I had always wanted a life for myself that was outside of the mundane, outside of Kamakura, among the bright lights and busy streets that Tokyo offered. I had dreamed about it, but never made a move toward it, quietly fearing the unknown of that step it would have taken to bring myself somewhere, but never admitting it to myself that I was afraid. I was just waiting for an easy opportunity to be dropped into my lap, just waiting and waiting. Then, I met Aki. Looking back over how quickly my life had changed since then, I realized how much courage it had really taken to make the steps, but how much less afraid I had been in the moment with Aki by my side to guide me. I relaxed into Aki's embrace with the thought, while he was taking advantage of a quiet moment to hold me, and I decided that I wanted to become stronger. I wanted to be worthy of my place at his side above anything else, and needed to be strong to earn that.

I took my time in the shower waiting for Aki, the door of the bathroom open letting the steam out and the air conditioning in the room flowed in. The sound of Aki's voice, quiet, far away from me, caught my attention as I stood under the stream of water from the shower with my eyes closed, and I realized he was still not present. I concentrated on his voice through the sound of the water.

"When I learned she's only nineteen, I felt like I really had to talk to you. That's a huge gap in age between you, Aki, you're totally cradle robbing. It's concerning if that's your type."

"You know the only reason I answered the door is because I knew you would keep knocking. I don't really want to stand here and listen to you insult me." Aki sounded complacent, and I knew the person he was talking to must have been Rinna. "If you're trying to get on my good side, that's not really the way to do it."

There was a beat of silence, and I wondered what Aki was waiting for her to say. I believed him when he said he only opened the door to stop her from continuously knocking. She was persistent, as I was learning, to a fault. I turned the shower off and wrapped myself in my towel, standing in front of the mirror to listen harder. "I'm sorry, Aki."

"There it is. It wasn't so difficult after all."

"It's just hard to see you with a child, when I know someone like me could allow you to express yourself fully as a lover."

"Someone like you, or you yourself?" Aki was mocking her, not really listening to what she was saying at all.

"Don't patronize me."

"Don't say things that give me an opening to." I held back a laugh. Aki was sharp with his wit, I knew, but I had never experienced his wit at such a rapid rate of fire. Although it was a side of Aki's personality that had never been directed at me, I found it harsh, like he was taking drastic measures to detour Rinna from bothering him. I could tell he was also tired of repeating himself to her, and it made what he said bite a little harder.

I heard Rinna's voice after another beat of silence. "Fine. If you come to your senses, I won't deny you, even if you have been cruel to me."

"Rinna, how many other guys have you been with since me?"

"A few. So what?"

"Then you know I'm not the only man on earth. Goodnight, Rinna."

Aki closed the door softly, and I heard him sigh deeply around the corner from the door to the bathroom. I quickly grabbed my makeup bag and began to rifle through it, looking for nothing, just to make it look like I wasn't eavesdropping. I listened to him tread quietly across the floor, and felt his weight lean into my back. He placed his hand slowly and gently against my side, running the length of me to the curve of my hip. He leaned in close, placing a kiss on the back of my neck. "You can stop pretending you weren't listening, she's gone." His voice was low in my ear, and I laughed, turning to face him.

I reached up to let my arms drape over his shoulders as he braced himself with his hands on the counter behind me. A soft smile was on his face. "How did you know I was listening?" I let my fingertips wander around his back and down his side until they found the waistband of his underwear. "And did you answer the door in just your underwear?"

"I thought it was Kota, actually. That's really the only reason I answered. I wasn't expecting her to be standing there at all." He laughed with his breath, sounding embarrassed.

"You don't have to say anything." I said. I searched his eyes looking for peace, but I saw that he wanted to reassure me and was having trouble finding the words.

"You have seen my full potential as a lover, I promise."

"Aki."

"I'm really just not that exciting."

"Aki." I held the sides of his face to make him look at me. "You've been a perfect lover. Even if you have been holding back because I'm a baby." I laughed a little at the sentiment, though I wasn't that bothered by the comments Rinna made. I felt it might have been a step closer to becoming a more confident woman.

"I haven't ever held back. With you, I couldn't even if I tried." I was having fun with the situation, even though what I was saying was true. He was looking at me with intention. "You know I don't see you like that." He said, his tone sounding unsure of what words to say.

"I know. You didn't even ask how old I was before we ended up in bed together the first time."

"You looked like a fine woman to me." He smiled finally, and I felt instantly more relaxed with the release of his perplexed gaze. "I've noticed lately, you've gotten a lot more confident. It makes you look more powerful. Like a woman with a purpose. You lived up to your little tattoo."

I nodded, acknowledging the compliment, pleased that he had already seen growth in me even if all I had done was make a decision. "The purpose is just to be worthy of standing at your side."

A sound from the window across the room drew my gaze out to the expanse of Shinjuku, and I saw the last bit of falling fireworks painted across the sky. I crossed the room to lean into the windowsill to get a better look, and I could feel my expression light up like a child. Another pop echoed against the high rises, and another burst of colour burned across the sky.

"I brought our yukata from the spring show." I looked over my shoulder at Aki leaning back against the bathroom door frame, his arms folded across his chest. "Do you want to go out and see the fireworks?"

We got dressed quickly, and I gathered my hair in a bun atop my head, leaving a few short pieces to frame my face, while Aki tied my obi behind me. We ran as fast as we could in our thong sandals into the street, keeping our eyes on the sky to see the show. We were nowhere near the fireworks, and I suspected they must have been going off from Yoyogi Park in Harajuku, twenty minutes away by foot. Aki slowed our pace to a walk as we rounded the corner onto the main street, holding my hand tightly. I was thankful that my morning runs during the few weeks of rehearsals had improved my stamina, and I had begun using the breathing techniques that Aki had taught me as if it was second nature. I wondered, as I looked at him, smiling as he looked ahead, if it was the same for him as a professional singer. The blue of his yukata suited the colour of his skin, and with his hair a natural black colour, he looked perfect.

He had set our course in the direction of Harajuku, but I knew he had no intention of walking that far. It was after ten, but even so, Shinjuku was bustling. I couldn't remember what day of the week it was. There were other couples walking quickly in yukata, and with the bursts of fireworks overhead now and then, the atmosphere was light, happy. Aki paused at a vending machine, and it gave me time to gaze at the sky for a moment, watching the patterns and colours emerge with every pop. Aki's hand appeared over my shoulder, his arm resting there as his other one wrapped around me from behind, pulling me into his chest. In his hand was a can of hot green tea, and I took it from him with both hands to cradle its warmth. Even in the dark of the night, the summer was warm, but holding the tea gave me comfort.

"Aren't you only wearing underwear under your yukata? Where are you keeping change?" I laughed, highly curious at what he would say in response.

He didn't seem phased in the least by my inquiry, unmoving, his gaze at the sky. "Don't challenge my abilities." He said flatly. "I'm very talented."

We had been walking for a while before it started to rain. At first it was light, but Aki pulled me into a light jog anyway, anticipating that it would rain harder at any second. Just as the downpour began, he pulled me into a covered doorway, laughing, holding me close against his body, leaning back against the door as far as he could to prevent us from getting soaked by the rain. His laugh was infectious, and although I wasn't entirely sure what I was laughing at, the strange little moment with Aki brought me so much joy. I could feel the heavy rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath, and I watched the streets clear out in front of the little doorway that sheltered us. I looked up at his face to see him gazing into the street the same as I was, but he seemed to be looking for something else. His eyes darted back and forth up and down the street, and when he seemed to be satisfied, he looked at me. He kept one arm around my back and used the other to cradle my face. In that moment I knew he would kiss me, but I was unprepared for how hungry his kiss was, in public, even though no one was around, and the rain pounded the ground around us loudly. He parted from me, staying close just for a breath, and kissed me again, and again.

He held my face with both hands to look at me for a moment, taking a deep breath. One hand smoothed its way over my back, and he tucked his fingertips in between the bow of my obi and my back to press my hips closer. "We better get back to the hotel." Was all he said.

Though the rain had let up, we walked slowly, and by the time we entered the hotel lobby, we were dripping with rain from our hair and the bottom hems of our yukata. Aki abruptly stopped walking before we reached the second set of doors, pulling me with the grip he had on my hand into the corner. "Take a look at that." He said, motioning through the large glass window that faced the elevator area of the lobby.

I looked through the window, easily identifying Fuji's back. He was standing with someone waiting for the elevator, and I squinted to concentrate before I recognized Hina. Fuji was holding her hand, and they looked as though they were having a relaxed conversation of small talk, smiles on their faces. As the elevator door opened, the stepped inside together.

I looked at Aki. "What time is it?" He smiled coyly and tugged the lower fold of his yukata aside, revealing the waistband of his underwear holding his phone against his body. I took it, holding back a snicker at how easily he distracted me from the situation at hand. I checked the time on the screen, just after midnight. "The trains are going to stop before she can get back to Kamakura." I said. "She means to stay the night."

"Do you think she's finally going to give it up?"

"Aki!" I placed my palm flat against his chest in a gesture to quiet him. He took my hand and lifted it to kiss my knuckles, but he didn't let go. "What an eventful night. Are tours always like this?"

He nodded. "With them, yes. But this is the first time the girls haven't been groupies." He sounded all too complacent about the events of the night, as if the things that had happened were nothing new. "Let's get out of these wet clothes and get to bed. Big day tomorrow, the first show of the tour."

"Do you think if we had have taken things slow, we would be as close as we are now even so?" I asked as we stepped into the elevator, just speaking my thoughts out loud.

Aki held me with his arms draped loosely around my hips, his fingers laced together under the large bow of my obi. "Maybe you noticed, but I tend to express my affection with touch." He smiled at his sense of humour. "I think you would have let me in quickly anyway. Touch is a more honest way to convey love."