Written for my twin/my Vector who I love dearly. u wu I'm really out of practice with people who aren't V though.

It never failed; every day for the past two weeks or so, Kotori would arrive to class, usually at a time where only a few classmates were present. And when she arrived, she would always find a single red rose, delicately placed on the top of her desk. It looked like a considerable amount of care was taken when placing it on her desk, which to her, was a little strange. Every time she asked her classmates about it, she would always receive the same sorts of answers; "Well, I heard the class rep had a crush on you...", "Maybe it's one of the upperclassmen! Oh, how romantic!" or, the rarest one, "No, I don't know, I'm sorry".

Kotori suspected everyone in her class, girls and boys alike. Though, there was one boy she did not suspect. His name was Alit. She didn't know much about him; he had tried talking to her plenty of times before, yet each and every time, she had been distracted, usually by another one of Yuma's crazy antics. After a while, he had up trying to talk to her. The thought she had pushed him away crossed her mind several times, which was sad to think about.

Alit was usually late to school, and when he wasn't late, he was close to being late. Jeez, a boy like that was bound to be some kind of trouble! Though, he did seem genuinely kind, unlike the people he decided to associate with. Kotori stayed away from them; they were annoying, anyway.

It was another morning with the same situation. A note-less rose left on her desk, waiting for her. And still, when she asked, no one had any idea what it was all about. Tracing the petals of the rose with her fingertips, she realised something. She needed to know who this mystery person was. What if it happened to be a boy she liked? She couldn't lose this opportunity! She was determined.

The next morning, she arrived at school early. Kotori made sure that the classroom was still empty and there was no rose, before hiding behind the nearest trash can and hoping she would not be spotted. No one was in school yet, save for the head of departments and a couple of the smarter kids. She could have hidden in peace.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent hallway. In an attempt to peek without being caught, she vaguely saw someone in a boy's uniform and, from the colours, he was in her grade. She couldn't quite catch a proper glimpse of the stranger; she couldn't risk it, even thought it could have just been another passer-by. When the classroom door opened and the person walked inside, she knew it must have been her secret admirer. After a couple of minutes, the person left again, and when their back was turned, that was when Kotori felt was the opportune moment.

She looked over the trashcan, and really, she should have expected the outcome.

"Alit?" she whispered to herself. She didn't stop staring until he had turned the corner and he was gone for sure. For a few moments, she was frozen in place. No, there must have been some explanation. She got up and walked inside of the classroom and, as with every morning, a single red rose had been delicately placed on her desk. She had received the answer to her question at last. She picked up the flower. Somehow, to her, that rose looked more vibrant and beautiful than all the others he had left for her.

The next morning, Alit sneaked into the school, as he did every morning. Thankfully, no one was around to stop him, or to know what he was doing. His plan was flawless; he would carefully leave the rose on Kotori's desk, before hiding away in the farthest boys' toilet and waiting until he was nearly late - or actually late - to leave the bathroom. The detentions and having to wake up early and lonely walks to school were definitely worth it. And this was his morning routine.

His original strategy had gone to Hell; it seemed like Yuma - and Rei, who seemed to be involved quite often with his idiotic schemes - enjoyed ruining his plans. The pool, the flowers, the feather...as long as he was around, Alit couldn't have done anything! So instead of the forward 'counter' approach, he soon adopted a more subtle approach, such as the one he was currently employing.

When he walked into the classroom, he was met with a surprise. On his desk sat an orange rose. Everything about it was perfect; the colour and shape of the petals, the points of the thorns and the shape of the stem. Putting down the rose he brought and picking up the orange one, he held it between his thumb and index finger, examining it closer. He had seen a lot of flowers and a lot of roses, but never before had he seen one so-

"Beautiful, right?" Letting out a surprised gasp, he put the rose back down. Alit turned around, only to find Kotori by the door, who gave him a small wave and a kind smile. His heart dropped.
"Kotori! I was just...I wanted to be early today, because-!"
"You left the pretty roses, right?" she asked.
Pretty? So she did like them. Alit let out a tiny relieved sigh at that, but he wasn't completely relaxed yet. Her amber eyes were fixated on him, waiting for him to say or do something. "...yeah. I left the roses."

Kotori walked over to him, her smile never faltering. He tried to take a step back, but she carefully grabbed his hands, not wanting to alarm him. Alit was nothing but a rabbit stuck in the middle of the road as a truck was zooming towards him. He could handle confrontation - he always had a good counter! But this time, he had no counter. He didn't prepare for the chance that she would find out!

There was silence between them. For a moment, he thought that she actually liked him back. But the idea was soon thrown out. Of course she was waiting for an opportune moment to gently reject him. But the look in her eyes didn't seem all that sad, and her gentle thumbs rubbing against the back of his calloused hand sent shivers down his spine.

Kotori moved closer to him, and his first instinct was to lean closer to her. But by the time he realised and made an attempt to move back, her soft lips were pressed against his cheek. He had visualised this moment so many times in his head but, when it actually happened, he didn't know what to do. He quickly let go of her hands then instantly regretted it; what if she thought he didn't like her? He reached over for the red rose, lightly pricking his finger by accident thanks to his blind groping.

"It's nicer to give you this in person," he said, offering the rose to her. She didn't take it. Instead, she picked up the orange rose and offered it to him.
"You're right."

Alit reached out for the orange rose and carefully plucked it out of her hand. With just as much caution, she took the red rose from him. There were no words that needed to be exchanged; her kind smile and his slightly dorky smile said more than words ever could have said.

Every morning from then on, Alit would deliver a rose to her in person, and she would always reward him with a peck on the cheek. He was glad he had been caught.