The Egyptian stood awkwardly, waiting in a silence that did not fit his usual crazy demeanor. He seemed nervous. His palms were slick with sweat, and he fidgeted while he stood in wait. His violet eyes darted back and forth as he watched each passerby. Every once and a while, he looked down at his watch. His muscles were completely tensed – locked – as he waited anxiously for the pale-haired beauty.

"Melv-melon!"

He instantly relaxed, turning to greet the Brit. "Hey Ryou," he smiled warmly.

The young teen came to halt. He had to bend over, hands on his knees, to catch his breath. For a moment, he stayed like that. But he soon recovered, and so he straightened again. The Brit smiled nervously. "I'm sorry I took so long to get here. How long were you waiting?"

Melvin shrugged. "Not too long. I just got here a few minutes before you did."

That was a lie. In truth, he had arrived several hours earlier. But that wasn't Ryou's fault; Melvin had been so nervous about the date – their first, his first – that he had panicked a little, running to the meeting spot much earlier than he needed to.

Ryou saw right through the lie. He laughed lightly. "You're so silly sometime, Melvin."

He chuckled as well. "Oh trust me, I know."

Ryou continued smiling as he asked eagerly, "So where are we going?"

"Movie theater."

"Like a generic first date?"

"Yeah, except this date is taking you out to see a horror flick, not some stupid romance movie." Melvin pointed to himself proudly. Grinned.

Ryou lit up, beaming in his usual adorable manner. "Yay!"

_

"That was amazing!" the Brit gushed. His chocolate eyes were shining as he skipped forward. He turned back only when he addressed his boyfriend. "The way her heart was ripped right out of her chest… the spray of blood… how it kept on beating… it was bloody brilliant!"

"Perfect for a Valentine's date," Melvin chuckled.

"Exactly!" Ryou chirped, still smiling.

But after a moment, he lost his smile. He looked a little sad, bordering depression. He seemed to physically droop.

"What's wrong?" Melvin asked, concerned.

"I need to be getting home, don't I? But I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."

"Nope."

Brown eyes blinked, confused. "Huh?"

Melvin grinned. "This date isn't over yet."

"It's not?"

"Not even close! We're gonna spend most of our time at this next spot."

"Where?" the young teen asked, excited.

Melvin just laughed. "It's a surprise, silly creampuff. Now come on; we need to get there before they close. I just know you're going to love it!"

_

Ryou stood amazed at the dark, gloomy stretch of land before him. "This is… a graveyard?"

Melvin scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He looked embarrassed. "I know how much you like creepy stuff… and graveyards are pretty creepy… so I figured…"

Ryou smiled cutely, a happy blush clear on his pale face. "This is wonderful!" he exclaimed.

Laughing with delight, the Brit darted forward. He spun around in circles, arms out, dodging gravestones by only an inch or so. When he stopped spinning, and he was no longer dizzy, he leapt from grave to grave.

Grinning, Melvin followed suit.

They continued like that for a while, before Ryou came to a sudden stop. His happy expression was frozen on his face. The excitement in his eyes was pierced with a sudden flicker of emotional pain, then drained to a deep depression.

"What is it?" Melvin demanded, instantly reading his boyfriend's expression, and alarmed by what he saw there. "What's wrong?"

"Amane," he said simply.

"Who?"

Ryou didn't respond at first. He dropped to his knees before one of the graves. Reached out with a trembling hand. Caressed the name that was embedded there. "Amane," he repeated softly. His voice broke slightly. "She was my older sister. She… She died in a car crash. And she's buried right here."

Melvin's violet eyes widened. "Oh, shit! I'm so sorry Ryou! I had no idea, honest! I would have never brought you here if I had known about–!"

The boy shook his head quickly, cutting off the Egyptian's frantic apology. He wiped away a tear with one finger, hurriedly insisting, "I-It's fine. I…" He forced a sad little smile. "I used to write letters to her every day. But lately, I haven't been able to find the time. Sometimes I feel like my memory of her will fade away."

"I'm sorry," Melvin said again.

The words sounded fake, even to him. Hollow. Robotic. He really wasn't any good at comforting people, and his voice showed it. Just the sight of tears usually sent him running in the opposite direction. He was no counselor; let someone else deal with all that drama bullshit.

But his beloved creampuff was the one who was upset. He couldn't just abandon him!

Melvin reached over and pulled Ryou into a tight embrace, as though he could crush away the younger boy's sorrows. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into the Brit's thick mane of hair. "I really wish there was something I could do to make things better."

Ryou snuggled against him. His tears were replaced with a faint smile, a genuine one. "You already have."

He blinked. "I… I have?"

The boy nodded, still smiling softly. "Being able to visit her like this… It's wonderful! The best Valentine's Day gift I could ever ask for."

"You really think so?"

Ryou continued to smile as he nodded a second time. "Yes, I do. This was a wonderful first date." Straining upwards, he managed to give the Egyptian a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you," he murmured.

_

Just as the moon rose high above the desolate graveyard, Ryou was struck with an idea. "Maybe…" he muttered, trailing off into silence.

Melvin looked at him curiously. "Maybe what?"

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about my sister again, and I thought that maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

Ryou laughed, a little flustered. "I told you, it's nothing. It's stupid anyways."

"Tell me what you were thinking about!" Melvin ordered, a hint of his Hikari showing through.

"Well…" Ryou hesitated for a bit longer, then smiled. "I was thinking that maybe I could name a daughter after her someday. Like, in her memory."

Melvin blinked. "A daughter?"

He looked embarrassed again. "I… I've always wanted to have a family." He chuckled a little. "Amane and I used to play house all the time when we were kids. She got to be the daddy, and I was always the mommy."

"Well you do seem very 'mommy' like."

Ryou gave him a light shove. "Oh shut up, you jerk!" But he was laughing while he said it.

Melvin laughed as well, but stopped abruptly. His expression became very serious. "I'd like that too," he told the Brit quietly.

Now it was Ryou's turn to look confused. "Hm?"

The faintest hint of red lit up his tan complexion. "I mean, I… uh… I'd like to… um… have a family someday too."

Ryou looked stunned. "R-Really?"

He nodded, still blushing a little. "I think it'd be really cool to raise a kid. Especially a little girl."

The Brit smiled happily. "It's a plan then."

"Yep." Melvin grinned, pulling the Brit into a cuddly hug before he told him, "I love you, my pretty Valentine."

Ryou smiled, cuddling him back. "And I love you too, my killer Valentine."