A Gift and Declaration by Ina-chan
First Posted Online: February 8, 2002
History:  Winner of "Best Holiday Fic Contest" from the 2002 Fruity Group ML and also won "Honorable Mention" for Best Romance Fic in the Anime North 2002 Fanfiction Writing Contest

            It was dim in the hallways now. The florescent lights were turned off a few moments ago. The only source of light was the stray rays of orange sunlight from the tired sun, seeping through the glass windows, giving the surroundings a surreal glow.  Despite of himself, a small sardonic smile lifted the corners of his lips. Considering what day it was, if this was one of Shigure’s novels, this would be the perfect cheesy atmosphere for a so-called love-love encounter.  

“Ano… Souma-kun.”  

            Ha. Here is yet another one. The day has been bad enough without all these girls stalking him for a chance to give him their chocolates. Girls can be downright scary at this day of the year. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for this girl.  

He remembered seeing her several times with a group of 1^st years who often greeted him, all huddled together, as he passed by in the hallways. Her nervous eyes seemed more interested in scanning the hallways rather than giving him the small package in her hands. The younger girl was probably taking her chances from that group that always harassed Honda-san. That’s why he forced down that groan making its way up his throat inwardly and instead forced his lips to form a more polite smile, “Yes?”  

            “Ano… eto…” The girl began, her fingers playing with the package in her hands. She shut her eyes and shoved it right at the older boy’s face, “PLEASE TAKE THIS!”  

            The boy instinctively grabbed the parcel before it hit his nose, and before he could utter another word, the freshman turned on her heels and disappeared down the corridor.  

            “Maa, that girl was really gutsy,” A laid back voice called out from the direction of the shoe lockers, “There were seven or eight waiting here earlier before your fan club chased them away.”  

            And yet, still another one. The boy gave a bland look at the owner of the voice and let out the exasperated groan he was suppressing earlier, as he walked toward his shoe locker, “I’m not in the mood, Haru.”  

            Haru automatically clung onto the hem of the other boy’s uniform with a thoughtful expression on his face, “But you know… I can’t help but feel a little jealous. Valentine’s Day is the time when you expect to receive chocolates from the person you love. I still haven’t received any chocolate from Yuki.”  

            One. Two. Three. Four… the other boy counted silently as a small vein popped on his forehead. Without any hesitation, Yuki then dropped the small package he received in the other boy’s hands, “Here, now leave me alone.”  

            “Ah! That’s cold Yuki,” Haru continued, “This chocolate was given to you by that girl with all her love. How can you give it away so carelessly?”  

            “Don’t even start.” Yuki retorted in a warning tone           

            “Yuki is suddenly so angry,” Haru intoned, “Mystery.”  

“Look, I already heard enough nonsense from Manabe-san’s rambling the past hour from the school council meeting. I don’t need to hear anymore from you,” Yuki said irritably  

            Haru blinked and cocked his head to the side, deep in thought, before realization dawned on his face, “Ah! Now I see what this is really all about. This is because you won’t be receiving any chocolate from the one who really counts this year because everyone forbade her from buying chocolates for anybody!”  

            “What the---!!” The older boy spun around to face his cousin angrily, a visibly flush rapidly making itself visible on his cheeks, “What are you babbling about this time?”  

            With that, Haru placed a comforting hand on his older cousin’s shoulder, “In exchange for the chocolate, I’ll give you this advice. ‘Say it loud and clearly.’” He then turned around and started to walk away, “Ja! That’s my Valentine’s gift to you.”  

            “Eh?” Yuki watched him walk away, frozen with a bewildered expression on his face. What was that all about? He shook his head and proceeded to get ready to change his shoes. It has been such a long and tiring day. He just wanted to go straight home. The last thing he wanted to do was ponder over his younger cousin’s nonsense.  

            As he pulled out his outdoor shoes, a small envelope flew out and fluttered gently to the floor. The boy frowned as he picked up the packet, then sighed as he read his name scrawled in the flowery handwriting.  

            And yet again, here is another one. It’s been a while since these letters appeared in his shoe locker. Nevertheless, since all his replies to these proposals were all the same, you’d think that these girls would all get the hint. He considered not opening the envelope, throwing it in the trash, and then just go home. But that would be cruel to whoever this girl was. She was probably waiting for him somewhere. Even if it means turning her down, the poor girl still deserves an answer. With another long and heavy sigh, the boy opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter inside.  

Yuki-kun, 

I have loved you for the longest time. Please meet me under the big tree by the covered walkway to tell me your answer. I will be waiting for you until you come.   

 

             The boy raised an eyebrow. Well… that was strange. This unsigned letter was definitely more direct than the others he received before. It didn’t have any of that flowery girly poetic language from the earlier letters. But still… He ran his fingers through his bangs with another sigh before changing his shoes to meet with this mysterious girl.  

            The truth is, he really hated doing this. In the past, he simply brushed it off as an annoyance. After all, it wasn’t his problem that he didn’t feel the same way and didn’t want a relationship with them. Turning them down was simply one of those things that he did routinely.  

But then… now… somehow… somewhere along the way… something changed.  Now, it almost felt as if there was a sense of purpose why he had to do it. And somehow, he actually started to feel bad when he saw the look of anguish on their faces. It was strange. He couldn’t really remember when that started to happen.  

            The orange light from the setting sun filtered through the darkened corridor from the exit leading to the sheltered pathway, giving it an eerie glow.  The boy paused for a moment, waiting for the anxious feelings of hesitation suddenly gripping him at the sight of the door, to pass. This was definitely a cheesy Shigure love-love plot.  This was not making things easier for him at all! With a deep breath, he finally summoned enough courage and took one step out of the door…  

            … and felt his heart stop at the sight of the figure waiting for him.  

            She was waiting under the tree by the covered walking, watching the orange, red, and gold streak display in the sky. Her back was turned to him, but he didn’t need to see her face for him to know who it was.  

            “… Honda… san…?”  

            She turned around at the sound of his voice and automatically beamed with a dazzling smile as she saw him, “Yuki-kun! You came!”  

             “H-honda-san…” Yuki stammered in shock, “…it was you? The letter?”  

            “Ah! You got my note!” Tooru replied, but her smile fell as she noticed the odd expression on the boy’s face, “What’s wrong Yuki-kun? Did I say something to upset you?”  

            “NO!” The boy replied with a little too much fervor, he felt that familiar heat spreading over his face as he desperately willed the frantic beating of his pulse to slow its pace, “Ano… It’s just so sudden… I’m just a little surprised… that’s all.”  

            “I’m sorry,” The girl said impishly, “I didn’t mean to sound so presumptuous in the letter. I hope I didn’t offend you.”  

            “No, not at all,” Yuki replied, looking down at his shoes, “It made me very happy…”  

            /‘Say it loud and clearly’/ Haru’s voice coached in a silent whisper from the back of his mind.

             “In fact…” The boy continued hesitantly in a quiet voice

             /‘…LOUD and CLEARLY…’/ Haru’s tone was more insistent and demanding now

              “I… I…” He took a gulp of breath before slowly and shyly looking up to meet her eyes, “I…feel the same way.”

             The breeze blew a gentle gust across the two figures in the empty school courtyard. It almost felt as if time stopped as he waited for her reaction. Stray strands of her hair danced playfully in the breeze, framing her face, reflecting an ethereal glow from the reds, oranges, and golds, of the setting sun.  And once again a bright sunny smile slowly formed on her lips. “I'm glad.”  

            Yuki drew a sharp painful intake of breath at the sight of that smile. He didn't even realise that he was holding his breath. He smiled back at her as she stepped closer to his side, took his hand in hers, and gently tugged to make him move.  

            “Come on,” She said excitedly, almost like a small child, “Or it will be too late.”  

            Eh?

            “Late? Come on to where?” The boy asked curiously  

            “Come on, let's just go and do it!” The girl replied, laughter in her voice  

            EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH!?!?! 

             The boy felt as if his heart stopped for the second time in less than ten minutes. He froze, feet rooted to the ground, feeling himself go into a full blown body blush. He fought desperately against a strong wave of anxiety that threatened to drown him, and for a moment, he was afraid that his body was not going to last from the constant bombardment of shock into his system.

             "Yuki-kun? Are you feeling alright?" The girl asked worriedly, noticing the sudden change in her companion's demeanour, "We don't have to do it if you're feeling ill."

             "D-d-d-do what…?" The boy finally managed to blurt out loud.

             Tooru blinked. She studied the boy's face for a moment, crossed her arms, and cocked her head to one side, all the while giving him a puzzled look, "Didn't you read my letter?"

             "Yes…" The boy replied slowly, unsure of himself.

             "I know it was a hurried note, but I thought explained it perfectly," The girl started, "Since everyone forbade me to buy them chocolates for Valentines Day, Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and I came up with an idea just this morning. We thought of cooking a special dinner for everyone. They're at the house right now, helping with the last preparations with Kagura-san. Momiji-kun is rounding up everyone else. I had some last minute shopping to do, so Hatsuharu-kun thought that we should pick you up on the way because I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier because you were so busy with the school council and everything. I was wondering if it was okay with you to do the shopping with me." 

             The boy gaped at her in shock, as he tried to digest the information she was giving him all at once.

             "Hatsuharu-kun told me to wait here, saying something about how dangerous it is to be seen picking you up inside the school on Valentines Day… I wonder what he meant," The girl wondered out loud, before turning her attention back to her companion, "But, but, but… Hatsuharu-kun must have explained everything to you when he gave you the letter… didn't he?"

             "Haru…" Yuki mumbled under his breath, dark clouds forming over his head.

             /'That is my Valentine's gift to you.'/ said the image of his younger cousin, as he non-chalantly waved a 'peace' sign at him in his mind's eye.

             "I. AM. GOING. TO. KILL. HIM." The boy stated darkly and silently in his mind

             "Yuki-kun?" Tooru inquired again, lines of worry etching her delicate face

             "It's nothing," The boy replied as he forced out a smile, "Shall we go? Everyone must be waiting for us by now."

             "Yes," The girl replied brightly and automatically launched into an excited prattle about the upcoming event. The boy simply watched his companion from the corner of his eye, letting himself relax in content at the musical tone of her joyful voice, despite the annoying pang of regret gnawing at his heart.

             /‘Say it loud and clearly.’/ Haru’s voice from the back of his mind sighed in a consoling reprimand

             He thought he said it loud and clearly. But wires were crossed and words from both sides were misunderstood. Before he knew it, moment was gone, and his courage was spent… But someday… The boy let out a small sigh and dug his hands into his pockets as he raised his eyes to look up at the now darkening red and gold sky.

             “Ne, Yuki-kun.”

             But someday, he’ll summon enough courage to say it louder and clearer.

             “Earlier.”

             She should understand it the next time around.

             “What did you mean by what you said?”

             Surely.

              “……”

             Hopefully.

             “…I’ll tell you some other time.”

             Surely.

~OWARI!~  

Author’s squawk:

             EEEEW! That turned out sappier than I originally expected. GAH!  JQML’s  Self-proclaimed Queen of Angst, and Dark Conspiracy Theorist of Blood, Gore, and Mental Instability writing a light-hearted sappy hopeless romantic fic? What is the world coming into? Yuki and Tooru has ruined me! ^_^.

             What the hey! I love the two of them together. But I personally don’t want to see them get together yet. To me, the chase is much more exciting than reaching the goal. Well, I hope everyone liked this fic. It’s really unlike me to write stories like this! It feels kinda strange… warm and fuzzy…

Ja!
Ina-chan ^_^.