A/N: Howdy, everyone. I'm a newcomer in this Kimi ni Todoke fandom, yoroshiku onegai shimasu^^. Please be nice with this amateurish oneshot of mine, hehe :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Kimi ni Todoke.

Thanks to the Rain

by

Chiby Angel-chan

As soon as the last school bell rang, Kuronuma Sawako felt like her heart was going to explode out of jumpiness and exultation at the same time. Today she was going to go on a date after school with her unbelievably dashing, admirable boyfriend that none other than Kazehaya Shouta, who was sitting right next to her. Indeed it would not be their first date but even after going out for a month, Sawako found it difficult to get used to her "new" relationship with Shouta (yes, it was still freshly new to her). The thought of calling Shouta as her "boyfriend" never failed to make a bloomer on herself. They didn't even call each other with their first names—something that they once tried to do but ended up affecting nothing in their progress of relationship as they kept calling each other with their family names until now. It was not really important anyway, as long as their feelings remained the same for each other.

But this time, Sawako had a new resolution on her mind. After discussing with Ayane last night about what she had to do on her upcoming date with Shouta, she ultimately prepared herself to do sweet things that would probably get them a little closer. Heaving a deep sigh, Sawako turned her face to the certain refreshing guy and called him in a quite low voice, "K-K-Kazeha—"

"Shall we go now?" Shouta asked Sawako with a smile, not realizing that he had interrupted her.

Sawako nodded. "U-Um!"

"I hope the weather's nice today," Shouta chuckled. "It'll be fun if…oof!" He sneezed round and round, making his girlfriend concerned.

"Are you okay, Kazehaya-kun?" Sawako questioned worriedly and handed him a handkerchief. "You're not feeling well?"

"Just a light flu, since yesterday. But I'm totally fine," replied Shouta, wiping his nose with Sawako's handkerchief. "Thank you, Kuronuma."

They began walking together peaceably until they exited the school building and got something dripping on their body little by little. The rain.

"Oh, crap!" Shouta fumed, grabbing Sawako's arm to take her to a shaded spot. "Such a heavy rain."

'W-What to do?' Sawako inwardly thought in a state of anxiety. 'If the rain won't stop, then…'

"I'm so sorry, Kuronuma." Shouta spoke guiltily, "I should have watched the weather forecast beforehand. I didn't know that today will rain."

"U-Uh? Kazehaya-kun doesn't need to apologize at all!" Sawako stammered. "N-Neither of us can predict this, so this is not your fault."

Shouta sunk to his knees and let out a big sigh. "Oh well. I guess we have to wait here until the rain stops. Oof!" He sneezed again.

"Here? B-But it's very cold here…" Sawako stated and neared Shouta. "…I-I mean, you're having a flu, so I think we'd better go back to school to take shelter until the rain stops."

"I told you already, I'm okay." Shouta insisted. "Jeez, hope the rain will stop soon."

Unfortunately, it seemed like Shouta's wish on the weather today would not be granted, considering that it kept raining for more than an hour already. All the couple did while waiting for the rain to stop was just talk about such cliché stuffs awkwardly with Shouta's numerous sneezing sounds interspacing their conversation. Obviously, this circumstance made Sawako worried even more as she kept asking her boyfriend if he was okay or if they had to go home instead so he could take some rest right away.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Shouta yelled, tapping his forehead. "My parents and Touta went to visit my grandparents so I've got to keep the house!"

"For real? Then Kazehaya-kun has to go home now!" Sawako became panicked as well. "B-But…what about the rain? We don't bring any umbrella. You'll get wet and your flu will get worse, Kazehaya-kun."

Shouta was silenced, thinking for a moment. Then he turned his face to Sawako again and asked her with a guilty look, "Um, Kuronuma…sorry, is it okay for you…to run under the rain with me? It's getting late but the rain hasn't stopped yet. So I was thinking…would you mind coming over to my house?"

"Uh?" Sawako seemed to be uncertain in the beginning as she recalled the fact that she hadn't even told her parents yet. However, the strong aim to prevent the failure of her date with Shouta eased her hesitancy away at the drop of a hat. "S-Sure! I-I'll phone my Dad later to tell him that I'll go home late. Besides, I…I wouldn't mind getting soaked either."

Shouta gazed at the black-haired girl concernedly, thinking how innocent she was. "I'm really sorry about this, Kuronuma."

"U-Umm! It's all right!" Sawako shook her head and gathered up her courage to give her boyfriend a convincing look.

"Well then…" Shouta took off his blazer and put it on Sawako. "Let's go."

"B-But…if I wear this, you'll be totally drenched." She hurriedly took off her own blazer and put it on her head after giving back Shouta's. "I can use mine."

"Your blazer is too small to protect you from the rain. It'll mean nothing. " Shouta said conclusively and put his blazer around Sawako again. "Nevermind me. Come on, it's getting late."

"W-Wait. I think we can use this t-together," Sawako stuttered as a blush creeping up her face. "I-I'd rather you went home first and let me wait here alone until the rain stops. I-I don't want to stay dry under the rain while Kazehaya-kun is not."

Shouta sighed and smirked at his concerned girlfriend. "You're still as selfless as ever, even though I've already told you that it's been my privilege as your boyfriend." He said with a giggle.

"U-Umm! Not at all! Kazehaya-kun's definitely the selfless one." Sawako shook her head, still flushing red.

Shouta laughed at this while putting his blazer on their heads. "Alright. Are you ready, Kuronuma?"

As Sawako nodded shyly, they started running as fast as they could under the heavy rain. Despite the disappointment upon the rain that had ruined their date, Sawako still enjoyed the rainy day somehow. It was the very first time for her to fight against the rain. She used to wait until the rain stopped if she forgot to bring her umbrella since she was young even if it took hours. Her beloved overprotective father sure was the one who forbade her to keep going under the rain, seeing how terrified he was if his cute little Sawako got sick even if it was just because of a light flu. But now, here she was, defying her father's wariness as if it meant nothing at all. It seemed like any rules would mean nothing compared to every single moment she could spend with Shouta.

I-I'm running under the rain! Also…getting my feet wet by the mud… and most of all, with…Kazehaya-kun… Sawako blushed profusely at the thought.

Fortunately, Shouta's home was not too far from the school so it didn't take a long time for them to reach it. Shouta unlocked the door and brought Sawako in. It was kind of odd to see the shop in the closed state, knowing that there was nobody home but Shouta and her. Remembering that, she turned to him. "I-I forgot that we're the only ones here! I-Is it really okay for me to come to your house when it's empty? I-I mean, your parents don't know about it yet a-and—"

"Relax, Kuronuma." Shouta cut her off and flashed his usual refreshing smile. "They won't mind. Besides, they already know that I'll be with you today. I can bring you here anytime."

All Sawako could do was lower her face in embarrassment. Shouta merely let out a light chuckle and opened the entrance door of his bedroom. "Well, come in and—oof!" He sneezed for the umpteenth time but this time, he also coughed hard. Noticing that his cheeks seemed to be reddened as well, Sawako put her palm on his forehead to check on his temperature. "O-Oh my Gosh! Kazehaya-kun's so cold!" cried Sawako as she obliviously pulled Shouta onto his bed and rashly took off her bag, searching for her first-aid-kit in it. "Thank Goodness, there it is!"

Sawako promptly tore the wrapper and placed the medical plaster on Shouta's forehead. Shouta was about to say something but Sawako hastily covered his body with his blanket. With that, she sighed in relief. "T-This should be enough to keep you warm. Your face is still red, but hopefully it'll be cured soon once you drink something warm. W-Wait a minute, I'll go make some tea." She got up to leave but Shouta stopped her by grabbing her arm. She gasped at this.

"Hold on a second, Kuronuma," Shouta eyed her. "I think you should calm down first. I'm not that ill. I mean…this r-reddened face of mine…it's not because of my flu. It's because I'm…n-nervous but also happy at the same time."

Sawako enlarged her eyes in confusion. "Uh?"

Shouta let go of Sawako's arm and averted his face from her. "Just like you, the fact that it's just the two of us here actually makes me real nervous." He explained and blushed furiously.

"K-Kazehaya-kun…"

"P-Please don't look at here for a moment, okay?" Shouta mumbled, withholding his blushing face. "And…I'm really sorry that we end up canceling our date and coming here instead."

Sawako became silent and got her face flushed cherry red as well. She merely lowered her face and said in a low voice, "Um…it's my fault for comporting too much."

Feeling that his nervousness had faded away, Shouta turned back to Sawako. "Sorry, Kuronuma…I think I have to change my clothes for a while. So…"

"O-Oh my! Yes, I understand!" Sawako swiftly got up. "B-By the way, can I borrow your kitchen to make some tea for you?"

"Sure, make yourself at home." Shouta replied with a smile. Then Sawako hurriedly left Shouta's bedroom and headed to the kitchen. He heaved a sigh of relief and got up from his bed, walking to his wardrobe. "Whew, what a day…"

After changing his clothes, he heard a mobile phone ring. It was not his phone so it was surely Sawako's. 'Could it be that it's her father? He'll surely be very worried if no one answers.' He mentally thought as he took Sawako's cell phone from her bag. Apparently, it was not Sawako's father calling, much to Shouta's chagrin. Finding out "Miura Kento" displayed on the screen, he popped up a vein and fretfully picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Sadako-chan? It's me."

"Sorry, Kuronuma is out for a while. She leaves her phone here."

"Oh? Is that you, Kazehaya? So you two are on a date? Wow, on this rainy day?"

"None of your business."

"Haha, sorry for disturbing. Can I talk to Sadako-chan for a moment? Just for a minute, please?"

Having a sense that the blonde guy had nothing important to talk about to his girlfriend, Shouta nonchalantly replied with an irked voice, "I told you, she's out for a while. Go get some other girl for you to disturb." With that, he doubtlessly hung up and put Sawako's cell phone back into her bag.

Not long afterwards, he heard Sawako knock the door. "Kazehaya-kun? Have you finished?"

Shouta instantly opened the door and let Sawako in. As he saw her bringing two cups of tea on a tray, he smiled brightly at her. "You shouldn't have troubled yourself. But thank you very much, Kuronuma." He said, sitting down. She followed him.

"Kazehaya-kun, you should lie down on the bed." Sawako managed to tell him, handing him a cup of tea. He only responded her with a chuckle and took a sip of the tea.

"I feel warm already, thanks to Kuronuma," said Shouta with a relieved expression on his face. "You should drink yours too."

"U-Um." Sawako sheepishly took a cup of tea and sipped it. "Ah, by the way, I also made some lunch for Kazehaya-kun. But I think it's cold already that it's been left for a long time."

"Oh, really? Thanks." Shouta reacted delightfully. "I don't mind. Let's eat together."

Sawako nodded and slowly took out the lunchbox. Shouta, on the other hand, couldn't help but blush madly as he found the burger which lied on the rice had such a peculiar shape—a heart shape. "K-K-Kuronuma…is this…?"

Seeing Shouta's startled expression, Sawako became anxious and clarified on the instant, "Ah! U-Um, yes, I…I intentionally made it that way! A-Ayane-chan told me that Kazehaya-kun will be pleased if I made a heart-shaped burger. I-I personally think that it looks cute as well, but…if that's bothering you—"

Shouta immediately refuted it, "No! Of course it really makes me happy. It looks cute and r-r-roman—um, w-well, I'll eat it!" As Shouta was about to take the chopsticks, Sawako took it first, much to his surprise. But what surprised him more was the fact that Sawako took the lovely burger with the chopsticks and give it to Shouta's mouth. 'A-Am I dreaming? Kuronuma is going to feed me!' Shouta inwardly yelled in joy as he opened his mouth and took a bite of the burger.

"S-Sorry, I should have cut it into small pieces first." Sawako took the remaining burger back but Shouta grasped her wrist and glutted the whole burger, making her jump in jitteriness.

"It's fabulously delicious," Shouta complimented while giving his girlfriend two thumbs-up. "You should try it too."

"Uh, okay." Sawako said, taking out another couple of chopsticks. "B-By the way, sorry I was being too forward. About…f-feeding you, I mean. Ayane-chan said it's the second sweet thing that a girlfriend should do after making a heart-shaped lunch."

"You're very easy to be influenced by people's advices, aren't you?" Shouta giggled jovially. "It's all right, really. Just be yourself. Even though those things you've done did make me very happy that my flu has subconsciously ceased at once."

"R-Really?" Sawako faced Shouta in disbelief. She couldn't help but feel intensely contented at this. "I'm so glad…"

After finishing up the lunch, Sawako glanced at the window and found that it still rained in torrents. "I wonder why the rain won't stop…"

"Oh, that reminds me of something. You haven't told your parents yet, have you?" asked Shouta.

"T-That's right!" Sawako instantly took her cell phone and called up her father. Meanwhile, Shouta merely watched his girlfriend cute expression when she was talking to her father on the phone. He could tell that his future father-in-law responded to her in his usual exaggerated mode but surely, he wouldn't say no to her permission request. After a while, she finally hung up and sighed tranquilly.

Shouta managed to ask curiously, "What did he say?"

"Um, he understands. He's not mad at all." Sawako answered with a mirthful smile. "Instead, he told me to stay here until the rain stops."

"That's good to hear." Shouta smiled back. "Thanks to the rain, I can have you here a little longer."

Sawako's heart skipped a beat when he said that but she tried her best to keep her smile calmly. Then she suddenly recalled something and spoke again, "Oh, the third sweet thing on a date that Ayane-chan told me…music." She took a CD from her bag and handed it to Shouta. "I-I remembered that you're fond of listening to the music, so I brought this CD for you."

"Oh, thank you." Shouta said, looking through the CD. "Say, it's…Martina McBride?"

Sawako nodded. "Yes. I-I don't really understand about music, so I borrow Master's CD since he knows a lot about popular romantic songs."

Hearing that, Shouta thought, 'I see…so perhaps that's why Miura called up Kuronuma back then.'

"Usually, I'm not into romantically mellow genres of music, but…" Shouta said, placing the CD into his CD player. "…I want to listen to this CD together with Kuronuma."

Sawako blushed and merely nodded, looking down to hide her reddened face. Her heart pounded more rapidly on her chest as the romantic song began to flow.

If there were no words, no way to speak

I would still hear you

"Say, Kuronuma," called Shouta, "I think you've done so much for me today while I have done nothing in return. That kind of makes me ashamed." He stated jokingly.

Sawako quickly opposed it, "Uh? T-That's not true! I was the one who troubled Kazehaya-kun! I-I mean, you've taken me to your house and let me take a peaceful rest here…"

"It's true." Shouta was hell-bent on the fact that Sawako had done so much for him as he stared at her straight in the eye. "Is there anything you want me to do for you?"

Again, Sawako felt her heart thump in such an amazing speed.

If there were no tears, no way to feel inside

I'd still feel for you

"Mm, w-well, actually…" Sawako finally admitted, "…there is something…I want. W-Will it be really okay if I say it?"

"Sure, say it!" Shouta told her voluptuously.

Sawako gulped and finally conveyed what she wanted in a sheepish tone, "P-Please…close your eyes for a minute."

Now it was Shouta's turn to feel his heart thud speedily against his chest.

And even if the sun refused to shine

Even if romance ran out of rhyme

Despite the nervousness that attacked him badly on his mind, Shouta slowly shut his eyes, fulfilling his girlfriend's request. What was she going to do? He kept on wondering. Could it be that she was going to give a surprise gift? But to make it worse—no, it was better, actually, much to Shouta's expectation—was that surprise gift supposed to be a…man, how he tried hard to stop thinking about it and even hoping that his expectation was true. However, nothing happened even until he kept his eyes shut for two minutes or so that his anxiety became cleared away at last. Feeling kind of impatient and curious already, Shouta finally managed to question, "Sorry, Kuronuma…I think it's been more than a minute, can I open my eyes now?"

"Ah! I-I'm so sorry!" yelled Sawako. "S-Sure, you can! I'm dreadfully sorry, I…I-I enjoyed it too much."

'Enjoy?' Shouta questioned mentally in astonishment. As he opened his eyes, all he found was Sawako who was still sitting on the same position as before. He threw his sight to the mirror but still found nothing different. He turned out to be more flustered at this. "Mm, would you mind telling me what did you do when I closed my eyes?"

"I-It was nothing, actually…" Sawako scratched the back of her head. "…b-but please…don't hate me, okay?"

"Of course I won't." Shouta said, getting kind of frustrated. "How many times do I have to tell you that I will never hate you?"

"B-But…I've done that for more than a minute." Sawako managed to give a clarification, "I-I was just gazing at Kazehaya-kun with…w-well, as I said before, I can't look at Kazehaya-kun without hidden desires anymore, so…since then, I'd been hesitant to take a look at Kazehaya-kun when he noticed it. But I really want to. So…as what I'd expected, I felt no anxiety to stare at you when your eyes are closed."

Shouta frowned. "That's all?"

"H-Hai!" Sawako said, lowering her blushing face. "I-I'm really sorry if it burdens you."

"Yes, it does." Shouta whispered peevishly, much to Sawako's dismay. "You made me expect too much, you know."

"Uh?" Sawako blinked twice at this. Just then, her heart began racing fast again as Shouta cupped her face and leaned over, getting closer and closer to her.

"I thought you were going to do this…" Shouta murmured, closing the gap between them.

You would still have my heart until the end of time

You're all I need, my love, my Valentine

Sawako didn't really know how it was happening or why. All she could do was shut her eyes as she felt her body tense and let her refreshing boyfriend hold her closer. At this rate, she found herself finally make a meaningful progress in her relationship with him, thanks to the rain.

THE END

A/N: Okay, another disclaimer. I don't own 'My Valentine' which was sung beautifully by Martine McBride (yep, I'm currently in love with that song). Yay! I truly enjoyed writing this oneshot since I've been addicted to Kimi ni Todoke recently. I literally fell for Sawako and Shouta's fluffy, dense, slow yet sweet love story in the series. And that joyfully sweet animanga was more than enough to push me to write a fic again, oh well. Sorry if you found many errors in my work, it's been a very long time since I last wrote ficcies, hehe. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks a bunch for reading. Don't hesitate to leave some reviews, pretty please. Thanks in advance! :)

Chiby Angel-chan