sana," he whispered, a hush in there. Said barely above a breath of his own. I looked up, and his hand was over his mouth in the mirror. I watched us, my face over his shoulder, cut off a little due to our height difference.

"Huh?"

"You- you're standing up?"

I... My eyes looked down. My two white socked feet were on the carpet. They felt pretty solid.

"Huh?" I repeated.

Quicker than anything, he tied his kimono on with two white strips of cloth called koshi himo, inner belts to hold everything in place. Such deft hands. He hadn't forgotten a thing. In a flash, he was turned to me, his arms around me. The smooth silk of his kimono was my everything, the warmth from inside his sleeves. He pressed his body to mine. My own arms slid around him, drinking him in.

"Do you feel okay?" He asked, so close to my ear. I watched us in the mirror, as surprised as he was. Could this be happening?

"Yeah, I feel okay."

"You feel okay on your feet? I don't want you to fall..."

I smiled in the mirror. My arms hugged him closer. The red and white design of lilies on the back of his kimono was so gorgeous against the black. A mature look, and so beautiful against his natural dark golden tan skin tone.

"I'll be okay," I assured him, kissing his neck gently. "As long as you hold me..."

"I'll hold you." His lovely arms wrapped tighter. "I'll hold you as long as you want." His voice was gentler, feeling my kisses.

My only response was to kiss up his neck, finding the place behind his ear. Small noises in his throat met this, and as I went slowly, I started to feel a dull ache behind my knees. A growing fatigue, but I didn't want to stop. To kiss him like this, hold him like this. Oh, I'd dreamed of it for so long. Watching him in videos, seeing that forbidden part of him as he danced around, floating on stage in elegance. How many times had I wanted to take him like this?

He made to kiss me, too. These beautiful, small sounds. His pretty lips. These non-sexual kisses. Explorative, wanting to feel the other. That's what I wanted. Loving him like this. Caring for him.

I watched from the bed as he finished his makeup. He'd kept his natural skin tone at my request, creating a more casual look. It was a hybrid of styles, reminding me of the way Japanese women did their makeup after the war. His lips were as red as the lilies on his kimono, and he'd added a bold black eyeliner with brown highlights to bring out his eyes. Fake lashes, too. I watched him apply a blush with skill. His wig was on already, the only one he had with him, a long blonde wig that I'd liked to wear. I'd almost claimed it as my own by now, but this was a reminder that it went with him no question. He'd clipped it up gorgeously with a plain black clip, curling the ends with the curling iron to create waves that ended in ringlets, draped down to his neck and peeking over his shoulder. It was a monumentally beautiful effect.

He spritzed himself with setting spray. "Okay, now we wait," he grinned, his hands up at the mirror as if asking it to wait. "So close."

It was easy to tell how happy he was, dressed as Aurelia again. But, this time he looked different. Aurelia would never wear his natural skin tone. No, this time...

"Ah, I can't wait, I want to be done," he said, stamping his feet again and wiggling his shoulders in excitement. I started giggling at him, how cute he is.

No, this time he was entirely Tetsu. There was no Aurelia there at all. But, I wouldn't say a word. His personality. This wasn't Aurelia.

"Be done so you can come over here with me," I tried to say seductively, but I couldn't do it. He was just so... I started laughing again.

"What?" He asked, turning to me. He was almost challenging me in his tone, but. Oh, but. He started laughing with me. "What is it? Am I funny?"

"So funny," I laughed. "You're too cute. I can't stand it."

"Whaaat? I'm not cute." He pouted those red lips.

Oh, Tetsu. I lost it. I fell back on the bed, so happy. Giggling to myself.

"What? What?" He pursed his lips. With his bold eyes, he looked like a duck that way. A painted duck, like the kind you find in an Emperor's garden. So beautiful. There was pressure on the bed, and I looked up. He was climbing towards me. Ah, the beautiful sight of him.

Suddenly, I was blushing, trying to contain my smile, but failing utterly. Did he have any idea how beautiful he was?

His fingers found me first. They poked and prodded me, and found their mark-

"Ahh!" I burst out, starting to laugh way too hard. They tickled me all over, making me wiggle and wiggle. This smile might never end.

"Who's the cute one?" He laughed with me, that smile. Ah, that smile. I kicked out, overcome with him. So happy to be alive.

"I am!" I giggled.

"That's right, you're the cutest one!"

"Okay- okay-" I breathed, getting spent, but no less happy. He stopped, and rolled next to me. I thought maybe he shouldn't because his kimono might get messed up. But, he could fix it again...

I breathed deeply, trying to regain my composure. He was grinning beside me, those red lips. He smelled like makeup. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn't want to destroy his look. But, before I could think more on that, he was propped up on his elbow. His arm elegantly went over my chest, touching me softly, his long sleeve trailing. The back of his hand caressed my cheek, and his lips puckered on mine. These tiny kisses were making their way to my lips, and I had no choice but to accept.

This beautiful life. I wanted nothing more. This joy right now. I wanted to keep it close.