First Kiss (Part 1)
by BrDPirateMan

Love is colourful. It can also be a chore. Juggling the many aspects of romance to fit it into your everyday life is not easy, but to those who can handle it, it's worth everything in the world.

The multifaceted field of love is complex and ever-changing. As customs and social taboos change over the years, so do the numerous methods of courtship. Some ways that were once acceptable in the past are now simply too bizarre to even try without getting laughed at. And the lucky ones who have gone through the often punishing rituals of wooing and chasing will find that now they have another whole set of challenges to deal with: how to keep the love alive and well.

In the heart of Shibuya, a certain couple, dizzy in the afterglow of first love, was faced with a vexing problem… Not one that would threaten to shatter their relationship forever, of course, but something potentially frustrating nonetheless.

It was a beautiful day, with favourable weather and a nice cool breeze all around. On the rooftop at a school they were blissfully alone and sharing a quiet lunch together.

The boy was slightly nervous. "Shiki," he stammered, "I love you and I know you love me…"

And the girl drawled extra slowly, "Mm-hmm…?" She was gazing at him with eyes so lovey-dovey they could melt metal.

"…but this is kind of embarrassing, you know?"

"What is, Neku?" chuckled Shiki. "Feeding you?"

"I-I'm not a pro at being fed. I'm just not used to it."

She just laughed softly, ignoring his protests and extending her chopsticks, with a piece of fried tofu speared at the end, towards his mouth.

"No one's around! It's just us. Now go on, say 'Ahhh'."

With great reluctance, he pried his lips ajar, and she promptly used this window of opportunity to jam the food into his mouth before he could close it in self-defense. Neku loved Shiki's cooking – it was the best in the world – but he wished he could eat it like a normal person.

Once lunch – and feeding – was over, they sat there propped up against each other, his arm around her and her head snuggling into his chest. How they wished they could stay like that for the rest of the day, whispering sweet nothings in one another's ears.

Now, it was here on this very day that their most prominent problem was born. No, not how to initiate sex, you perverts. Just read the story and see.

"Say, Shiki," began Neku. "It hasn't been long since we started going out, right?"

"Yeah… Been about three months, to be precise. Why?"

"There's just this one little thing I've always wanted to bring up. But I don't know how to go about it…"

That got Shiki curious. "Something on your mind? Tell me. Go on, don't be shy."

"Is it really okay?"

"Of course!"

"Alright then."

He grasped her shoulders lightly, staring into her soul with piercing blue eyes. His lips trembled and he drew in a ragged, uneven breath. In fact, he was so nervous and shivering so violently that Shiki shook along with him.

"N-Neku, s-s-stop sh-shaking!" she cried, teeth chattering, "I… I c-can't e-even think pro-pro-properly like th-this!"

He let go of her, but his hands were still shaking like a magnitude 8 earthquake. It was frightening how panicky he was. This was so unlike Neku. What was it that he was getting so worked up over? At one point, Shiki contemplated splashing liquid nitrogen all over him to freeze him in place so she could stop that damn shaking. Heck, if this kept up, the roof they were sitting on might eventually crack and collapse beneath their feet.

"Sh-Shiki… I… I I I I…"

She couldn't take it anymore. This was stupid! In trying to whack good sense into his head, she gave him a light painless slap.

"Neku!" she scolded. "Get a grip of yourself!"

Much to her relief, his shaking did stop.

But now, mistaking her little wake-up slap for anger, he hunched over in a crooked fetal position and started brooding in sadness, using his finger to trace formless shapes on the concrete floor.

"Er, um, I'm sorry, Neku." All she could think of now was, Whoops!

He didn't reply. He just sat there looking depressed, his past emo self making a mysterious comeback. After all, the girl he was in love with had slapped him! Couldn't blame him, really.

Thus began a frantic apology from Shiki. "I'm sorry! Look, all I wanted to do was to get you to finally talk. I didn't mean you any harm."

To prove her point, she even snuggled in close and brushed her cheek lovingly against his own, an action that set both of their hearts a-flutter. "Neku, you're the most important person to me and I love you. I'd never hate you."

Feeling better, Neku nevertheless spoke cautiously, as though afraid of getting slapped again, "I… I just wanted to ask you if we could kiss."

"Of course it's alright! With you I'm happy to – Wait, what?"

He was hesitant to speak up, fearing that he might incur her wrath again. But when the now-dazed Shiki told him to "C-Come again?" he had little choice.

"Shiki… would it be alright if we, you know, kissed?" He cleared his throat for a bit. "Isn't that what lovers do? And… even though we've been going out for three months now, we haven't even had our first kiss."

"Um… Th-That's true…" Needless to say, she was blushing furiously. "It never crossed our minds."

For a few stagnant seconds, neither of them knew what to say next.

Then Neku spoke, "So… wanna kiss now?"

Shiki unconsciously drew closer to him, eyes locked into his. "Well, uh… I guess that's fine with me, so…

"You go first."

Neku felt a jolt in his heart. Was she telling him to go ahead and start the kiss between them? He felt he wasn't ready at all, though. And so, chicken-hearted as he was, he said, "Oh, no, you go first."

She was only too glad to pass the ball back to him. "No, you do it. You go first."

"Um…ladies first?"

At last even Shiki was fed up with all of this responsibility-shirking. She snapped, giving Neku a start, "What do you mean? ! You're the guy, so aren't you supposed to take the initiative? How can you expect me, a girl, to do that? ! Are you a man? !"

This got him thinking. Hmmm… that was true. How could he call himself a man if he couldn't even achieve even the smallest of things? Although the first kiss was definitely no small matter…

Despite the increasing nervousness, however, he decided to go for it. He grasped Shiki by the shoulders with both hands, causing her to gasp in surprise. She hadn't expected him to do that. She might have thought he would hesitate, or stop and ponder how to go about engaging a kiss, but he was startlingly fast. A little too fast for her taste, in fact…

"Shiki," gulped Neku, "I'm going to kiss you now…"

Panicking, Shiki cried out, "Stop! I… I'm… I'm not ready yet!"

"B-But you told me to take the initia–"

"But you have to take note of a girl's feelings first before you attempt anything!"

Neku scratched the back of his neck in both shame and confusion. "Um… well, alright… I'll just wait for a bit, then."

"Just… don't wait too long!" huffed Shiki. "You can't keep a girl waiting either!"

"You…" Neku sighed in exasperation. "Exactly what do you want me to do?"

The girl adjusted her glasses nervously. "You know, maybe we just aren't ready yet. We really should wait. But now that we know what we want to eventually do, we can mentally prepare for it."

"Yeah…" He suddenly thought of something. "Hang on."

"Huh?"

"We've been going on about kissing and everything, but… do we even know how to kiss in the first place?"

He stared at her. She stared back at him. They stared at each other. Looking for answers.

After a long silence, both of them spoke simultaneously in a small voice. "No…"

Professing their love for each other was no longer a problem. But the baton of awkwardness had now been passed on to the custom of kissing.

But Neku had a surprisingly positive view of their predicament. "Shiki," he said gently, "I want our first kiss to be perfect. To be something memorable. Let's find out what we can about kissing first… then when we're both ready we can go for it. What do you say?"

She brightened up. "Yeah… I think it's best we do that. We'll gather enough material from books and the internet and such, then get together and see what we can use."

"Sounds like a plan."

What? Now they were going to study about kissing? What was this? Some kind of exam? Really, they could've just kissed right then and there. It wouldn't have been a problem. And even if it was a bad kiss – the sloppy, slobbering kind – they could always have better ones after that, and of course they could look back and laugh at their own mistakes. But if they needed their kiss to be the one to end all kisses, then it couldn't be helped.

Most importantly, if they were too hasty with their actions, this story would end too quickly. I mean, it's only about 1,600 words long as we speak…

"Oh, and Neku?"

"Yes?"

Shiki was fiddling with her fingers coyly and fixing him with an irresistible gaze. "We may not be able to kiss yet, but… we can cuddle, right?" Without waiting, she pressed up against him and cradled his arm like a bolster. The feeling of her body in such close proximity sent shockwaves reverberating throughout Neku's entire system.

He wanted to shout with joy.

"Dammit, Shiki," he muttered, close to dying from happiness, "I love it when you hug me like that."

She just purred delightfully in response and continued to tease him with her touch. Bliss enveloped him…

XOXOXOXOXO

For the next few days after that, the couple set about doing intensive research on the art of kissing and its finer nuances.

So many questions plagued them. Where's the best place to kiss? When? How does a kiss taste like? Would they have to use their tongues? Should they have a romantic candlelit dinner first to set the mood? …Actually, scratch that. As students with limited allowance, an expensive high-grade meal in a restaurant was just not possible. So the right question should be: Should they have a romantic bowl of ramen first to set the mood?

…No. Ramen at a bustling ramen joint was not romantic no matter how many lit candles you placed at your table.

They performed their own little investigations independently, not wishing to distract the other. One of the areas where their research strategies overlapped was to cull hints from their most trusted friends. They had to be very selective about it, though.

Beat wasn't the most reliable person to get information from, or the smartest for that matter… in any case what he was in love with wasn't even a person but a thing – curry. Rhyme was out of the question because she was too young and inexperienced. Neku contemplated asking some of the shopkeepers whom he had befriended over time, but decided against it. Most of them were female, and at least a couple of them had a massive crush on him. He didn't want them to get the wrong idea.

Shiki sought help from Eri, her hip and fashionable friend. The latter had boyfriends before, and had her share of dumping guys and getting dumped herself, so naturally she should have some experience in the fine art of kissing. However, in her own words, "kissing's kinda hard to explain, Shiki. There're so many things involved, like proximity and the length of time and the undulations of the tongue."

"Undulations? Eew."

Although Eri couldn't provide Shiki with the desired information, she did leave her with an interesting tidbit to mull over: if you can tie a knot in a cherry stalk using only your mouth, that's supposed to make you a good kisser. She managed to pull off this feat and urged Shiki to try it out at least once. So what happened to the gentler half of this story's couple? She choked instead, and Eri had to use the Heimlich maneuver on her to save her.

Could this mean that Shiki was a terrible kisser?

Meanwhile, Neku was sipping unenthusiastically on a cup of coffee at WildKat, one of the more popular cafés in Shibuya. He was here for answers to his nagging questions, and for that he turned to its proprietor, a Mr Sanae Hanekoma.

"Like the coffee?" chuckled Mr H, as Neku often called him.

"…It's… bitter. And I scalded my tongue."

"Then you're doing well! One step closer to being a true coffee connoisseur."

Neku winced at the pain in his mouth. "Look, I was hoping you could give me some tips on how to, you know… with Shiki."

Hanekoma's jovial face suddenly turned grim and serious. "Don't tell me you're planning to do that. Both of you are still underage!"

A startled Neku swallowed too much of his coffee and his throat felt like fire. "Mr H! Of course we're not! I just want to know how to… uh…"

"…propose to her?" jabbed a confused Hanekoma. "Neku, you're… still underage for that too. I know you love each other but… wait till you older."

"No! That's not it!"

"Why don't you just come out and say it? I can't understand what you're talking about if you keep beating about the bush like this."

"Well, uh… Shiki and I have been together for three months now, and we want to have our first kiss… but we just don't know how."

Hanekoma had a distant look in his eyes as he recalled some fond memory of his younger days in a typical "flashback" moment. "Youth and love are such a great combination, don't you think? Ah… the days of my youth. Like the scent of fresh lemon, you see."

"L-Lemon? I swear I've heard that phrase somewhere before in a video game…"

"And you're asking me for tips?" The shop owner scratched the back of his head in a completely relaxed manner, which reflected his easygoing attitude towards life in general. "Gee, boss, that's a hard one."

"Come on," pleaded Neku. "You've got to know something!"

"See, that's the thing, boss. I don't have much experience in these sorts of matters. I was pretty popular back in the day – had an afro, even – but I was never committed for long enough to even get to the kissing stage."

Hanekoma with a giant beehive afro? Somehow, Neku could envision that. But that wasn't important right now!

"What? ! So you've never kissed before, Mr H?"

"Keep your voice down, Phones! People are staring at us. Bad for my business. And yes, when it comes to mouth-to-mouth I'm a bona fide virgin. Sorry, I can't help you here."

Neku slumped in his bar stool, disappointed. "Th-That's just sad."

For the first time Hanekoma looked annoyed, although it was very slight and hardly noticeable. "C-Come on, is that how you treat someone who gives you premium-grade coffee?"

Premium or not, thought Neku, it's still bitter.

A flock of young men and women in gaudy clothes sauntered into the coffee shop, craving ambience, classiness and a dose of good strong java for that kick to the brain. That was Hanekoma's cue to get back into action.

"Look, I know you're a friend of mine," said Hanekoma, "but I'm afraid I've got customers to serve. Why don't you go ask J– "

Neku shuddered and replied with a vehement "NO" in capital letters. Imagining Homer Simpson as the Composer was less painful (mmm, paradise).

Hanekoma just laughed and the conversation came to an abrupt end.

In the end, the amount of knowledge that Neku and Shiki learnt from their friends was… none. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

XOXOXOXOXO

But wait! All was not lost! Where there's a will, there's a way. And where there's printed and digital media, there's information!

Neku crawled the web, summoning the power of every search engine he could get his hands on, to net himself much-needed morsels of information. The internet was like a gigantic treasure chest waiting to be opened. He couldn't wait to see what it had to offer.

He was spoilt for choice, really. Amongst all the entries that appeared on the search engine were blogs, agony aunt columns, and proper websites that were devoted to the well-being of healthy relationships. "Simple tips to inject some excitement in your love life!" screamed one headline. "Make her fall in love with you all over again," claimed another.

"Hmmm," muttered Neku, "so many to choose from… Which one should I look at first… Huh? Hey now, what's this?"

Something caught his attention: the link of a YouTube video dubiously called "Kissing 101". The video still that accompanied it looked innocent enough, and it had a similarly ambiguous description consisting of four words: "How to kiss properly". Text articles and FAQs were helpful, but videos should be even better, according to Neku's logic. He grew excited at the prospect of getting some quick tips from the pros on how to kiss beautifully and tastefully.

So he clicked on the link, but the video that opened up before him was nothing that he thought it to be.

"Kissing 101" turned out to be a crummy home-made video of two teenage girls engaging in a lip lock. The lightly grainy quality failed to conceal the suggestiveness portrayed by the two amateur actresses. He was completely stunned. He hadn't expected this. And this wasn't what he was looking for. But somewhere in his psyche, even though his good side was urging him to stop watching and move on to something more productive, his inner pervert was enjoying this. And that inner pervert of his was stronger than his sense of moral goodness. What was it about a couple of girls doing naughty things that he found so captivating?

As he watched their antics grow increasingly outrageous, his veins began to churn and boil. Then, not even halfway through the three-minute video, a great fountain of blood gushed out of his nose with so much force that his head recoiled backwards violently. Had the force been any greater, he could have killed himself with whiplash injuries to the neck.

Unconscious he sat in his chair, while his blood-stained laptop continued to play the final moments of "Kissing 101".

Neku's mother thought she heard something strange going on in his room, and on a curious whim, she opened the door to check, only to be greeted with a grisly scene of her son seemingly killed in a brutal, bloody way.

She screamed and fainted on the spot.

Luckily for him the video had finished playing by then and his own blood obscured the screen so she couldn't know what he was really watching. She wasn't averse to dishing out punishments of being grounded at home…

XOXOXOXOXO

Shiki had a more sensible approach to doing things. She knew that the internet was unpredictable and unreliable at the best of times, so she opted to browse for books on the subject of romantic oscular activity. Printed media was more dependable as it was subject to proofreading and quality control, after all.

Finding the one gem that would answer all her questions proved to be as hard as looking for a needle in a haystack the size of the Pacific Ocean. None of the bookstores she went to had anything she wanted. Of course she wasn't expecting to see, say, a sort of kissing encyclopaedia or even Kissing for Dummies, but the rather worrying thing was that she couldn't find any books on love and relationships.

You'd have thought that with so many health and fitness magazines around, there was sure to be an article about spicing up the usual routine of feeding Neku fried tofu and giggling girlishly. But… nope. No luck for that month.

It's not like Shiki could go right up to any bookstore owner and ask, "Hi! Do you have any books on kissing?" That'd get her in trouble.

She was mindlessly flitting from one bookstore to another when she suddenly spotted the Shibu-Q Heads department store through the expansive window.

A light bulb lit up inside her head. Of course! The Nishimura Drugs Pharmacy was in there, and it sold not just health supplements but also a small variety of health books, some of which were focused on emotional well-being. Maybe there was something she could find there!

Off she went, making a beeline for the shelves that stocked the aforementioned books, careful not to linger around too long in front of the ones about improving sexu– er, well, you know what I mean. She and Neku would never do that sort of thing… Well, of course there was the slightest chance of that happening, but…

"Eek!" she gave an instinctive yelp. "Oh man, gotta focus!" She slapped both of her own cheeks lightly in an attempt to force herself to concentrate, and was about to pick up where she left off when she noticed a figure approaching her.

The owner of the pharmacy, Dr Fumiko, sashayed over, lab coat billowing majestically in her wake. She affixed soft gentle eyes at Shiki, asking politely, "May I help you, miss?"

Shiki knew about her. She was the most famous pharmacist in Shibuya, well known for her beauty and expertise in medicine. She was also very kind and genuinely cared for her customers, and on top of that she exuded an elegance that made women envious. There was never a time when she made one feel uncomfortable in her presence, not like the grumpy old man at the local herbal medicine store.

This might be my best chance, thought Shiki. Dr Fumiko can be trusted. She might be able to help me. Here goes!

"Well, Doctor, see… it's kind of embarrassing to say…"

"Don't worry," said Dr Fumiko soothingly. "You can tell me anything. I'll help you to the best of my ability."

"Er, um… Then d-do you have any books on… well, how to kiss?"

The good doctor was completely taken by surprise. In all her years at the Nishimura Drugs Pharmacy, she had come across a variety of characters ranging from housewives buying vitamins for their families, blushing hormonally-charged teenagers buying their first condoms, and even a number of male suitors (all of whom she turned down, by the way, so don't bother trying). But this was the first time she had come across someone who specifically wanted to know about kissing.

But as initially surprised as she may be, she still maintained a warm smile and a helpful attitude. "Well… it's not my place to pry, but are you in a relationship?"

"Y-Yeah."

"I see… Now, we don't have any books on kissing per se…" She started scanning the bookshelves meticulously. "…but we do have some suitable alternatives that you may find interesting, like… this one, for example." Having found what she thought was a good enough candidate to sate Shiki's curiosity, Dr Fumiko fished out the book in question and held it up for her to see.

Shiki almost fainted upon seeing the title on the cover.

After all, what need had she right now for How to Have Safe and Fun Sex: The Non-Embarrassing Guide? !

The title was highly contradictory too. Despite what it claimed, it was totally embarrassing. And the manga characters that adorned the cover didn't help matters. It was almost like a Manga Guide to Bedroom Antics. And it was just… wrong.

"I-Isn't this a bit excessive, Doctor? !"

In a calm, collected and professional manner, Dr Fumiko said, "I understand your apprehension, miss. However, it really is a very good and informative book, and it's written in an entertaining way too. It outlines not just basic techniques but also tips and tricks to make the experience a memorable one each time. It's good enough for even teenagers to read."

"B-Basic techniques…" Not surprisingly, the shy and conservative Shiki was reeling at the thought of all the smut that must be inside that book. "Wait a minute, what has this got to do with kissing, anyway? !"

"There's a small section in the book about ora–"

Shiki tried to hold her own swaying head steady as she interrupted her, "Stop! Okay, thanks, Doctor. It sounds like a good book, but I have to say that despite the credit you give it, it's still incredibly mortifying to read it, don't you think? !"

Dr Fumiko smiled. "That's the main impression I get from a lot of people who take a quick look at the cover," she chuckled. Just as she was about to return the book to the shelves, Shiki stopped her again.

"Wait! That being said…"

"Yes, miss?"

"…h-how much is it?"

XOXOXOXOXO

"So, uh… found anything, Shiki?"

"To be honest, Neku, there isn't much."

Having decided to finally end their research, the couple was now at Miyashita Park, sitting on a bench in the welcome shade of a large tree, exchanging information gathered thus far.

"I'm stuck too," said Neku sweeping his orange locks over his head.

"Well, I did find something…"

"You did?" He perked up. "Really?"

As she drew the book from her briefcase, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the cover and remembered that it was her newly-bought copy of How to Have Safe and Fun Sex! The horror! Only goodness knew what weird thoughts it would induce in Neku if she showed it to him!

"Wow, Shiki, I didn't know you wanted to do this kind of thing so quickly," said the Neku in her self-thought up nightmare, before he closed in for the kill…

She screamed. "Ack!"

The Neku in the real world was alarmed, and so were all nearby pedestrians. "Wh-What's wrong, Shiki?"

"N-Nothing!" she said, blushing and waving her arms at great speed. "Nothing at all!"

"What do you mean? And… you said you did find something, right? Well, go on and show me."

"Actually… f-forget I said anything, ha ha ha!"

Neku stared at her in confusion but let it go, much to her relief. Perhaps some things were better left unknown…

"Oh well," he sighed, stretching himself, "I guess the research thing didn't go so well, did it. You'd have thought that with so many websites and books out there, you'd at least find something. But all I've managed to dig up was aphrodisiac recipes and safe sex tips." He coughed and grew red in embarrassment at the last few words.

Shiki gasped, "Y-You found those too? !"

"Found what?"

"Er, um… n-nothing! Again!" Funny how they could find nearly the exact same things. Not only do great minds think alike, they also have about the same amount of luck, eh?

Ultimately, neither teenager learned anything useful. All they had to show for it was that they were still green, inexperienced and awkward from a romantic standpoint. However, from all of this Neku drew a logical enough conclusion.

"Well… maybe kissing is the sort of thing that just isn't taught in books. It's something you have to experience for yourself to know what it's like."

Considering how fruitless their last few days had been, Shiki had no choice but to agree. "I think you're right."

To her surprise, she found herself grabbed by the shoulders gently and swiveled round to face him. She discerned a slight tremble in his fingertips. His cheeks were glowing like a traffic light and he was apparently too nervous to glance at her because he was busy looking away. Something about the way he appeared so strangely insecure made him look adorable in Shiki's eyes. She wondered what was up, but didn't wonder long.

"Shiki, um… n-now's as good a time as ever, so… w-wanna make out?"

Her brain was spinning like a blender. What did he just say? !

"Wh-Wh-What? !" A cold sweat broke out over her entire body. Suddenly, being in Neku's gentle grasp made her feel trapped and vulnerable. Of course she wanted to kiss him. But… "Neku! Why now? Why here? ! We're in Miyashita Park! We're in a public place!"

Worried that she may push him away in disgust, he softened his approach. "I… I know, Shiki, but there's no one here." It was true. The park was pretty much deserted, save for two or three elderly men and a lone skateboarder, none of who took an interest in them. Behind them was an array of trees and bushes, grown tightly together like a natural curtain, that provided ample cover. They had all the privacy they needed… sort of.

"You… You really want to? R-Right here?"

"Better than doing it in school and getting caught."

Shiki felt a chill up her spine. That would be bad. But being caught in public was arguably much worse!

However, she didn't think it would be so bad as long as no one was looking. "Alright… But this is our first kiss, okay? I know we don't have much of an idea but try not to mess it up too much."

"Yeah…"

Neku leaned in close, very very slowly he did it, like closing the gap between them would take a million years. His palms were sweaty, his heart was pounding, and his brain was overheating. This was it! This was going to be their very first kiss, and he would be darned if he didn't do a good job at it.

When their lips were about three inches apart, however, she mumbled his name.

"Y-Yes, Shiki?" muttered Neku.

"Aren't you supposed to close your eyes when you kiss? It's creepy of you to leave them open like that."

She called him creepy! He felt a pang of hurt, but sucked it up and swallowed it whole.

"Ah, um… you're right. Sorry. But you do the same too, Shiki."

Back to business. He made sure his eyes were closed tight, but hoped that he didn't kiss her nose by mistake. Her warm breath billowed onto his face, making him so giddy he thought his insides were melting into goo.

But when they were two inches away from kissing, Shiki spoke up again. "Wait!"

"Wh-What?"

Shiki dug around in her pocket and produced a roll of breath mints, popping one into her mouth and chewing it rapidly. "I'm just afraid that I might have bad breath."

"Um, okay… Go ahead, but…"

"Here, you take one too."

Another pang of hurt. "D-Does my breath smell that bad?"

"No," giggled Shiki lightly, slipping a mint into Neku's mouth. "But this is our first one, right? I'm just… taking precautions."

He went through a mental checklist of things to do before their much-anticipated kiss. Closed eyes? Check. Fresh breath? Check. What else was there? Suddenly, just when their lips were within a half-inch of touching each other, he stopped.

"Is there anything else that I might have missed?" he asked.

"Huh? What'd you mean?"

"I thought you'd have stopped me right about now. So… is there anything I've missed?"

She couldn't think of anything. Everything seemed to be in order. More importantly, they were so close. She just wanted to feel the rush of making out, and she was impatient to begin.

"No, there's nothing. Now come on, kiss me."

Neku was filled with delight. At last! The moment of truth had come! Finally, they were going to take another great step towards reinforcing the love in their relationship. From this there would be better things to look forward to. Like more dates, or more intimate cuddling, or even – in years to come – marriage! Ah, how nice it was to fantasise about the future. It would truly be –

WHACK!

No, not "wack". It's "WHACK".

Before he could do anything, a skateboard inexplicably flew in from nowhere and hit him in the side of the head like a sledgehammer. He was subsequently knocked unconscious.

"Neku? !" Shiki shook him by the shoulders, but yielded no positive results. "Neku! Are you okay? ! Say something!"

The person whom the skateboard belonged to rushed over to retrieve it and apologise. "Is everybody fine?" he asked with concern. "I'm sorry! I was practicing my tricks way over there, but as I was about to navigate this ramp, I slipped and the skateboard flew out from under my feet! I'm sorry it had to hit you!"

Shiki looked at him incredulously while Neku lay in a ragdoll position on the bench, stars swirling around his head. How does such a thing even happen in the first place?

Little did the hapless couple know that this would mark the beginning of a series of failed attempts at kissing. Apparently, fate wanted a good laugh by making them suffer for a while.