~Summary~

Kouta and Yuuko started dating over the school year. After a while, the routine where Aiko teases till he (or she) was close to death stopped. It's the second to last day of spring-break and the gang is at a second fireworks festival. Kouta's starting to miss the old Aiko but, no one will tell him that he and Yuuko are the problem. Will Kouta ever figure it out and how is candy related to Aiko's past?

Chapter START!

~Fire Works Festival~

The gang walked around and looked at the booths. It was just like before. The only difference was instead of Kouta walking next to Aiko he was walking with Yuuko with his arm around her waist.

After a while the only thing Aiko could look at was Yuuko and Kouta. They went their separate ways in groups of two. Aiko left them to pick the groups. They didn't seem to notice her leave.

Aiko was found later staring at a katanuki booth. She spent almost all of her time there. The guy at the station gave her a box to put all of candy that she had cut out into. She was also given a wagon to hold over a dozen of stuffed cats that she had won.

"Arigato ..."

"You're welcome! You've got some real skill."

The old man gave her a thumb up and a smile. Aiko smiled back awkwardly and walked away dragging the wagon behind her.

"Thank you, if you excuse me I have to go find my friends."

~Five Minutes Later~

Aiko held one a lime green stuffed cat as she pulled the wagon along. She ended up walking around in a giant circle. After letting out a big sigh she saw Kouta at the katanuki booth.

He was very flustered. Aiko let out a chuckle. He turned his head to her and glared. Kouta's eyes blinked in disbelief. He was amazed by all of the prizes that she held in the wagon. Then a sudden realization hit him. That was the first time he had ever heard her laugh or make a sound ever since they got to the festival.

"Ne, Muttsulini-kun ... where's Yuuko?"

"She left me because she was bored of this game ... enough about me ... what's with the army of stuffed cats?"

She laughed again. Kouta had started talking a lot more than he did before dating Yuuko. Aiko liked his talkative side she thought it was funny.

"I'm starting an invasion of stuffed cats."

"No, really, how did you get all of those?"

"I won them ... at this booth."

Kouta dropped the toothpick in his hand and his jaw dropped to the ground.

"Eh!?"

"I've done this game a couple of times."

"A couple times!? You're like an expert or something!"

"Yeah, well, when I was five years old my mom really wanted this one stuffed animal because it reminded her of my father. She tried again and again to get it right ... is something wrong Tsuchiya-kun?"

Kouta started to zone out into her brown eyes. As she spoke about her mother with such excitement. He was suddenly removed from her eyes when she called him by his first name.

"Eh? ... ah, no please ... continue."

"My mom grabbed me by the arm. She gave me twenty dollars. Then told me that I could go to any booth that I wanted to."

"Which one did you choose?"

"Isn't it obvious? I chose the same one she was at."

Aiko's eyes softened.

"She asked me, 'What are you doing?' "

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'I want to help you get that prize for Otou-san.' I spent the rest of the festival there. My mom gave up sooner or later. The man at the booth was about to just give me the prize. I refused to take his pity about five minutes later I got the whole piece of candy out."

"Wow, that's-"

"Kouta-kun?"

Yuuko was in the distance calling out to him. Kouta started to panic. He turned to Aiko with wide eyes.

"Hey, could I-"

Kouta's eyes lingered to the wagon full of cats.

"Go ahead ... I was planning on giving them away."

"Thanks, you're the best."

He kissed her on the cheek and took one of her many stuffed cats. Then ran to Yuuko. Aiko started to finish the piece that Kouta was working on. It was a light pink heart. She could hear Yuuko and Kouta talking in the background.

'Aw ... I love it but, not as much as I love you!"

"I love you too Yuuko."

Aiko flinched when she heard that and ended up breaking the heart into two pieces.

~End of Chapter One! ~

A/N- VERY IMPORTANT Okay so here is chapter 1 and I CHAPTER 2 IS ALREADY DONE WHAT!? OH YEAH! I will update next week whenever I have time. I will be putting be my story Me, A Stranger, and Subways on hiatus! But please read it if you would like some AikoxKouta! Most of my stories are AikoxKouta so please check them out!