Author: merrow - G - English - Drama/Romance - Reviews: 38
"Mother!" Tooru thought desperately, "I'm late!"
She ran down the street her shopping bag banging against her legs. She hadn't even had a chance to stop by the Souma main house to drop off the chocolates. It didn't seem to matter that she'd risen early that morning she still hadn't had enough time to do all her errands. She had planned to present both Yuki and Shigure with their Valentine's gifts that morning before she left, but only the latter had been awake before she had to go. The writer had been surprised and pleased with his little dog shaped chocolate. He'd wished her luck on her date. Tooru had thought about leaving Yuki's chocolate with him but held back at the last minute. She did impose on him to deliver Ayame's chocolate since Shigure was planning on meeting with him later. She had barely a moment to wonder where Kyou was that morning when she realized if she didn't leave then she'd miss the bus she needed to catch.
She'd gone first to the store Arisa worked at part time to deliver her chocolate to her. The store had been busy, full of girls buying last minute chocolate and boys buying last minute flowers for their impending Valentine's dates. It had been some time before she'd had a moment to spare Tooru. She'd loved her fish-shaped chocolate, though she berated Tooru for taking the time and expense to make it. After a few minutes of trying to talk between sales on the register and questions from customers, Arisa finally made apologies and wished Tooru a good time on her date. Tooru had then run from there to the train station to go to Hanajima's house. There she had delivered her chocolates to Hana-chan and her little brother Megumi. She'd had fun making their chocolates, a flower and a little four-point star, both decorated with a mix of white and dark chocolate.
Hana-chan had been very pleased with her gift, though she too scolded Tooru for making it. Tooru shrugged off their reprimands, what else could she do to show them how she appreciated them? Her friends and the Soumas were so precious to her and they'd all done so much for her. She had to do something. In exchange Hana-chan offered to do Tooru's hair for her important first date. First she'd braided it then she tried it tied up in bows. She tried curling it, but had decided the curls were too tight and had brushed them out. Hana-chan had gotten so involved with trying out different styles that they'd lost track of time. Tooru almost missed her train back into town.
As Tooru pelted down the street she could feel the loose waves Hana-chan had painstakingly worked into her hair slowly working themselves straight. She hoped something of the hairstyle would manage to last till her meeting with Fujitsima. Hana-chan had worked so hard on it. She worried what she would do with the Souma's chocolates. Hana-chan had assured her that her denpa told her that they would receive them but she didn't see how that was possible. Tooru turned the corner and smacked into something so hard she was flung backwards onto the pavement.
"Ah! Honda-san!" Tooru looked up groggily to see Fujitsima on the ground a few feet away. He scrambled to get up and rushed to her side. Helping her up he babbled apologies, she barely heard him as some internal part of her chattered in amazement that she'd bumped into him and he was still just a boy. She looked up at him in amazement as he put a steadying hand on her hip and held her close as he helped her straighten. She'd known he wasn't a Souma, but she hadn't really realized what that had meant. She glanced down at his hand and back up at him.
Completely misreading her look Fujitsima turned bright red and jumped back. "Ah, sorry Honda-san!" He scratched the back of his head, glanced around then bent to pick up her bag. "I'm sorry, I was afraid I was going to be late." He scooped up the little packages that had fallen out without even looking at them, keeping his focus on her. "And then I thought maybe I'd mistaken which corner we'd said we'd meet on. So I was running back and forth to make sure I didn't miss you. I'm so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going. I guess it was pretty stupid of me." He held out her bag and gave a little half-bow. "I'm really sorry!"
Tooru accepted her bag back and rushed to assure him that it was fine. "No, no! It's really all my fault. I was running late myself and wasn't paying attention to where I was going!" She blushed and looked down at her toes, "I'm sorry for being late!"
"Looks like it was nobody's fault." Fujitsima said genially. The red hadn't completely left his cheeks, "Want to start our date?" Tooru noted that, in fact, his ears were still bright red.
"Yes!" She smiled. He offered her his arm, she took it and their date officially began.
They first went for a walk, window shopping and looking for a good café to have tea in. Tooru wondered if all dates were this strained. Last Valentine's she'd been on a double date with Yuki, Kyou and Kagura. That hadn't seemed strained at all, but then it hadn't been a real date. She knew that'd the only reason that they'd gone is because of Kagura's insistence and Shigure's teasing. But whatever the reason they'd gone, they had had a good time while they were out. Even Kyou, for all his protests, hadn't seemed all that unhappy. She had certainly never felt this tense and nervous. She felt awkward walking arm and arm with Fujitsima.
He wasn't tall, but his legs were longer then hers and she was having trouble matching his pace. He wasn't unaware of her problems, but he didn't seem to be able to find her rhythm either. The silence between them stretched as they walked along the boulevard. Tooru found her attention wandering and began watching the people around her. All along the street were couples enjoying dates, giggling and chatting together. What made them so easy with each other? She searched their faces trying to find some clue.
"Your hair looks pretty."
Tooru looked up at Fujitsima. "Thank you." She looked back down. She should say something else. Anything else. Her hand unconsciously tightened on his arm.
"Um...It's different then usual."
"Hana-chan did my hair." Tooru smiled and nervously went to pluck at her hair. Discovering her shopping bag was still in her hand she lowered it awkwardly, "She tried a lot of different styles."
"Well, it looks nice." Fujitsima scratched at his nose. Tooru wondered if he always did that when he was nervous. "Um...how about here?" Tooru looked up to see a quiet café standing before them. It was dark, shadowy and intimate inside. She felt her stomach flutter. "We can sit over there, in the window." He pointed to a brightly lit table just inside the entrance that looked over the street.
"O-okay." She took a deep breath and they entered into café. She ordered a cup of tea and a piece of cake on his insistence. They fiddled with their table settings. When their tea and cake arrived they pushed them around the table a bit. The silence was taunt between them weighing heavier and heavier in the calm café.
"Honda-san?" Tooru looked up from a deep study of the frosting flower on her cake. Fujitsima seemed pained, his eyes all crinkled up. "Is something wrong?" He played with his teacup. "I mean, I'm really happy to be here with you...but you don't seem very comfortable." He glanced at her and then out the window. "When you're with your friends you always look happy. I-I was kind of hoping that I'd get to see you like that." He looked back at her anxiously. "Not that I'm not happy you're here as you are! I'm just happy Honda-san agreed to come!" he looked back down at his cup. "I just want Honda-san to be comfortable and happy too. Honda-san looks best when she's happy."
"I'm very happy to be here with Fujitsima-san!" Tooru rushed to assure him. "I was very excited about our date! It's only," Tooru found her cheeks beginning to burn, "I've never been on a date before." Besides the date she had with Kyou and Yuki last year. "I don't know how I'm supposed to act or what to say." It had been easy with Yuki and Kyou. She just acted the way she always did. She was comfortable around them.
"Honda-san has a part time job, right?"
Tooru blinked at the out of the blue question, "Yes."
"What do you do there?"
Tooru started to talk about her job and found that once they started talking it got easier and easier to continue. Fujitsima was quick to ask more questions whenever the conversation lagged. Most of the conversation was harmless. Some of it kept her on her toes. When he asked her about her home life Tooru was kept busy thinking of answers that avoided her relationship with the Soumas. To deflect attention she asked about his family. Fujitsima surprised her by becoming suddenly expansive.
"I've got the best family. My mom and dad met in middle school, and dated all through high school and college. They got married once they graduated. My grandparents didn't like my dad at first because his family was pretty poor and they were rich. But Mom didn't care and married him anyway. I think she must've been really brave to do that."
"What do your grandparents think of your father now?" Tooru asked fascinated, she didn't really remember her father. She'd always wondered about him and what he'd been like.
"Oh, they get along real well now. They all laugh about it now. Grandfather said once he saw Dad work so hard to take care of Mom, my sister, and me, that they couldn't help but like him. But, you know, my Grandparents were never really mean to my father." Fujitsima laughed, "Dad said that he didn't see Grandfather's face for the first few years he started dating Mom. Every time he went to the house to pick her up, Grandfather would have his face hidden behind his newspaper. My Dad would say," Fujitsima deepened his voice, "'Hullo, Mr. Tamiya,' and Grandpa would just rattle his paper at him." Fujitsima laughed and Tooru laughed with him trying to picture a family so normal and every day.
Once started on the subject of his family Fujitsima seemed to need very little prodding to continue talking about them. As they left the café he told her all about his younger sister, Himeko. She could be a real pest, but was really cute sometimes too. She was 11 and was always following him around. His mother was nosey but always tried to be there for them. She was very involved in community activities and the PTA. His father was kept busy at work, but always managed to come to all of his and Himeko's school activities. It was an interesting peek into a world she'd never been a part of.
All she remembered of her father was a large shadowy shape. It was filled out some by things her mother had told her but it was still like a half-remembered dream. She and her mother had been happy together, but they weren't what would be called a typical family. She loved her mother, but she tried to imagine what it was like to grow up in a situation like Fujitsima's. She listened as Fujitsima chattered on as they walked to the shopping district. Occasionally asking a question to get him to continue and nodding and smiling in all the right places. It was easier just to let him talk even if she didn't have much to contribute. It made her feel a bit out of place, not having any "family" stories to share in return. She had stories about her mother's past. But they didn't seem appropriate to share next to Fujitsima's stories of Himeko trying to climb up on stage during his grade school play or the first time his father tried to fix the faucet on his own.
"To-ru?!"
Tooru looked up in surprise and unconsciously tugged Fujitsima to a stop. Someone had called her name.
"It is To-ru!" Tooru glanced behind her and saw Momiji and Hatsuharu standing in the doorway of a store she and Fujitsima had just past. Momiji ran towards her; the frills on his coat flapping and letting a small shopping bag swing wildly from his hand. "I told Haru it was you!" Hatsuharu followed slowly behind, his shopping bag casually slung over his shoulder. "We saw you from inside the store. I knew it was you!" Momiji hopped to a stop in front of her grinning proudly.
"Were you shopping?" Tooru asked with a smile. Momiji's extreme happiness was always catching.
"Yes! Haru and I have an art project for school so we went shopping for supplies. Look! I found a pen with a rabbit on it!" Momiji fished in his bag and came up with a pen with a bright yellow rabbit's head eraser on it. At the base of the head was a ruff of downy neon yellow dyed feathers. The body was covered in golden sparkles. "Isn't it cute?"
"Yes, it's very cute!" Tooru agreed. It was the perfect pen for Momiji.
"Um..." Tooru started, even though her arm was still linked with Fujitsima's she had almost completely forgotten he was there. She glanced up to see him trading uneasy looks with a bland Hatsuharu.
"A~ah! I'm sorry!" Tooru's eyes went wide and she hurried to make introductions. "Fujitsima-san, this is Souma Momiji and Souma Hatsuharu." She turned to the two boys, "This is Fujitsima Maseo."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hatsuharu said formally and gave a bow. Surprised by his politeness Fujitsima said the same and rapidly bowed back.
"Souma?" Fujitsima's brow crinkled. "Are you related to Souma-kun and Kyou-kun?"
Tooru nodded, "Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-kun are Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun's cousins. They go to our school too."
"Wow, what a big family!" Fujitsima laughed nervously scratching the back of his head. The tall one with the white and black hair kept staring at him and it was making him jumpy.
"Ah!" Gently disengaging her arm from Fujitsima's, she reached into her shopping bag. "I was running late earlier so I didn't have time to stop by the main house and drop these off." She held out two packages. One was decorated in a black and white cow print; the other had a pattern with little rabbit pounding something in a bowel.
"Thank you." Hatsuharu said accepting his gracefully.
Momiji squealed and tore into his package. Biting off one of the ears on the chocolate rabbit inside he exclaimed, "Delicious!" He hopped around in circles, "To-ru's Valentine's chocolates! Yum!"
Breaking off a leg of the white and dark chocolate cow inside his own, Hatsuharu asked, "Did you make these yourself?"
"Yes! It was fun deciding all the shapes." Tooru smiled, happy to have managed to deliver the chocolates. She never should have doubted Hana-chan. Her denpa was never wrong. She rustled in the bag again, "Kisa-chan's, Hiro-kun's, Hatori-san's, Kagura-chan's, Ritchan-san's." She double-checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten anybody. She snagged one package out of the pile and surreptitiously dropped it into her coat pocket. "Could Hatsuharu-kun and Momiji-kun make sure the others get these?" She asked holding the bag out to Momiji. "If it's not a bother?"
"Its not a bother." Hatsuharu said blankly and popped another leg off the cow and into his mouth.
Momiji peered into the bag. "Wow! To-ru made a lot of chocolate!"
"I got a little carried away, it was so much fun." Tooru said with a dismissive smile and wave.
"Are you shopping?" Hatsuharu said after the last leg of his cow disappeared.
"Ah, n-no, that is-" Tooru stepped back next to Fujitsima, fumbling and blushing, suddenly reminded of what she was doing. She was on a-
"Honda-san and I are on a date." Fujitsima said proudly. His chest puffed out and he reclaimed her hand, placing it in the crook of his arm.
"A date!" Momiji said in amazement, and Hatsuharu made an interested noise. "What about-" Momiji broke off what he was going to say. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, we were going to walk up to the theaters up the street and catch a movie next." Fujitsima looked down at Tooru, "I thought maybe we could see the new Mogeta movie. I mean, if you want to. If you like that sort of thing, that is...some people might think it's a little childish, but I like it. But if you don't want to..."
"I love Mogeta!" Tooru assured him.
"Me too!" Fujitsima grinned.
"The new Mogeta movie?" Momiji asked enviously.
Fujitsima let go of Tooru and placed his hands on his knees. Bending over a little and speaking like someone would to a small child he said, "Does Momiji like Mogeta too? Are you going to see his new movie?"
"We'd love to go!" Momiji said enthusiastically. "Wouldn't we Haru?" Fujitsima straightened in surprise. That hadn't been what he meant-
"Umn." Hatsuharu agreed, his mouth full of chocolate. He mildly returned Fujitsima's surprised look.
"Yay!" Momiji jumped in place a few times then ran forward to grab Tooru's hands. "We get to see the new Mogeta movie!" He jumped up and down with Tooru's hands in his and beamed up at her.
Fujitsima watched Tooru beam back at Momiji and sighed. "We'd better get going then." He reclaimed Tooru's arm, but Momiji kept hold of her other hand and swung it back and forth as they walked up to the theater. Hatsuharu trailed a little behind them his bemused look feeling like it was boring into the back of Fujitsima's skull.
It was a little awkward at the theater when Fujitsima lagged a little bit to see if Momiji or Hatsuharu would step up to buy their own tickets. When they didn't, he stepped forward and asked for four tickets. He tried not to blanch at the total. Good thing he'd been saving for this date. The filed into the theater and Fujitsima was relieved to see Hatsuharu was the first to sit down further in the row. He'd neither have to sit by the tall, quiet boy nor have to worry about him sitting behind him. Momiji sat between Hatsuharu and Tooru and Fujitsima sat on the isle.
"Honda-san, would you like something to drink? Or some popcorn?" Fujitsima offered softly.
"A~ah! No, thank you. Fujitsima-san already bought me tea, cake and a movie ticket! That's plenty. I'm fine!" Tooru felt bad enough for accepting all his generosity.
"Are you sure? It's ok, really, I don't mind." Fujitsima hastened to reassure her.
"I'd like popcorn! And sweets! And a soda!" Momiji leaned over ticking off things on his fingers.
"Oh," Fujitsima blinked, it would be rude to offer to one and not to everyone he guessed. "Ok. Um...Hatsuharu-san....would you like anything?" He asked as an afterthought as he stood to walk to the concession stand.
Hatsuharu shook his head, "I'll share his."
"No fair!" Momiji protested, but gave in easily. Momiji watched Fujitsima walk to the back of the theater. Once the boy had disappeared past the doors he turned to Tooru. "I was very surprised to see To-ru on a date!"
Tooru blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. "When Fujitsima-san asked me last week I was very surprised too!"
"Where are Kyou and Yuki today?" Momiji asked watching her face closely.
"Yuki hadn't woken up yet when I left this morning." Hatsuharu turned to consider her as she spoke. "I didn't get to talk to him much this week so I don't know what his plans were. He's been very busy with his council duties." A note of worry and concern drifted under her words, "I didn't even get to give him his chocolate yet."
"You gave Kyou his chocolate already?" Momiji asked readjusting himself in his seat for the millionth time, but keeping his eyes on Tooru in the dim theater.
Tooru smiled as she remembered, "I gave him his gift last night, just in case he had to run away because of Kagura-san." She sighed a little, "He must have run away this morning just in case, I didn't see him before I left." The door at the back of the theater opened and Tooru got up to help Fujitsima carry the soda and popcorn. Momiji looked after her speculatively.
"Kyou must've been burning." He whispered. His little boy face and voice had an unusually serious cast to it.
* * *
The movie flew by for Tooru who was utterly enthralled in the latest Mogeta adventure. She hadn't noticed Fujitsima's attempt to hold her hand during the movie, nor his disappointed look when he realized that her other hand and shoulder had already been claimed by Momiji. The rabbit had noticed and cast an innocent look at the other boy before re-laying his golden head against her shoulder. They left the theater after the movie and stood awkwardly outside.
"Umn...Honda-san," Fujitsima's face was scarlet as interrupted Momiji and Tooru's excited conversation about the plot twists in the movie. He pulled her slightly away from the other two and took her hands in his. Keeping his eyes locked on their joined hands he struggled to speak, "Honda-san, I know we planned to go to dinner, but..." He shuffled his feet a little, and his face graduated to another impossible shade of red, "But...I wasn't expecting the others...and don't have enough money now...and I'm really, really sorry..."
Tooru blinked and began to go red herself. She had been so relieved that the Soumas had shown up. She'd been glad she could give them their chocolates, and having them around made her feel more comfortable and confident. She'd been feeling lost in Fujitsima's family stories. Tooru knew who she was around the Soumas. It hadn't occurred to her what an inconvenience it must have been for Fujitsima to have them along. And this was supposed to be their special date, people didn't usually have others along on a date. Why hadn't she realized?
"Ah," Tooru dropped Fujitsima's hands and fumbled for her small purse in her pocket. "I-I have some money, we can split-"
Fujitsima shook his head, "I can't let you do that!" He covered her hands with his to still them. He paused for a second, his head down and hair covering his eyes. "I'm really sorry." He lifted his head and gave Tooru a wide, if strained smile. "We'll just have to go out again. Another time."
Another date? "Ok!" Tooru smiled and tried to ignore the fluttering reborn in her stomach.
"I, uh, I guess I should take you home now."
"Home?" She repeated dumbly.
"I'll walk you." Fujitsima still held her hands. Luckily for her he was examining her fingernails instead of her face so he missed the panicked look that crossed it. His ears had gone red again.
"Is your date over?" Momiji was suddenly standing next to them again. He hadn't missed Tooru's look.
Fujitsima tried not to cast an annoyed look at the younger boy, "Um, yeah. Almost." He pulled himself up straight and placed Tooru's arm in his again. "I was just going to walk her home."
"Walk? From here?" Momiji looked between the two. "That would be a little far." He smacked his palm into his fist as if coming to a sudden realization. "I know, Hari can drive us all home. He's supposed to pick us up soon and To-ru's home is on our way. Isn't it Haru?" The small boy looked up at the taller boy for confirmation.
"Un."
Fujitsima looked up at Hatsuharu and swallowed. There was no reason he should allow him to intimidate him. The taller boy was younger than he was, and friends with Tooru. He couldn't be as tough as he looked. If only he didn't have that blank look on his face all the time. "I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience." The truth was he didn't have any idea where Tooru lived. He didn't want to make her walk if it was really far. But he'd been hoping that they'd be able to leave the two others behind and he'd get a little more time with Tooru alone.
"We should go back to the shopping district. Hatori is meeting us there." Hatsuharu had somehow ended up not only carrying his own shopping bag, but Momiji's little one and the bag of chocolates as well. He didn't have a hand free to gesture.
"This way!" Momiji ran ahead a little and gestured over his shoulder paying little attention to the crowd around him.
"Watch in front of you!" Tooru warned, unconsciously squeezing Fujitsima's arm in worry.
The way Tooru's eyes flicked restlessly to follow Momiji and back to make sure that Hatsuharu was still there clicked into place in Fujitsima's mind. "Honda-san would make a good big sister."
"Eh?" Tooru turned her head back from making sure Hatsuharu hadn't gotten lost and blinked up at Fujitsima. Big sister?
"Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-kun, they're like brothers. I can tell because of the way Honda-san worries about them. I feel the same way when Himeko starts running off when we're out together."
"To-ru!" Momiji waved madly by the side of the street, "Hari is already here!" He pointed down the street at an elegant town car. Hatori leaned against it with his suit jacket slung over one arm smoking the tail end of a cigarette. He looked up at Momiji's call.
Fujitsima swallowed nervously again. The man before him was tall and imposing. He watched the one visible eye peeking out from the long bangs widen and his impassive look deepen at the sight of him. Somehow he'd thought the "Hari" Momiji had spoken of would be younger...maybe an older brother or something. Or, since he knew the Soumas had money, perhaps a balding chauffeur. He was not expecting a handsome, expressionless man. He was suddenly conscious of how close he was holding Tooru's arm. He got the distinct impression that "Hari" did not approve. The man straightened and tossed out his now finished cigarette butt into a convenient trashcan.
Momiji ran over to the older man barely noticing the annoyed look he sent him. Tooru guided a decidedly white-faced Fujitsima over to Hatori. Hatsuharu wandered up behind them. "Hari, To-ru is on a date!" Momiji jumped from foot to foot, finally spouting out the news. Hatori's eye just widened a little farther.
Tooru found herself blushing and supremely conscious of her arm linked in Fujitsima's. "Souma Hatori," She managed to say just barely without stammering, "This is Fujitsima Maseo."
"Fujitsima-san is a classmate of Tooru's." Hatsuharu explained pokerfaced. It was all that needed to be said to explain what could and couldn't be said in front of Fujitsima-san.
Momiji smiled at Fujitsima, "Hari is our cousin, just like Yuki and Kyou!"
"It's, uh, nice to meet you." Fujitsima said hesitantly, wondering if Tooru could see the sweat beading his brow.
"Um." Hatori said noncommittally. Keeping his eye on the pair he shrugged into his jacket. He couldn't believe that Shigure had agreed to this, or that Kyou and Yuki had gone along with it.
"Hatori-san is a doctor." Tooru babbled trying to ease the sudden tense atmosphere, "He takes care of the whole Souma family." Spying her shopping bag in Hatsuharu's hand she dropped Fujitsima's arm gratefully and clapped her hands together, "Ah! I didn't think I'd get to see Hatori-san today." Taking the bag from the cow she reached in and plucked out a package. "For Hatori-san!"
Fujitsima watched as the older man's look somehow softened without becoming any less inscrutable. Hatori casually accepted the little package wrapped in an incongruous seashell and seahorse design. Tucking it into his jacket pocket with a cough, he turned to frown at the girl, "Thank you Tooru-kun, but I thought you were told not to spend your money on chocolates this year."
Tooru bowed low; showing the top of her head to him. "I'm sorry I was disobedient. But I had to thank Hatori-san for taking care of me this year." Seeing Fujitsima's confused look she hastened to explain, "Hatori-san helped me when I was ill, and when I hurt my hand he came over especially to look at it."
"Oh." Was all he could think to reply. Did girls usually give their doctors Valentine's Day chocolate? He didn't have many girl friends but he didn't think so. But then, most doctors these days didn't make house calls either.
"Fujitsima was going to walk To-ru home," Momiji started meaningfully, "But since it's so far away I said that you wouldn't mind driving them home. Since To-ru's house is on our way."
"Ah." Hatori's face had become guarded and closed again. "Of course."
"It's getting late." Hatsuharu commented looking up at the sky. It had become dusk without them noticing.
"Let's get going then." Hatori walked around the side of the car and got behind the wheel. Hatsuharu reclaimed the shopping bag from Tooru and sat in the front seat. Momiji opened the back door and scrambled in, gesturing for Tooru and Fujitsima to follow. Tooru ended up sitting between Momiji and Fujitsima and feeling very self-conscious. She hoped the ride would be smooth and that she wouldn't cause Momiji to transform in the tight confines of the car.
"Where do you live?" Hatori looked in the rearview window at Fujitsima. The Souma doctor couldn't imagine how this pallid boy had gotten anywhere near Tooru.
Gulping at the glaring eye in the mirror Fujitsima managed to stammer out directions to his house. As they drove off the boy realized in dismay that he was going to be dropped off first. He wasn't going to be able to say goodbye to Honda-san on her doorstep. This date had gone very different then what he had planned. Momiji chattered at Hatori about the movie they'd seen, about his art supplies for class (waving his golden rabbit head pen dangerously at Hatori as he drove), about anything at all to fill the empty air of the car.
"That one there, that's my house." Fujitsima pointed out a house on street of identical houses. Hatori pulled up and Fujitsima popped the door open and stepped out. Tooru stepped out behind him to say goodbye and thank him for the date.
Slipping her hand into her pocket she started to open her mouth to speak.
"Honda-san, I want to apologize." Fujitsima interrupted without realizing. "Our date didn't go at all as I planned. I wanted it to be really special." He kicked with his toe against a pebble on the ground and kept his face turned away. "But first I was late and knocked you down, then I didn't know how to put you at ease, then I ran out of money." He said miserably. "I know that you probably don't want to go out with me again, but I do still owe you dinner. I-I'd like to make it up to you. I'm sorry your Valentine's was so awful."
Tooru's heart swelled, Fujitsima looked so pitiful. She felt very guilty for feeling relieved that their date was almost over. "Oh no! My Valentine's wasn't awful at all!" she assured him. "I got to go on a fun date, and had cake and got to see a movie. I had lots of fun with Fujitsima-san! Mother would be so upset if I didn't thank you for everything." She pulled out the small package in her pocket and handed it to Fujitsima. "For everything, thank you very much and Happy Valentines Day."
Fujitsima looked down at the little package in his hands, it was decorated in generic paper with a geometric pattern of overlapping squares. He glanced at Tooru and she nodded at him to indicate it was alright to open it. Inside was a standard, if somewhat large, chocolate kiss decorated with daubs of white chocolate. "Valentine's chocolate? For me?" Fujitsima felt a little breathless, he'd never gotten chocolate from a girl he really liked before.
"Yes, I made it myself." Tooru beamed. Fujitsima, she decided, was fun to give gifts. He looked so wonderfully surprised.
"Yourself?" Hand-made chocolate? Surely that meant something special, that she had specially made chocolate just for him. Fujitsima felt giddy. He decided he was going to keep the chocolate forever.
"I guess I should be going." Tooru started to turn back towards the car. Fujitsima surprised her by grabbing her hand.
"Ah! Wait!" he tugged her a little bit further from the car. He took her hands in his. "I want to thank you for the chocolate. I like it very much." He looked down at her eyes and Tooru found herself suddenly caught in the unexpected swirl of emotion she saw in his. He couldn't possibly feel so emotional over her, could he?
Her lips parted in surprise and a small part of her noticed that his head was dipping down and towards her. "I'm going to be kissed," She thought and her stomach fluttered like mad. She didn't think it was meant to be an unpleasant experience, being kissed. She felt decidedly uncomfortable though as she watched his lips descend towards hers. "I'm going to be kissed by Fujitsima. My first kiss." She felt a confused flurry of thoughts, a swirl of purple eyes, red hair, yellow ribbons, and leek soup. *Fujitsima* was going to be her first kiss?!
"To-ru~!" Momiji caroled hanging out the window. "Are you almost ready? I'm hungry!" Tooru swung her face towards the sound of her name automatically. Too late to stop his movement; Fujitsima found himself kissing the center of Tooru's ear. Already blushing, he went scarlet. Backing up in embarrassment he stammered, "I-I'll see you at school on Monday!" And dashed into the house.
The girl watched him go embarrassed for him, then turned back to the car. She felt guilty for feeling so relieved. Fujitsima is a very nice boy, she thought to herself. I should be happy that someone like him wants to kiss me. Momiji snuggled up to her in the car and managed to invite himself, Hatori and Hatsuharu over for dinner. Thankful to have something else to think about, she delved into thoughts of what she could cook for such a sudden unexpected large group.
