Sana sighed as she saw another note in her locker. Another note from Tzuyu. Sana knew that Tzuyu liked her, she knew for quite some time, but she wasn’t very interested in her. Sana picked up the note and read it with a blank face.

You seem like a boring person, so why won’t you accept my offers? Spend a day with me; let’s explore the world together.

Just this once.

- Tzuyu

Sana shook her head as she crumbled the note and threw it back into her locker. Yes, she was a pretty boring person. She had a few friends, didn’t go out much, focused most of her time on school work, and definitely did not use her free time to explore. Sana lived a quiet, safe life. She didn’t party, associate herself with wild friends, nothing. She liked to stay in the comfort of her calm, little town.

Sana closed her locker after she placed her books inside. She saw Tzuyu’s face that was hidden behind the locker’s door. Tzuyu was leaning against a locker, smirking at Sana.

Sana rolled her eyes, “What do you want, Tzuyu?”

“Have you read my note?” Tzuyu asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Sana answered.

“And?” Tzuyu looked at her with anticipation.

“No.”

Tzuyu looked crestfallen.

“Sana-”

“I’ve told you time and time again that I do not want to ‘explore’ the world with you,” Sana shook her head. She started walking to her next class; Tzuyu followed her.

“Come on, please?” Tzuyu pleaded.

“Tzuyu-”

“Come with me right now, we’ll have tons of fun, trust me.”

“We have class,” Sana rolled her eyes.

“Sana, we’re graduating soon, no one is going to care if you skip class for a day.”

“Tzuyu-”

“Haven’t you ever felt the urge to do something exciting? Haven’t you ever desired to know what it felt like to be wild? Don’t you want to experience life? Come have fun today with me Sana, just this once.”

Sana paused. She thought about it carefully. She is going to graduate soon. She’s top in all of her classes, as up to this point in her life, she hasn’t done anything exciting.

“Just this once?” Sana asked.

“Just this once,” Tzuyu confirmed. Sana slowly nodded. Tzuyu could feel a smile creeping on her face.

“Awesome, let’s go!”

“Okay…” Sana followed Tzuyu out of the school. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

Tzuyu led Sana to her mode of transportation. Sana stopped.

“I am not getting on that,” Sana deadpanned.

“What’s wrong with it?” Tzuyu raised an eyebrow.

“Motorcycles are dangerous!” Sana shouted exasperated.

“No they aren’t, here,” Tzuyu handed Sana a helmet. She already had hers on. She carried around a second helmet at all times, incase Sana ever said yes to one of her offers.

“But-”

“Live for once, Sana.”

Sana sighed, “Just this once.”

Tzuyu helped Sana properly put on the helmet. Tzuyu sat down on her motorcycle and patted the backseat, “Hop on.”

Sana hesitantly sat on the backseat of the motorcycle. Her hands automatically circled around Tzuyu’s waist.

“Getting comfortable, I see.”

“It’s for safety measures,” Sana defended herself. Tzuyu chuckled as she her motorcycle. Sana jumped a little bit as the motorcycle roared into life.

“D-Drive carefully,” Sana stammered. She was feeling nervous.

“Don’t worry, princess. I will,” Tzuyu smiled before driving them out of the school grounds. Sana shrieked. She held on to Tzuyu tighter. Tzuyu continued to smile and sped up. She drove them out of town.

Sana gasped a bit at the scenery around her. She’s never left town before.

“Haven’t seen this before, have you princess?” Tzuyu shouted into the air.

“I-I haven’t!” Sana shouted back.

Tzuyu did a little wheelie before zooming past all the fields and farmland.

“Tzuyu!” Sana yelled as she attached her front to Tzuyu’s back. She was frightened.

“Sorry, I could help myself,” Tzuyu chuckled. She suddenly screamed into the air.

“W-What are you doing?” Sana questioned Tzuyu’s actions.

“Just scream Sana, let it all out,” Tzuyu instructed.

“Why would I do that?”

“Let your emotions go, Sana,” Tzuyu tried persuading her again, “Just this once.”

Sana stayed silent for a moment. She then took a deep breath before screaming into the cold wind that was passing through them.

After she screamed, Sana took quick breaths. She never felt like this before. This was all new territory for her. She never expressed herself that way before. She never let loose. Throwing away her current responsibilities and letting her emotions go felt… good.

“Felt great, didn’t it?” Tzuyu asked knowingly.

“Yeah... It did,” Sana replied.

“Great, because you are about to feel even better,” Tzuyu stopped at a random spot on the empty road. She turned off her motorcycle and removed her helmet. She placed her helmet on her motorcycle’s handlebars.

“What are you doing?” Sana raised an eyebrow at Tzuyu.

“Come with me, princess, we’re exploring the world together,” Tzuyu reached out her hand for Sana’s helmet. Sana slowly took off her helmet and passed it to Tzuyu,

“We are in the middle of nowhere,” Sana argued.

“No we aren’t, we’re on this world,” Tzuyu laughed. Sana shook her head and got off motorcycle. Tzuyu hopped off after her. She held her hand out towards Sana.

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Sana hesitantly gave Tzuyu her hand. Tzuyu pulled Sana close.

“You’ll see, just trust me,” Tzuyu smiled down at Sana. Sana slowly nodded.

“Just this once.”

Tzuyu led Sana across the large open field, they walked down a hill and passed through some shrubs. Sana nearly tripped over an outstretched branch.

“Slow down!” Sana complained.

“Sorry, I’m just really excited.” Tzuyu made sure to slow down a bit. Tzuyu finally found the clearing that she was looking for.

“We’re here.”

“What?” Sana annoying pulled a leaf out of her hair.

“We’re here,” Tzuyu said again. She pulled away a branch full of leaves.

Sana gasped.

Revealed was a waterfall. It was surrounded by beautiful flowers and sophisticated rocks. There were birds bathing in small puddles around the large pool of water, amazingly detailed butterflies flying through the air, and a separated pond at the corner of the clearing.

“Come here,” Tzuyu led Sana to the little pond. Sana eye’s widened when she saw koi fishing swimming about inside of it. Tzuyu dug into her pockets and pulled out a little bag of duckweed.

“What is that?” Sana pointed at Tzuyu’s plastic bag.

“Duckweed, koi fish go crazy over this stuff,” Tzuyu explained as she tossed some of the duckweed into the pond. The koi fish quickly swam towards the duckweed and ate it quickly.

“Here, you try it,” Tzuyu passed Sana the bag. Sana reached into the bag and pulled out the rest of the duckweed. She threw it into the pond. She smiled a bit as she watched the koi fish eat happily. Tzuyu took the empty plastic bag from Sana and tucked it back into her pocket.

“I love koi fish, they are one of my favorite animals,” Tzuyu suddenly said.

“Why?” Sana was genuinely curious.

“Koi fish symbolize strength, courage, and bravery to challenge the odds in order to create one’s own destiny.” Tzuyu explained. Sana nodded as she listened to Tzuyu’s explanation. The description definitely suited Tzuyu’s lifestyle.

“What animal do you like?” Tzuyu asked Sana while watching the koi fish swim about.

“I like doves, I guess,” Sana replied. Tzuyu chuckled.

“Ah, the bird that represents peace and pacifism, safe choice,” Tzuyu nodded. Sana just nodded silently.

“Well, let’s keep having fun, come here,” Tzuyu took Sana’s hand again and led her up a hill on the clearing that let up to the waterfall. She stopped at a small ridge. Tzuyu started stripping.

“W-What are you doing?!” Sana shielded her eyes. Tzuyu just laughed at her.

“Having fun!” Tzuyu kept her bra and underwear on, “Don’t be shy, we both have the same anatomy.”

Sana looked at Tzuyu again. Her eyes widened as she watched Tzuyu jump into the water below her.

“Are you crazy?!” Sana shouted from above.

“No, I’m living!” Tzuyu swam happily, “Come here!”

“No way!” Sana shook her head furiously.

“Come on, please?!” Tzuyu pleaded, she joking put her hands together in a pleading manner.

“No!”

“It’s safe, I promise! Trust me! It feels great! The sensation you feel is extraordinary!”

Sana stared at Tzuyu as she splashed around happily.

“Just this once,” Sana muttered.

“Just this once!” Tzuyu confirmed, she heard Sana.

Sana stripped down to her bra and underwear as well. She shook a bit as she stood at the edge of the ridge.

“I’m scared!” Sana shouted at Tzuyu below her.

“Don’t be! Think of freedom! Spread your wings!” Tzuyu cupped as she shouted.

Sana raised her arms and jumped. She felt her heart beat faster and oddly comforting wind blow through her hair. She landed safely in the water. Sana opened her eyes while she was underwater. She saw beautiful, colorful plants cover the bottom of the pool of water. She then saw Tzuyu smiling at her as she swam towards her underwater. She rested her hands on Sana’s hips as she helped Sana compose herself. Sana wasn’t in danger, but she was a bit shaken up with what she had just done.

“You okay?” Tzuyu asked quietly.

“Never been better,” Sana breathed deeply. She jumped. She flew. She experienced something she never had before in her life.

Sana suddenly splashed water onto Tzuyu’s face before swimming away.

“Bet you can’t catch me!”

Tzuyu raised an eyebrow at Sana’s rare antics. She immediately smiled and swam after her.

“Bet you I can!”

The two continued to play in the water. They chased each other, splashed each other, and even got out of the pool of water to jump into it again. The two eventually got out of the water and grabbed their clothes. Tzuyu led them out of the clearing and back to the sunlit fields. Tzuyu laid down on her back, allowing the warm sun to dry her body.

“Lay down with me,” Tzuyu patted the spot next to her.

“What if there are bugs-”

“You just jumped down a waterfall with me and you’re concerned about bugs?” Tzuyu laughed, still patting the soft grass next to her.

Sana huffed, “Just this once.”

Sana check the grass below her before laying down next to her. She felt surprisingly comfortable. The grass felt soft against her back, and the warm sun hugged her body.

“Do you do this often?” Sana decided to ask Tzuyu.

“Honestly, not very,” Tzuyu admitted, “Only a few times a year.”

“How many other girls have you shown this place to?”

“Not counting you? Let me see… Zero,” Tzuyu smiled as she closed her eyes.

“Really?” Sana was surprised.

“Really, I only wanted to show this spot to you. I’ve wanted to take you here for years.” Tzuyu laughed.

“Why me?”

“Because you’re special. I felt something different about you than the other girls in our school. You gave off a feeling of someone that wanted to be… released.” Tzuyu explained. Sana didn’t really get what Tzuyu meant, but nodded anyways. They both bathed in the warm sun for a few more minutes. Tzuyu trailed her hand close to Sana’s and intertwined their fingers. Sana let her.

“What’s your favorite word?” Tzuyu randomly asked.

“What?” Sana looked at Tzuyu, but Tzuyu kept her eyes closed. Sana faced forward again and decided to close her eyes as well.

“A word that you respect the meaning of, and stand by it.”

“Hmm…” Sana thought about it for a while.

“Responsibility.”

“Interesting…” Tzuyu replied.

“What’s your favorite word?” Sana asked back.

“Abandonment.”

Sana raised an eyebrow, but kept her eyes closed.

“You mean, losing something?”

“No, abandonment of stress and failures; to remove the hatred and complications of your life, to abandon responsibilities,” Tzuyu clarified.

“I see.”

Tzuyu suddenly stood up, “Come on, we have more of the world to explore.”

“Really? This wasn’t eventful enough?” Sana was shocked. She took Tzuyu’s outstretched hand.

“Not by a longshot, princess.”

They put on their clothes again and returned to Tzuyu’s motorcycle. They both sat on it and put on their helmets. Sana wrapped her arms around Tzuyu’s waist again as Tzuyu continued to speed down the open road in front of her.

“Where are we going now?”

“You’ll see.”

Tzuyu drove Sana to a different town. The town was small as well, it was rustic, but astonishing. Tzuyu parked her motorcycle. She placed her and Sana’s helmet on the handlebars as they both hopped off the motorcycle.

Tzuyu led Sana into an old, abandoned building. Sana looked around cautiously as she followed Tzuyu. Tzuyu sat on a hay bale.

“Why are we here?”

Tzuyu smiled and didn’t answer. She pulled something out of her pocket.

“Liberty!” Tzuyu shouted. Sana looked at her confused.

Suddenly, a wolf appeared from a room in the abandoned building. Tzuyu smiled as she held up a piece of a steak.

“Come here boy, meet my friend.”

The wolf ran towards Sana at lightning speed. Sana shrieked as the wolf pounced on her. The wolf brought his face close to Sana’s; he sniffed her. He her face happily.

“Okay Liberty, that’s enough!” Tzuyu giggled, holding out the small steak. Liberty ran towards Tzuyu and snatched the steak from her hands.

“You own a wolf?” Sana asked breathlessly.

“I don’t own a wolf, I’m friends with a wolf,” Tzuyu said, laughing as Liberty her hand, thanking her for the steak.

“You call him Liberty? Why?” Sana asked as she sat down on the hay bale with Tzuyu.

“Because it means not being confined, not being a prisoner in your life, and being proud of who you are,” Tzuyu smiled as she patted Liberty’s head. She slowly stood up. He whimpered. He knew what that meant.

“We’re leaving already?” Sana asked, standing up as well.

“Yeah, it’s getting a bit late, I still want to do something else with you,” Tzuyu patted Liberty one more time before waving her hand. He ran back out of the abandoned building and into the woods that was near the small town.

“Do you see him often?” Sana walked with Tzuyu.

“A few times a month,” Tzuyu replied.

Tzuyu led Sana to a small store.

“What do you want to drink?” Tzuyu pointed at the assortment of drinks in the store.

“Water?”

“We’re drinking soda,” Tzuyu confirmed. Sana rolled her eyes.

“Why did you bother asking me?”

“I was curious about what your answer would be,” Tzuyu shrugged. She picked out two soda cans.

“I’ll pay you back when we go back home, I didn’t bring my wallet,” Sana said as she followed Tzuyu to the front of the store.

“Who said anything about buying this?” Tzuyu smirked at Sana.

“What-”

Tzuyu grabbed Sana’s hand and pulled her out of the store. She ran as fast as she could, forcing Sana to run quickly as well.

“Hey!” the store owner shouted. Policemen that were also shopping in the store noticed that the two stole and ran after them.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Sana shrieked at Tzuyu, “Why are you doing this?!”

“Let go of your responsibilities, Sana!” Tzuyu laughed loudly as she quickly pulled Sana to her motorcycle.

“What?!”

“Just this once!” Tzuyu quickly pushed Sana onto the backseat and jumped into her own seat. She didn’t even let themselves wear the helmets. The helmets flew off her motorcycle’s handlebars as she quickly drove away. The policemen gave up, they just took a couple of sodas anyways.

“Darn kids!” one of them shouted.

Sana felt herself laugh. She suddenly stopped and covered . She found this situation funny?

Tzuyu drove far down the road. She loved the feeling of the harsh wind blowing through her hair. She could tell that Sana loved it as well as she rested her head on Tzuyu’s back, sighing in contentment. Tzuyu stopped driving in the middle of the road again. She and Sana got off the motorcycle.

“Here you go,” Tzuyu handed Sana one of the soda cans. Sana took it and immediately downed it.

“This feels great!” Sana shouted into the night sky. Since they were far from the towns, the stars were bright against the dark sky.

“Right!?” Tzuyu laughed. The two finished their sodas quickly. Tzuyu crushed the cans and placed them into her pockets. She loved nature too much to even think about littering.

Tzuyu leaned against her motorcycle as she looked up into the night sky.

“Did you have fun today, Sana?”

“Did I?” Sana laughed, “I had tons of fun!”

Sana smiled at Tzuyu as she watched her close her eyes. Sana walked close to her and hugged her.

“Thank you for showing me your world,” Sana whispered.

“Don’t mention it,” Tzuyu opened her eyes and smiled down at Sana. She hugged her back, “It can be your world too.”

“Maybe one day,” Sana purred as Tzuyu combed her fingers through Sana’s hair.

“I’ll be waiting for that day.”

“I seriously had a lot of fun today ,Tzuyu. It was… indescribable,” Sana shivered as she said the words.

“I’m glad,” Tzuyu smiled widely.

“I didn’t realize that there was much more in life than… responsibilities. I will never forget this day Tzuyu… ever.”

“Does that mean you’ll do this again with me? Not ‘just this once’?” Tzuyu asked teasingly.

“Maybe I’ll pretend I never said that… Just this once.” Sana giggled quietly.

Sana looked up at Tzuyu. Tzuyu looked deeply into Sana’s eyes. The two slowly leaned in. Their lips met for a gentle, soft kiss. They didn’t move. They stood there hugging each other tightly, lips locked. The earth was silent around them, as if it froze just for them.

Sana and Tzuyu eventually pulled away with small smiles. They didn’t say a word.

Tzuyu gestured to her motorcycle again. They both got on. Since they still weren’t wearing their helmets, Tzuyu drove slowly, carefully.

Sana stood up in her seat and scream happily into the air. Tzuyu laughed loudly and turned around slightly. She made sure to keep driving straight; the road didn’t have any turns, after all.

Sana smiled and placed her hands on Tzuyu’s shoulders. She leaned down and kissed Tzuyu chastely. Tzuyu smiled as Sana pulled back. She face the front again and screamed once more. Sana giggled.

“You wanna break into NASA with me and hitch a ride to space? We can explore other worlds together,” Tzuyu said jokingly.

Sana laughed as she closed her eyes, taking comfort in the gratifying night.

“Just this once.”