(8/17/2012): Wow, has it been a long time! I do not know what possessed me to take a look at the list of my stories, but this afternoon, I did just that with this particular story. And I was embarrassed by the number of mistakes (waste instead of waist? Really? Really?). To that end, I have gone back through, made the necessary corrections and as I am older, wiser (hopefully), and more mature (once again, hopefully) made a few improvements. For those who read it the first time, I hope you enjoy it as much the second time around. I really did enjoy reading the reviews again this afternoon, and felt so much love! For those reading Valentines for Every Year for the first time, I hope you enjoy the story! Thank you, A.M.
Author's Notes: Sorry to those who have been reading "Remembering August" I took a little break because I was having a hard time with it and this popped into my head, and I wanted to try to write a holiday- fun story for once!
This is a prologue to the story. Some of the things might sound strange since they are supposed to be younger, but I figured it would be ok
Disclaimer: I do not any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters. I do own the idea to this story though, and I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've liked writing it.
Chapter 1: Prologue: In the Beginning
"Kaoru, are you going to do it? Are you really going to give Kenshin a Valentine?" Makimachi Misao asked her friend sitting across from her at the table.
"Of course I am. We have to give a Valentine to everyone in the class, dork." Kamiya Kaoru responded, opening her lunchbox.
"No, not that! You know what I mean... Are you going to give him The Special One!" Misao whispered frustratingly at her friend.
"Misao, what are you talking about?" Takani Megumi questioned, the third part of their little group.
The three girls where sitting at a table in Karou's classroom, about a week before Valentine's Day. The girls were third graders at Furinkan Elementary School in Tokyo. Each in different classes lunch was their only time to talk during the school day. Today, as they had been for the last few weeks, they were talking about what Valentines they were giving to whom and who they were giving cards in other classes.
"Don't act like you don't know what I mean Takani Megumi. In every box of Valentines, there is the one that has a special meaning. That is the one that everyone wants to give to the boy or girl that they like." Misao answered.
"What if she is making hers?" Megumi asked.
"Then she'd make Himura's different, more special from the others." Misao quickly shot back.
"I'm doing both." Kaoru answered quietly. "I have one box of Ranma ½ Anime Valentines, and then I'm making some as well."
"Really? What are you giving Kenshin?" Misao asked.
"I do not like Kenshin more than a friend. You know this." Kaoru answered.
"Sure you don't. You blush when he happens to come into the classroom, or even in the general vicinity you are in, let alone if he actually speaks to you!" Megumi answered.
"Megumi is right for once. You definitely have a crush on Himura Kenshin." Misao answered, giving her friend a knowing look.
"I do not. Boys are stupid and immature." Kaoru said, nodding her head and crossing her arms. "Anyways, you're not much better. Every time Aoshi-kun is anywhere near you, you could compete with the color of a tomato."
"Hey, that's not true!" Misao said, blushing a bright red color.
"Yes, it is. You're blushing right now actually." Megumi answered, pointing at Misao's face.
"It doesn't mean anything. Aoshi-kun has been kind to me. And we are in Ninja classes together. That's it." Misao answered.
"And has caught your attention. No one is making fun of you Misao; we're just pointing out the obvious." Kaoru said, looking around the classroom.
Kaoru looked across the classroom to the two boys they were talking about, Himura Kenshin and Shinomori Aoshi. Kenshin was hard to miss with his bright red hair, despite his lack of height, and Aoshi's black head was easily spotted because of his height. With them sat Sagara Sanosuke, hard to miss with hair that was spiked, adding several inches to his taller-than-average height. Kaoru looked back to her two companions.
"Megumi, are you giving a Valentine to Sagara Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked, turning to the girl across from her.
"A Valentine? To that Baka Chicken Head? Hardly." Megumi said flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Hm, really? I would have thought you might have a special one picked out or made for him." Kaoru said.
"One with a chicken getting hit over the head, sure." Megumi answered. "But not a love one, that's hard to believe. He's stupid, immature, and disgusting."
-:-
"What do you think they're talking about, Kenshin?"
"Who, Sano?" The red head turned to the boy sitting next to him.
"The girls. They have their heads huddled together; looks like Misao and Megumi are going two against one on Kaoru."
"How am I supposed to know? They could be talking about anything." Kenshin said turning his head towards their friends on the opposite side of the classroom.
"Maybe they are speaking of Valentine's Day. I've heard almost every girl in school talking about it at one point today." Katsu, who had joined them from Sano's class, said, his mouth full of a rice ball.
"It's getting nuts. I can't wait until it's all over." Sano answered.
"It won't be so bad, I don't think." Katsu answered, looking around the classroom. It wasn't strange to see the girls of their classes huddled together at this point of the year.
"It is customary for girls to go about this every year. I don't know what makes this year so much worst than any other year." Aoshi said. He had stayed quiet for the most part, but thought he should say something in order to stop the inevitable argument.
-:-
"Thought you weren't going to give Sano-kun a Valentine, Megumi." Misao said coming up behind her friend as the other girl placed an envelope in Sano's box.
They had brought in shoe boxes and decorated them in pink, red and white with hearts and cupids, clearly placing their names on the top. It was Valentine's Day and the classes had switched cards in their own classes, but now had a few minutes to move between classes to give cards to friends.
"Not a special one. He is my friend though, so I thought I better give one to him. Anyways we have to give one to everyone."
"Sano's not in your class."
"Like I said, he's a friend, no matter how big a Chicken Head he is." Megumi answered, moving onto another friend from Misao's class. She placed a few more envelopes in boxes, waved to Misao and left, going back to her class.
Misao looked at the plain red wrapped box. The box had nice sharp corners, not messy, the lines strait and crisp, the ends folded to nice sharp points. It was just like him. Simple. Precise. Impeccable. Perfect. The box top had his name written in white crayon neatly and evenly across the slit for the cards he would receive. She quickly pushed the envelope into the box, and left before anyone could see her there or say she spent to long at one specific box.
Kaoru carefully placed the envelope holding a Valentine into the brightly decorated box. She had purposefully gone to the other classes first so that no one would see her place the Valentine in the box. It was nicer than the others that she had placed in the other boxes around the room, it was a special one. Made from her love. Not only because she really did like him, but out of their friendship. He was kind and protected her from the bullies and those who made fun of her. The weird girl who practiced Kendo.
The box was conservatively wrapped in plain white paper. There were red heart stickers on either side of the box, with three each on the front and back. It was simple, yet he had taken the time to make it one of the nicest one in the class, while the other guys had just wrapped theirs in red or white and written their names on the top, like they were told to. In red crayon on the top of the box was written his name. Kenshin.
-:-
The years passed, the schools changed, the friends varied slightly, and so did Valentine's Day. It wasn't the 'I have to give this person a Valentine anymore, but I will because they are my friend.' Some used that as their excuse, some waited for one person's Valentine every year. Never did anyone tell anyone the true reason some got Valentines still.