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Eventually they were the only two left on the train. Ruby rested her head against Dia's shoulder, carefully slipping her hand into her sister's. Where they were headed really didn't matter, so long as they were together. Until they returned to Numazu, they could enjoy this brief dream.
Dia laid her free hand on Ruby's hair, gently stroking. "Are you tired?" she asked quietly, although there was no one else left on the train to hear them.
Ruby felt her cheeks flush, but she still managed a smile. "Mm, not really. I just want to be close to you."
"We haven't had much time alone together, have we?" Dia's hand slid from Ruby's hair to cup her cheek. She glanced out the window opposite them, and outside barren trees sped by. "And it's almost spring…"
An emptiness ached in Ruby's chest as her fingers tightened around Dia's. In spring, Ruby would be attending a new high school while Dia would be heading off to university. It wasn't as if they would never see each other again, Ruby often told herself, and they could still visit each other often, but that thought did little to fill the hollowness within her.
They sat in silence a while, simply listening to the sounds of the train and watching the world race by outside the opposite window. In the grand scheme of things, they weren't traveling far, but just far enough to where no one would know who they were, that they were sisters. Of course, winning Love Live had brought them some measure of fame, but right now there were only the two of them rather than all nine of Aqours.
But come spring, Aqours would no longer be nine.
Dia let her head rest against Ruby's hair. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her hand in Ruby's trembled, just briefly, and she drew in a careful breath. "Our destination isn't much farther," she said finally.
Again Ruby felt that pang in her chest. "It'd be nice to keep riding the train like this, as far as possible, I think."
"This line doesn't leave the prefecture, though."
"I know."
"Still, to keep going, as far as possible, just the two of us… Yes, that would be nice."
Ruby let out a quiet giggle. "At least this time I don't have to chase you all the way to Italy."
Dia's face went red as she scratched the beauty mark near her lips, the lips that Ruby so desperately wanted to kiss, and said nothing more in response.
Too soon the train reached its final stop, and Ruby and Dia gathered their belongings and disembarked. At this time of day, there weren't many other people in the train station. Dia took the lead and Ruby followed closely as they made their way to the entrance. Ruby was still nervous in unfamiliar places, but Dia always moved with confidence and purpose. Ruby chewed her lip; she knew that someday she would have to learn to stand on her own two feet without her sister.
Once they were outside the train station, Dia checked a map on her phone. "Our hotel isn't far from here," she said. "We should be able to walk there."
Ruby's fingers tightened around the bag strap over her shoulder. "We've actually traveled a lot over the past year, haven't we?"
"We are idols, after all." Dia smiled and held out her hand for Ruby. "But this is our first trip alone together."
A trip for just the two of them, where they could simply be Dia and Ruby and not the Kurosawa sisters. Ruby accepted Dia's outstretched hand and their fingers laced as they walked side-by-side.
* * *
Upon leaving the hotel after checking in, Ruby and Dia had no clear destination in mind. Nothing in this city was familiar to them, and they recognized nobody. Here no one knew that they were sisters; they probably looked simply like very close friends to others passing by. Ruby squeezed Dia's hand just a little tighter; the two of them were more than friends too.
Dia stopped, craning her head toward the south. "The water looks beautiful here too," she said.
"Then let's head closer," Ruby replied with a quiet giggle.
Fortunately, although neither Ruby nor Dia was familiar with this area, the streets were straightforward enough that they made their way to their destination without much trouble. This industrial sector was rather quiet, and several buildings had yet to be completed. Thus the destination wasn't much of a beach, but the scent was familiar, and a cool, gentle breeze tickled Ruby's cheek. She rushed forward, spreading her arms wide. She inhaled a deep breath, and her heart began to settle even as Dia came beside her.
"It's not much different from Numazu, is it?" Dia said carefully. "I probably won't get a view like this at university."
Ruby bit her bottom lip, suppressing her cruel request. She was happy for her sister, and they wouldn't be apart for that long, she knew. "I'll miss you, Sis," she said instead.
Dia took a step closer to the waves. "I wish we could've saved the school."
"We did our best," Ruby replied in a soft voice. Whether they had saved Uranohoshi or not, Dia would still be graduating and heading to university.
"I suppose that's all we could've done." Dia let out a faint laugh and stretched her arms. "It really was fun, wasn't it?"
Ruby rushed forward and threw her arms around Dia's waist, embracing her tightly from behind. "It was a lot of fun!" she exclaimed as tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Being part of Aqours, seeing you smile again… I don't want any of that to change…!"
Dia was silent as she laid her hands over Ruby's. She was trembling too, Ruby couldn't help but notice. They stayed like that for a while, gentle waves before them and an unfamiliar bustling city behind them. It really wasn't much of a beach at all, and still far too cold for them to wade into the water with bare feet, but it was enough for the two of them for now. It had to be.
Eventually Ruby let her arms fall from Dia's waist, and Dia turned to take Ruby's face between her hands. Another heartbeat passed, and Ruby pressed her lips to Dia's. It wasn't their first kiss, and Ruby wanted to savor the taste and warmth for as long as possible.
When their lips parted, Dia pulled Ruby into a careful embrace. "We won't be apart long. When we've both graduated and become working adults, we'll be able to find a place for just the two of us."
Ruby simply nodded, threading her fingers through Dia's long, soft hair. This was a secret for only the two of them. If this secret was discovered, the resulting scandal would ruin any chance of a musical career, to say nothing of how their friends and family would react. "Dia," she said softly, savoring the taste of her sister's name on her tongue, "I love you."
Dia brushed her lips against Ruby's hair. "I love you too, Ruby."
They soon left the small beach, once again walking hand-in-hand. Wherever they went, whatever the future held for them, Ruby didn't care as long as she could be with her beloved Dia.