She met his. There was, in contrast, no nervousness or doubt in her expression. "I felt comfortable enough with you then to do it. Maybe it's a silly one, but that makes it a sort of expression of love, don't you think?" She chuckled. "I was wondering pretty early how soon I should tell you that I wanted this ending. I had been waiting a little while before I finally did that day."

"In a place like this, too much hope too early is very dangerous," he says with a sigh. "But you and I were connected from that very first night. It wasn't love yet, but it was a glimmer of hope for finding love here. We found it, somehow." He closes his eyes and bows his head toward her, almost seeming to be in prayer.

"Yeah..." She nodded. Then she shook her head a little. "Well, maybe. I don't know about hope, but I think developing a sense of... possessiveness too early is dangerous. Hope... just gives you a reason to catch a breeze and try to ride on the winds of fate rather than being blown about by them. That's what I think, anyway."

His smile grows as she speaks, ending up beaming. "My beautiful Shizuku..." He raises his empty hand and curls his fingers, about to brush her cheek, but he pauses his hand in mid-air, just in case she's not ready to take another step tonight.

She looked up and gave him a reassuring smile, not moving away or hesitating. "Hmm?"

He swallows noticeably, a moment of nerves in even such a comfortable setting. "I have wanted, for so long...," he says, voice husky, as he tenderly brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. He exhales and smiles. "This isn't just a dream."

She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch on her cheek contentedly. She opened her eyes and met his. "It really isn't. We have many years of reality ahead of us."

"By the way... I thought you were brave earlier. Whatever anyone else says, you faced down a lot of negativity to make the choice you thought was right. I might be a little biased on the matter, but still. I think it's true."

He still beams thinking of his future with this woman. At mention of the choosing ceremony, he closes his eyes and sighs. "I," he pauses, resetting himself. "I am not good at taking compliments. My parents taught me to always share the credit for what goes well, always own the blame for what goes wrong. And if others want to cast blame, let them try. I," he looks at Shizuku with a tired but confident smile. "I did my duty, did right for far more than just myself."

He takes a long breath. "So i know you're right, even though it's hard to say it myself." He looks at her adoringly. "See, you are already helping me."

"I agree," she said, responding to the entire assessment. Then she returned the confident smile with a grin of her own. "I'll make sure you get lots of practice accepting compliments. I have plenty to give. I'll show mercy for now, though."

With that, she settled into the water, looking up at the sky as though looking into their future. "The future is bright."

/scene
<3 <3 <3