"Excuse me sir, a young lady asked me to give you this letter" bowed the waiter as Kousuke was readying to leave. He took the envelope from his hands and thanked him. Young lady? It must have been Rio or Ryoko he shrugged, opening the white envelope. Inside was a simple index card, on which someone had written

Meet me at Shumari Station at 19:00 sharp. We will meet at the bench at the far end of the platform for train ten, the express.

"Okay… that's kind of weird, but I guess it's important. I mean, it's not like it's from little Narumi…" he sighed, left the money to cover his bill on the table under his drink, and exited the restaurant. He looked down at his watch, shrugging. The bright red LED numbers flashed a time of 18:30 "Just enough time to get to the station…" and he set off in the direction of the Shumari platform.

Meanwhile, Rio Takeuchi was grinning like a madman as she exited the cab in front of the train station. Kousuke knew her handwriting… which was what the tag for the box wrapped brightly in red and white she had in her hands was written in. She knew this was wrong to trick him, but he would never accept a gift if he didn't know who it was from… Ayumu Narumi had fed the same logic her when he asked for her help in this endeavor. Rio had known for quite some time about the feelings Ayumu had for the redheaded Blade Child. Between her and Hiyono, they had been working him up to this since Christmas, though she was not afraid to admit that she was amazed when he asked her to do such a thing for him. She made her way to the specified bench and sat down, the gift box in her lap. She glanced at her watch. Kousuke was NEVER late, meaning she had less than two minutes to set the trap and hide. She nodded across the platform at the brown-haired boy in the blue parka, hiding from the target of this trap and the freezing winds and snow at the same time. She stood, set the package down, and ran around the corner just as Kousuke crested the stairs, holding the white envelope in his hand.

Ayumu's breath caught in his throat as Kousuke walked over to the bench, looking at the tag on the box, and smiling when he obviously figured out who it was from. He sat down, pulling the box onto his lap and reading the Tag aloud.

"Kousuke…" he said in an amused voice, obviously expecting some stupid joke, an insult, or perhaps even a love confession from the youngest Blade Child. His smile quickly disappeared when He continued reading "This is not from me, but from somebody who cares about you much, more than any of your friends ever could. Treat them well… Happy Valentines Day." He pulled at the ribbon, undoing the knot in one gentle tug. He pulled at the lid of the box, opening it. Inside was full of red a white tissue paper, and pulling it out, he gasped. Inside was an expertly crafted wooden box with the image of a joker on it. He lifted it from the gift box, and examined it with awe.

"who…" he wondered aloud, then finding the brass latch, he gently opened the box. He again gasped as the gleam of three throwing knives, all engraved, reflected in the afternoon light. He set the box down and gently lifted one of the knives from it's obviously fitted space in the velvet-lined box. He ran the pad of his thumb along the edge, careful not to cut himself, the held the knife up to get a closer look at the engraving.

Kill or be Killed, but it is all over once we turn our backs to Fate…

""who could have done this.?" He wondered aloud, placing the knife back in it's spot, before noticing the other contents of the box. A new deck of cards, still wrapped in plastic, were in the upper right-hand corner of the box. He smiled, wondering how this person knew him so well. As he was closing the lid, he noticed a small black tab sticking down from the lining. The curious teen that he was, he gave it a light tug, and the hinges popped, opening the small compartment. A card fell out onto his lap, and setting the box down, he picked it up, opening it gently for fear that something would happen. Tears almost sprung to his eyes a rose petals fell from the inside. There was a beautiful; italic script filling the space for a personal note

Kousuke, please accept this gift. I don't care if you return my feelings or not, but know that your approval or rejection will not change how I feel. If you choose, I have an evening planned for us. Go to the Kuraisousei Hotel, and at the reception desk, give them your name.

"Oh hell… now I have to go… I have to know who this is." He sighed, replacing the rose petals and the card, placing the box back into the gift box, and closing it, leaving tissue paper and ribbon on the bench. He looked up at the train schedule, smiling when he realized that the train pulling up was the only one within the hour that would take him to the hotel, he boarded it when the doors opened. Ayumu quickly made a dash for the street, where Rio and Hiyono had a taxi waiting to race to the Hotel.

He was shaking slightly as the car rounded the bend. Hiyono was smiling form ear to ear as she picked at his top. Rio had stayed surprisingly quiet throughout the ride, until Ayumu was just about to open the door.

"Good luck Ayumu…" she smiled, handing him a bouquet of roses for Kousuke. He smiled and nodded, then walked into the lobby, smiling at the receptionist. He had been planning this for a week, and she knew he knew what he was doing as he boarded the elevator. Moments Later, Kousuke Asazuki entered the lobby, walking to the desk.

"Konbanwa"

"Konbanwa. My name is Kousuke Asazuki… I…"

"oh yes… everything is ready. forty-third floor, room 189" she smiled, handing him a key. He thanked her and stepped into the elevator Ayumu had just ridden up to the same room. When the elevator stopped, he exited quickly, anxious to find out who had left the gift he still carried at the station for him. When he found the door, He quickly unlocked it, walking into the candle-lit suite. On the table in front of him sat a bouquet of roses and a bottle of wine with two glasses.

"Hello? Hello?" he shouted, looking around. The click of a door opening alerted his attention to the closet. As the door opened, tears came to his eyes.

"Happy Valentines Day, Kousuke"

"Na- Narumi?"