1244/An Underwater Fire

An Underwater Fire
Date of Scene:	07 March 2024
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	When Yuuto finds Coco feeling under the weather, he helps reignite her passion.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Yuuto Shiraishi

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Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco has left after school was over, but she wasn't headed to the dorm room. No, she is walking out of the school, headed to her own city hideout. She isn't as solar as she usually is despite how long she kept that up, and right now she wants to rest in her own pool.

So that's where she is headed, and she has with herself her purse with her phone, a towel and the keys inside. Once she is there, she closes the door behind herself, sets her purse aside and goes in with a splash, returning to her natural form.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
When class was over, Yuuto went to try to meet with Coco after school in the spot where they usually met up - or at least where he knew where to find Coco to intercept her. But when she didn't show up at the dorms, there was a moment of confusion, but she wasn't at the club room either.

Rather than panicking on the idea of going out search for Coco, the teen took out his phone.

<Text> to Coco: Hon? It's Yuuto. Everything okay? Was gonna ask you out for ice cream. :ice cream emoji:

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is resting on the bottom of the pool, letting herself enjoy the fresh sensation, amidst the plants she had there. Getting this house has probably been one of the best decisions she had made ever since coming here. In these situations spending an entire hour to reach the beach would be something she wouldn't really look forward to.

She is pulled away from her thoughts when she hears her phone ring above her. This is probably be Yuuto, him or Cho. Nobody else would really try contacting her this soon, though it could be a coincidence. She kicks herself up with a powerful movement of her tail and after drying her hands with the towel, she reads and replies to the text.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Yuuto Shiraishi: I felt like getting into my hideout. Needed to rest. If you want, you can come. I am going to open the door once you knock.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
<PHONE> Yuuto Shiraishi texts Coco Kiumi: Let me grab my trunks, I'll be there shortly! <3

That didn't take long. After returning to the dorms to pack a small bag with his swimsuit and towel, Yuuto made his way down to the house that Coco uses as her hideaway from the world.

As far as he knows, she just wanted to soak and relax for a bit.

A quick stop is made before he arrives, so he's a bit later - but he knocks when he arrives. <<I'm here!>> he texts, before knocking. When she unlocks the door, he comes in, holding his gym bag and a small bag. "I got chocolate, vanilla and strawberry! I usually go for neopolitain, but I didn't know which flavor you might want, so figured if I got them seperate you can tell me which one you would like." Three little pints of ice cream and two spoons. They've kissed enough that sharing food isn't a problem, right?

"I'll go change and come join you, okay?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
When Yuuto knocks at the door, Coco drags herself out of the pool and makes her way to the door, raising up just enough to reach the doorknock. "Hey there", she gives him a tentative smile.

She didn't think he would bring the ice cream here, and she feels bad for making him buy that. "Is it ok it ok if you eat that and we eat ice cream together another time? My treat, to make it up to you. And you can talk to me in the pool, how about it?" she offers before going back inside the water, floating on its surface this time.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
As soon as he sees Coco's expression, Yuuto realizes something's up. Leaning down, he pays his mermaid a little kiss, before she has that reaction to the ice cream. "Really? You sure? I even sprung for the good stuff." He was trying his best to put her at ease and just be on a date with her. A home date is still a date. "There's absolutely nothing to make up to me. We're dating, and way back when this started, we agreed we'd split the dates."

Yes, that has changed a little since Coco put the ring on Yuuto's finger and promised him the future, but still. He puts the ice cream away for now though, so that he can slip into a back room to change into his swimsuit and moves to settle into the water with her. "It's getting warmer, hopefully we can go to the beach together soon." he suggests to her. "So, what's got you thinking, my Princess?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco sighs when she realises she let out too much. "I am sorry, it's just..." she starts saying. I failed out a friend of mine in a pretty big way." Her fingers dance on the water surface, as if that would make it easier to accept what happened.

"Cho had turned to me to get Tadase and Ami, and I put together a plan to that end. Then it all happened so fast", the mermaid says, lightly letting up the water up and down her fin, up and down, in a hypnotic and more importantly distracting rhythm.

"Next thing I know, Ami gets rashes and turns away in a panic. I wanted to help them get closer, and I only made things worse", she says staring up at the ceiling with her golden eyes before turning them to Yuuto full of contempt for herself.

"This is supposed to be what I do best, and yet, I am unable to help them. I couldn't have done worse than this", she turns her gaze aside. "I am a fraud of a friend."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
All that spills out at once, and Yuuto is left for a moment, flabbergasted. As he tries to digest it all, his eyes are on Coco's tail and that hypnotic sway, before he finally shakes his head to get out of it, cause he really could just watch her swim all day and be mesmerized by her beauty.

"So Cho was trying to set up two of her friends?" he asks, just to confirm. "Two people you never met before, of did you know Tadase and Ami? Were you aware of their likes and dislikes? How much time did you have to prepare, this all sounds so sudden and rushed." he points out to her.

But when she looks at him with those eyes full of hurt, the emerald-eyed boy melts. He moves over to her, his arms open so that she can come join him in a hug if she wants one, "You couldn't have known that Ami would have that reaction. Noone could have, unless they've seen her in that situation before."

And then... she says those last few things. One could almost see the heartbreak that Yuuto feels in sympathy for the love of his life. "You are no fraud, Coco." he says, finally firmly. He'll address the rest of that in a moment, but for the moment, his hands try to find some part of Coco to hold onto. "I've met so many of my friends through you. People you know, care for, spend time with. Help. You are a source of support and inspiration for so many, Coco. You give so freely, so wholly of yourself, I'm surprised that I'm the one that was fortunate to find myself matched to you. And you, my love, are no fraud to me."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I had way more time that Cho thought", Coco confesses. "Because Cora had overheard Wuwu talking about it and told me everything. So I had enough time to use Ami's interests in my plan, transplant rare medicinal plants nearby, contact everyone that needed to be there, and get the plan started. I even had Nurse Meiou's help, and the two of them are quite close." They are both Sailors, of course they are.

"So what if I couldn't have known? The idea was to get her to give Tadase a chance. Even without the rashes I couldn't have known about, getting into a panic is decidedly not selling the idea to her." She nestles into him when Yuuto gives the mermaid an opportunity.

"You are way more special than what you sell yourself as, Yuuto, and I have a lot of people I care about, but the fact I get along well with them doesn't mean I can compromise Tadase's love. He must be heartbroken because of me? What else can you get when your love gets rashes in reaction to you?", she cuddles closely to Yuuto, even if she too low to hear his heartbeat well.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"He is not heartbroken because of you." Yuuto's arms settle around Coco, his hands touching bare skin, trying to support, trying to comfort. "You did your part. You brought them together." he points out to her, a little kiss to the top of her head.

"And you got hit with the unexpected. Maybe they got too close too quick. Maybe Tadase went a little far? I mean, there's so many variables here, but the one person that is taking it hardest is the one that tried the hardest. That's you. You didn't compromise his love - and in the grand scheme of things, they could still work. Yeah, they're going to have to try a little harder, maybe."

He holds her tighter, intent on reminding the mermaid that she is loved and wanted. "But you provided something, even if it came up short, now that they can dwell on. You lit a fire. Even underwater, where flames should not burn, you have set the first spark. They can choose if they want to fan the flames of romance. They can decide if it builds into a fire. But they would have not even had a chance to consider that were it not for you, Coco."

"I know, and I feel bad for Tadase. But this is in Ami's court now. She needs to decide if this is something she wants to pursue. Give her time to think and work it out in her head. I've seen her name on the score sheets for the grades. She's a very cerebral girl. She may want time to work out her feelings. In the meantime, you my dear Coco, can figure out your own next step. Because I know you feel bad now - but Tadase and Ami are not the only hearts in this world that are waiting for a mermaid to come along and introduce them to each other. I don't ever want you to quit something you feel you're the best at. Anyone that's the best at anything is going to tell you it takes practice. And not always going to turn out right. But this still hasn't gone wrong. This is just... a moment. Again. You provided the kindling and the spark. Give them time to decide if they want to warm themselves by the fire."

"Fire analogies are terrible when you're in love with a mermaid."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I guess, I hope they will be able to recover from this set-back", Coco replies, getting herself off of his knees to hoist herself on the pool's edge. "And I hope Sara won't be too disappointed if she finds me still pursuing this. I would have thought she would have told me it's about time, since she grew disillusioned over love too", Coco comment with a slight grimace.

"And I want to try my best, Yuuto. I often say that love is a battlefield, but I really believe in that beautiful moment where at the end, they get together. I think you are right. I will stay ready on the lookout for somebody else that may need my help." Coco sneaks a kiss on Yuuto's lips just then. What has she done to deserve someone as good as him?

"I will set my mind on it again, and I will put on it the same energy I have always had. I am glad to have you at my side, Yuuto. You are all the energy I need, and I can't thank you enough for being here."

Coco gives him a smirk at his fire analogy. "You know, I have been told by other mermaids that I get on fire when I am ignited, so your analogies aren't out of place." She brings her face close to him as her golden eyes gaze into his emerald ones, close enough to let her nuzzle against him, her eyes and lips equally cheery.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"Sara has no right to be disappointed, Coco. This is your passion. Noone else's." Yuuto reminds as she moves from his lap. Someday, they'll be able to tail-tangle together in the comfort of this pool. "You suffered a loss. War's far far from over. There are plenty of young hears waiting to be matched!" he agrees easily.

The little snuck kiss catches Yuuto off-guard, but that won't last for long. "Hey, you support me in all the things I can do, I should return the favor." he points out to her. "After all, you are the fire in my heart." And this time, he pulls her in close, hands in her blonde hair to claim a longer, more passionate kiss before he pulls back after a few moments.

"Speaking of fire, I met that Steam Sentinel - Blaze. In her normal form." he explains. "She goes to school with us..." a small laugh. "She though I was proposing to her when I grabbed her hand in excitement. I don't think she was all that heartbroken when I told her I have girlfriend. I think she likes girls better, anyway."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco doesn't expect to be pulled back for a longer kiss, but that passionate gesture is enough to get her to want to laugh contented if her mouth weren't currently busy on a better deal as she kisses Yuuto back. "You are more than worth it", is what Yuuto gets told when the kiss is broken. "You are the ray of sunshine that lightens up all my days."

"Oh, I am so surprised by that", Coco laughs with a crystalline timber. "It's not like somehow all those with magic end up right here. Not me, not you, not Cho..." The list could go on and on. "So, what is she like? Did you get along?"

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"We traded contact information. There's another one out there. Steam Sentinel, that is." Yuuto explains, settling into holding onto Coco now that they are together again. "You're worth more than all the treasures in the ocean." he responds to her, considering his thoughts on it.

And then back to top. "She offered me a cupcake... it was like eating of my sculptures, to be honest. It mean, it tasted okay, but the texture." A shake of his head. "I think it's still somewhere in my gut, waiting."