Chapter 1

Himawari woke up to a cold morning on Christmas Eve, she had had the flu a few days prior so she felt she had needed to sleep, she hadn't gone to school for about a week because of her sickness. However, Sakurako had been surprisingly trustworthy about bringing her the homework that was assigned that day. She hadn't seen any of her friends in days and she was starting to get lonely, Kaede (her younger sister) was keeping her company, though Himawari could only keep conversation with the young girl for a short time, she had recently started watching Witch Girl Mirakarun, which Himawari knew nothing about.

Himawari was a little drowsy but her flu was slowly healing itself, her fever had gone down .5 degrees and she was starting to get hungry, which was a good sign. She wanted to ask her mom if she could go to see Sakurako , however her tsundere tendencies kept her at home. She wanted to go out to dinner with Sakurako on Christmas but was waiting for Sakurako to approach her first. She missed Akari-chan and Chinatsu-chan who she hadn't seen in about 7 days, she even missed Kyouko-senpai with her strange, slightly lesbian antics. She missed Ayano-senpai and Rise-senpai also, she looked up to them both even though she had no clue what Rise was saying most of the time. But most of all she missed Sakurako, her best friend/arch nemesis who she looked up to but looked down on at the same time, she missed the way they yelled at each other, she missed the way they'd do homework together and with that the way Himawari scolded Sakurako for goofing and taking too many breaks, she missed the way Sakurako gulped down her food without hesitation. She had known for quite a while that Sakurako and her had always had a special spark.

She soon realized that she had been thinking about Sakurako for about half an hour, her mother had gone grocery shopping and her father was at work, Kaede was probably either with her mother or in the family room watching anime. Himawari decided to get out of bed and make breakfast for herself, she decided to make some natto with rice even though she'd never been fond of the pungent smell and taste. She got out of bed and soon realized her legs were wobbly, that was probably due to the fact that she hadn't walked for the better half of a day. She started to wonder if Sakurako missed her or was worried, she hoped that her best friend would at least be a little bit worried about her, having the flu for a week is pretty serious anyway. She had gotten a card from the members of the Amusement Club that had simply had a hand drawn picture of Mirakarun and Rivalun (drawn by Kyouko of course) and the club members had all signed it, Chinatsu had drawn a heart at the end of her name which was terrifying in itself. When she had finally got her legs to work correctly she walked into the kitchen, she decided to clean up a little while waiting for her tea to boil.

When she was done with her breakfast she decided she should probably take a bath, she was probably starting to get a little stinky because she hadn't washed herself in a few days. Before she could get her towel and a change of clothes there was a knock on the door. This in itself was unexpected because she wasn't esxpecting a package or any visitors, which meant it was probably Sakurako or one of her other friends, she sincerely hoped that it was indeed Sakurako but she also didn't want it to be, Himawari probably stank pretty bad, and her hair was a mess. She walked up to the door while brushing her knotted, blue hair, it surprisingly still smelled like her Peach shampoo that she had bought and used a few days ago. She looked through the window that was next to the door to see who it was, what she saw took the breath away from her. It was a very attractive looking Sakurako, wearing her brown coat and dark blue jeans, holding about a dozen roses and a package.

Himawari had just opened her front door to find a light brown haired, young Sakurako, wearing her brown coat (which complimented her hair quite nicely) and carrying roses, a card & a package, the package was wrapped with a Sakura colored wrapping paper that made Himawari feel strangely comfortable. The roses looked old (they probably were since it was late December) however it looked like whoever had taken care of the flowers had done quite a nice job, Himawari also soon realized that there was a single poinsettia flower in the bunch of roses. The package itself was quite impressive, it wasn't very big but it seemed to have been wrapped with great care, it even had a little black bow around it which made the light pink seem very delicate. She all of a sudden felt very embarrassed, she had been sick for so long that she hadn't had the chance to pick out any presents for her friend, Sakurako included. Himawari opened the door very cautiously, she didn't particularly want her crush to see her in such a bad way but she supposed he didn't have much of a choice. Sakurako's usual manner was quite impolite and not at all patient, however she seemed more considerate, nervous even, she was looking down at the doormat in front of Himawari's door, looking like she was thinking about something. Himawari then opened the door and said in a very small, mousy voice, "Hello Sakurako".

This looked like it took Sakurako by surprise, it might have even startled her, She replied with a similarly mousy and quiet voice, "H-hello Himawari". In the back of Himawari's mind she was thinking about how much she wanted to hug Sakurako, tell her that she loved her ,how much she had missed her young, tsundere crush, she also thought it was insanely adorable how quiet and demure seeming the usually rowdy and obnoxious Sakurako was being. But she couldn't act on any of these things quite yet, well that was what she was thinking anyway.

"How are you feeling today?" Sakurako asked, disrupting Himawari's thoughts about the young girl.

"Better than I have been in the last week, I still have a slight fever but I'm starting to get my appetite back." Himawari said as she invited Sakurako into her house.

Usually Sakurako would run in and dive onto Himawari's couch or run into the kitchen to get a drink or a snack, but obviously today was much different, with demureness usually reserved for people like Chitose or Ayano, she calmly walked into the house, took off her shoes and put on indoor slippers. Everything about Sakurako was beautiful today, she was wearing a small ribbon in her light brown hair, she smelled slightly of Oranges and her shoes looked brand new and shined. She was wearing her school uniform under her slightly heavy brown coat (which Himawari picked out for her thinking it would look beautiful on her crush.) Sakurako sat down on the couch and twiddled her small thumbs, seeming nervous, Himawari figured the flowers, letter & package were for her and that made her shine with happiness, even if it wasn't much it made her quite happy that her young friend had thought about her in any way other than the booby monster who always helped her with her homework and scolded her when she didn't get answers right.

Himawari went to go make some green tea for Sakurako and her, she also grabbed some rice crackers that Sakurako had a particular fondness for. Himawari had always been a very focused girl but recently she had been fantasizing like Chitose, thinking about Sakurako, how it would be if they started dating and things like that. When the tea was done boiling she put it on a tray with two cups and a few rice crackers, she used her fanciest tea set which was also Sakurako's favorite. As she set down the tray on the table Sakurako grabbed her wrist in a delicate, almost lovingly way, Sakurako was blushing up a storm as she did this, looking down at the carpet with her other hand on her chest.

"H-Himawari…..I love you…."Sakurako stuttered quietly. "I've missed you this past week, school was hell without you, I've only had Chinatsu, Akari & the student council to keep me company."

While Himawari had had even less people to keep her company when she was sick this still made her very happy. Himawari's thoughts were cut off by a hug from her best friend/arch nemesis/crush, even though Himawari's fever made this very uncomfortable it still made her happier than she could possibly express with words, so she just hugged Sakurako back.

After about a minute long hug Sakurako unwrapped her arms from Himawari, there were tears in both their eyes but it was apparent that they were tears of utter joy, neither of them had been this happy in a long time, and they knew each other so well that they didn't have to communicate to be able to recognize that.

"I got you a Christmas gift, it's a little early but I hope you like it."

"Thank you Sakurako, but I haven't gotten you anything yet because I was sick for this past week…"

"That's okay, I'm just glad that I got to see you today,"Sakurako replied as she handed Himawari the presents.

"Can I open it right now?" Himawari questioned with some hesitation, she didn't want to be rude to her crush (despite their argumentative past) but she was very excited about the gifts, she poured some tea for Sakurako and her.

"Yes, go ahead." Himawari picked up the gently wrapped, pink package and admired the wrapping, it wasn't something she would've thought Sakurako would be capable of, it must have taken quite a while. She gently untied the dark black bow with delicacy that she had learned to use when she knitted scarves and other clothes, under the wrapping paper was a dark blue velvet jeweler's case, it's simplicity was its beauty. She slowly opened the seemingly jewelry case to reveal a beautiful Alexandrite and Pearl necklace, it took her breath away, she was expecting jewelry from the case but this was unexpected, it had to have cost at least a few hundred thousand yen, something Sakurako shouldn't be able to afford.

"Sakurako….it's beautiful." She hugged Sakurako once again (which of course neither of them minded). "How could you afford this?"

"I've been saving up money for about a year, I guess it really was worth it."

Himawari suddenly felt horrible, but ecstatic at the same time, this had been the first time in a while that the two have talked normally, without Sakurako mocking Himawari's breasts or Himawari mocking Sakurako's unfocused attitude, this made Himawari and Sakurako feel like they needed each other, which they did and they both knew it. Himawari would have to get something amazing for Sakurako to repay her for the beautiful but simplistic necklace.

"Ne, Himawari….I wanted to ask you something…do you want to go out on a Christmas….date?"

Himawari was taken aback, not with disgust but rather with pure excitment, this had also taken her by surprise (though she probably should've recognized the signs)"Of course Sakurako, there is nothing I'd rather do to spend the day."

Sakurako's POV, two days before Christmas eve

Sakurako had been looking around for the perfect present for her friend/arch nemesis/crush/booby monster, she wanted to get something that had meaning, something maybe like a birthstone necklace, money wasn't really an issue because she had been saving up for quite a while, especially for an occasion like this one. She had looked at many different jewelry shops and the such and couldn't manage to find something that really stood out to her, she had just entered an outlet mall when she saw what looked like a family ran jewelry store. She slowly walked in and looked around for a short while before a young woman came and asked her if she could help the young girl find anything, Sakurako asked for her to show her what necklaces they had in the range 100,000-500,000 yen, preferably with Pearls or Alexandrite (Himawari's birthstones.) The young clerk brought out two necklaces, one a necklace with a bright silver chain and three pearls in the front, the other a simplistic necklace with a silver pendant in the front, with both Alexandrite and pearls. Sakurako immediately fell in love with the Alexandrite and Pearl necklace, she decided to buy the 250,000 yen necklace and get it engraved for an extra couple thousand yen.

"Is this for a friend?" the young jewelry store clerk inquired.

"A…girlfriend,"Sakurako said with some hesitation, she sincerely hoped that Himawari accepted the gift and her heartfelt confession.

"Oh okay, what would you like engraved on the necklace?"

Sakurako thought for a moment, trying not to be too cheesy but also trying to be sincere, she wanted it to be special, like the necklace, she wanted it to mean something to Himawari.

Himawari's POV, Christmas Eve

"Himawari, you are my one and only, my star and my sun, forever and always," Himawari read aloud."Sakurako….this is beautiful," she was truly lost for words, usually in these types of situations she could find something to say, something to interrupt the awkward silence, but this wasn't awkward, this was one of the most beautiful things either of them had ever experienced, true love, and they both knew it.

Himawari ran at Sakurako with intensity reserved for bulls that had just had a red cape waved at them, but this wasn't hate, this was, again, true love. She hugged Sakurako so hard that it almost knocked her over, it hurt but it also made her so happy.

"Sakurako….I love you too," Himawari whispered in Sakurako's ear, Sakurako and her then shared their first kiss. Both Sakurako and Himawari were blushing up a storm, but they didn't want to stop kissing, it was a blissful feeling, especially because they now both knew how the other person felt, they had the same feelings for each other.

Sakurako put her forehead to Himawari's in a very innocent, non-perverse way, "Himawari, you still have a slight fever, do you want me to clean up so you can go to bed?

It really was a day of surprises for Himawari, Sakurako being so polite, Sakurako confessing to her in such a sweet way and the demonic phrase "booby monster" had yet to be uttered (whether it be in flattery or mockery).

"I'm fine for right now, I want to spend some more time with you, besides, I'm feeling way better than I have in the past week," Himawari reassured.

"Phew, I thought I was gonna have to clean, but I guess if it was for you I wouldn't mind." And there the old Sakurako is.

"Why did you all of a sudden decide to confess to me? I was going to confess if you didn't by the way…" Himawari said feeling slightly ashamed of her tsundere attitude towards her young crush.

"Well…"Sakurako started, "school was so boring without you, I didn't have anyone to entertain me, help me with school or club activities. Hell, I even volunteered to drop off schoolwork on the off chance that I might be able to see you and strike up a conversation. I soon realized that I can't live without you, even for a week, that's when I decided to bring my feelings about, so I went and got you the necklace from an outlet mall nearby and hoped to god that you felt the same way."

"Which I most certainly do, I've felt this way about you since grade school, your antics kept me entertained even though I had to solve them 99% of the time, I love helping you with your homework even though it sometimes causes me stress. I wish my tsundere attitude would've allowed me to confess to you instead of the other way around but that's okay. And I love the necklace, I feel really guilty that I haven't been able to get you anything yet…"

"You've helped me for so long that I thought I should help you, I could tell that you were on the verge of telling me something important, and I had a pretty good guess of what it was," Sakurako comforted. Himawari realized then and there that Sakurako had an air of maturity about her today, she doubted it was permanent, her friend had always been childish for her age, but that didn't stop her from being compassionate at some times, she had first realized this in the first grade.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [flashback],Sakurako's & Himawari's grade school, Age 7, Recess

Himawari and her "sidekick" Sakurako were playing superhero on the playground, Himawari had just pretended to blast a Kamehameha finisher move at the swingset that they had both silently agreed was the enemy. Himawari was hanging by one hand on the middle rung of the monkey bars while simultaneously shooting a pretend gun (formed by her hand), she had just fired the final shot when she lost her grip and fell off of the monkey bars. It hadn't been a very far fall but she had landed on her knees, she began to cry and Sakurako rushed over, she took her friend's hands in hers and kissed the small cuts she had gotten by breaking her fall.

"It's okay Himako, it wasn't that hard of a fall."

"B-but S-s-Sakurako," Himawari wailed, "it was s-so s-scary," she continued to wail for about half a minute before Sakurako put her arm around Himawari and kissed her on the forehead. Sakurako probably didn't mean anything by this but Himawari would never forget this moment, it made her heart race and her face turn a bright shade of red (comparable to a tomato) when she thought about it, but it also made her smile, it made her heart feel like it was swelling and she always gained a strange, nostalgic feeling that made her remember the old days, before they had both turned into rather tsundereish people. And it made Himawari happy to remember that while Sakurako was immature and sometimes downright impolite, she could also be a very compassionate, adult like person, even when she was 7 years old.

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[present day] Himawari's house, Christmas Eve

Himawari had just finished cleaning the tea set they had used when Sakurako called her.

"N-ne, Himawari."

"Yes Sakurako?"

"Um, f-from now on can I call you Himako-chan? Like how we used to?" Sakurako inquired with some hesitation.

"Nothing would make me happier, but only if I can call you Sakurako-chan from now on," Himawari replied with a warm feeling in her heart, a smile on her face and a slight blush on her cheeks.

Sakurako quietly snuck up behind Himawari as she was washing dishes, wrapped her arms around her waist and whispered in the blue haired girl's ear, "Himako-chan. I love you." She then kissed her head, it was a truly intoxicating smell, one of peach trees and cherry blossoms, one of nostalgia and friendship, and one that she had always recognized as a comforting smell, the smell of her girlfriend.

END OF CHAPTER 1