The sound of the babbling water caused William to visibly relax, sighing contentedly. He peeled off his boots and dipped his feet in the water. "The water is nice and cool," he said, eyes closed but pointing up at the canopy above.
Aiko's forest sprint slowed to a jog and then settled in the soft, grassy turf just beside the brook William had found. As he recounted finding the place, she peered around and took in all of its understated splendor. The stream's charming sound as its water crept over moss-clad rocks and past sproutings of overgrown ferns halted her thoughts as much as her body had stopped right before.
When William took off his boots, the Neko girl blinked out of her reverie and back to see him as he slid into the waiting pool. She nodded to him and sat down, first removing her own glossy black uniform pumps before reaching up under the hips of her skirt to tug down the cadet blue stockings she had on, too. The front of her skirt hung between her legs while she lifted up her rear for a second, maintaining a good measure of modesty despite the situation, and pulled the mesh legwear across her strong thighs and calves and off of her toes until they were a small bundle of fabric in her right hand.
"I cannot get my uniform wet," Aiko insisted even though William hadn't had the chance to say anything, and was blushing when she said it. It was more embarrassing to talk about than it was to do; she was, after all, accustomed as any soldier to disrobing in front of her comrades.
William looked away as she took off her stockings. "Of course," he replied quickly. "I understand, no need to explain to me," he added.
Sufficiently prepared, now, Aiko scooted along across the grass behind her long legs and dipped them in the water. She paused for a moment or two right when her toes went in, savoring the quick shock that the cool water's touch sent up her spine.
"This is wonderful, Wil-kun," she agreed, now sitting with her legs knee-deep in the creek and reclined back with her arms supporting her. "Thank you for taking me here."
He smiled as the princess leaned back and enjoyed the cool water. "I'm glad I was able to bring you here," he said as he laid back on the bank, head turning over to her. "I actually managed to fall asleep here. I scared our babysitters half to death," he chuckled.
The water continued to trickle by, its noise drowning out the forest sounds around them. "Further on is a waterfall and cave system. I went and dove off it a few days ago," he added as he laid next to the princess.
Looking up toward the forest canopy above, Aiko closed her eyes and imagined sleeping here like William had. Dappled rays of light broke through the tree cover and warmed patches of skin on her face and bare legs as she dreamt of it, and she felt entirely relaxed here. She kicked out each of her legs through the water slowly and created little ripples on its surface, lost in her meditations again so soon.
"You had quite a day, then," the Neko princess said cheerfully. "It surprises me you dared to do it again," she lied, totally unsurprised. "I will take care of any angry kenpeitai who get on our case, do not worry."
William kicked his own foot out in her direction, splashing some water on her leg but not too hard as to soak her skirt. He snickered, his leg stirring up the water around her.
"Oh, I'm not, I have mastered the art of evading questions. Being from a different nation's military helps too." He laughed then. "Never works on the Kaiyo personnel, though. They can always catch me dodging questions," he said, looking over as he sent another splash of water at her.
"William!" she chirped in a mocking rebuke, still grinning as she had since their arrival here at the creek. "You must know felines do not enjoy the water that much." The statement was more for his benefit and because of his uniform's constant reminder that he was a Nepleslian from Nepleslia now rather than a Yamataian; Aiko identified less with the neko aspect of her species than the did with the valkyrie part.
"Have you been able to catch up with them?" the princess wondered as her mind drifted away from her attempt at humor and to the crewmates William had just mentioned. "I have seen you friendly with Kiyo and Gravity and Saya before," she remembered. "There must have been an opportunity for you to enjoy their company again between debriefing and running off into the woods."
William looked thoughtful as his legs continued to slowly kick through the water, moving against the current. "Mmmh, not really. I have kept to myself since we got back. I'd keep myself busy with projects or writing reports," he replied.
"What about you?" He asked, turning the question back to her. "How have you been since we've been back?" William added, sitting up and turning his body to face her.
"Bored for the most part," Aiko admitted. She sighed and then stood up in the water now that she was used to the place and how it felt being there. "Aurinda really kept us engaged. Even despite all of the reports I have had to give and my military duties, everything I do seems to pass by so quickly. Training on my own terms in a Star Army dojo again is nice, however."
She paused, spinning around in the shin-deep creek. Her pleated uniform skirt lifted up a little as she twirled and then fell to a rest again atop her thighs when she stopped with her face toward William.
"This is not boring, either, Wil-kun" the princess said, thanking her Nepleslian friend warmly and then scanning the natural beauty around her again as she continued. "I would take this kind of excitement over the arena any day."
William nodded. "Yeah, after having Aurinda drilling us every waking hour, going back to normal is odd. My body constantly feels like I need to be doing something," he replied, watching as the princess waded through the stream and twirled her skirt.
He couldn't help himself but to watch as she enjoyed the cool water, happy that she was able to relax. The ID-SOL always felt happy when he was able to get the princess out of her shell.
When she spoke, it forced William back to the present.
"I agree, though when I'm with you nothing is ever boring," he said, himself standing and wading into the deeper part of the stream, which still only came up to his knees. "Though I'd rather not have to experience anything like the arena again," he added.
"I doubt command will allow Taiyou-chusa to send me on any such risky mission again," Aiko speculated as an offer of comfort while knowing fully that her membership in the Ketsurui Clan did not exempt her from any such danger. "There is no need to worry about getting captured by Kuvexians again."
Then, she approached William and put her right hand out for him to grab onto. The day's light was growing a more rich yellow by now, after they'd traversed all the way out here into the forest and stopped to relax.
"Here, come on," she said, sounding kind of bossy and a bit awkward. "Take hold of my forearm."
William blinked, pausing for a moment — but only a moment. He reached out and gingerly took hold of Aiko's forearm, blushing slightly.
With William closer, Aiko slid her hand up his arm and then around his waist. Even for her small stature compared with him, she was still a Nekovalkyrja warrior and could secure his mass effortlessly using a grip that would discomfort neither of them. Now side-by-side with the eight foot tall Nepleslian, she gently motivated her body's ability to manipulate gravity and ascended up toward the canopy while making sure not to rocket skyward for William's sake. Tiny droplets of water ran down her legs and past her toes, falling a few inches back to the surface at first, and then some meters, and eventually a whole building's height as they arose up and through the trees. By the time they were through the mossy treetops, the gentle creek below rippled excitedly from the dozens of beads that had fallen from her body and his.
William forced himself not to tighten his grip as Aiko lifted off the ground. He never could get used to Nekos being able to lift his bulk into the air so easily.
"Here, now we can see what makes the shadows grow longer below," Aiko said once they'd peeked through the forest's roof. Off miles in the distance, the Star Army base seemed like a miniature model building despite its decidedly expansive size. Not far by the way the crow — or in her case, the Neko — flies, but enough away to have made their running foot-hike worthwhile.
"I trust this is still not boring," she added, glad that carrying him like this hid her own rosy cheeks from view. "Based on what you said just now, of course."
As they broke the canopy, William took a sharp breath in as the sight unfolded before them. His eyes took in the scene around them as they floated high above the ground.
He turned and looked down at the princess as she spoke. Smiling at her words, he rested his head against the crown of her's. "You have never been boring, since the day I met you," he said softly.
"The same goes for you, Wil-kun," Aiko replied, squeezing around him a little tighter. "Watch the sky, though. We have all the time in the galaxy for words, but this planet will not always be here for us to see." She paused for a second, getting too caught up in her own advice.
"Remember it with me."
William nodded, lifting his head and looking at her. She was right, there was plenty of time for words later. He leaned in one last time and gave Aiko a peck on the forehead, before turning and looking up to the sky.