It was busy at the train station, and Yuki was worried that he would miss her. He was sitting on the bench outside of terminal three and had his elbows resting on his knees. He was waiting for his date to arrive, and if you asked him if he was nervous, he would probably reply with a little smirk saying, "That's an understatement." The young Sohma had spent most of his day mentally (and physically) preparing himself for this date with the help of Tohru and Kakeru. He had tried to keep the news from Ayame, his flamboyant older brother, but seeing as Kakeru and he shared a love for embarrassing him, the two troublemakers along with Tohru managed to find a way to plan the date for the two love birds. Aya had taught Yuki all the essentials about first dates, and had whipped him into shape so that he could be the perfect gentleman. Not that he wasn't one already, but Yuki secretly appreciated his older brother's tips. Earlier before the nervous Sohma left the house, he had knocked on Tohru's door for the hundredth time that day.
"Sorry to bother you again but… how do I look?" he asked, feeling a tad embarrassed as he tugged at his collar. He wasn't normally a self-conscious person, but this was the first time he felt this way because he wanted to impress someone. He wanted to look his best without it seeming like he was trying too hard. He decided to dress in a casual blue button up and dark jeans, and left his hair to do its usual thing. When Tohru looked up from her homework her eyes widened and a wide grin spread onto her face. She instantly stood up from her seat and grabbed him by the hand, leading him towards her vanity.
"You look like a prince! Oh, gosh you look so handsome, I almost wish it were me going on the date with you" she exclaimed with excitement, and she gave his shoulder a tight squeeze for encouragement. The two of them looked at their reflections in the mirror and laughed, which made Yuki feel slightly less apprehensive. Tohru could sense his anxiety and gave him one of her famous smiles.
"Well I as much as I would enjoy taking you out on a date, I think that stupid cat would much rather do that himself. Besides he'd have a field day and he'd kick the crap out of me if I tried. Not that he's able to, but he'd certainly put up a better fight than usual," he said, giving her a wink. "I heard that, you punk!" they heard Kyo yell from the next room, barely audible over the sound of his video games, but the two merely rolled their eyes.
"Just be you, and I promise it will be perfect," she whispered in the reassuring way that only she could do. Tohru glanced at her watch and gasped. "Yuki, you'd better get going if you want to make it on time… It's already six-thirty, and you're meeting her at the station at seven, right?" she stammered, pushing him out the room and towards the door. Yuki felt a jolt of panic seize through him as he raced to grab his jacket and put his shoes on. Before he could run out the door he yelled as he felt someone grab his shirt and pull him backwards. He turned to see Kyo holding a small bag containing a couple of flowers for his date.
"You nearly forgot this, you dumbass. What kind of idiot goes on a date without bringing a girl flowers?" he scolded in annoyance, but the shadow of a smile crossed his face and he knew that this was Kyo's way of wishing him luck. Yuki quickly grabbed them from him and gave him a coy smile before running out the door waving like a mad man at him and Tohru. He saw them return the gesture and then turned his attention to the street. The station was only ten minutes away, but he wanted to arrive early so that he would be sure that she would not have to wait for him. Nearly out of breath, he decided to walk the rest of the way since he didn't want to look like he had run a marathon in front of his date.
And that's how the young Sohma found his way at the station. Yuki's mind had wandered, but his attention snapped back to the present when he heard the warning announcement for the arrival of the seven-ten train. He glanced at his watch. Seven o'five. He looked around to see if the girl was here, but he couldn't seem to find her among all the people. Feeling his stomach churn from eagerness and nervousness he felt like he was going to explode from all the tension inside of him when suddenly he felt a light tap his left shoulder.
"Have you been waiting long?" he heard a timid voice behind him. He slowly turned, placing an arm around the back of the bench. The sight before him made him go stark red and he felt his mouth form the shape of an "O". There she was.
And damn, he thought, she looked beautiful.
Standing before him was this adorable brown eyed girl, wearing a pretty white blouse and a light yellow cardigan to cover her small frame. She had on a modest jean skirt that covered her legs just above her knees. Yuki wasn't quite certain, but he could have been sworn that she was wearing a little bit of make-up, because her warm brown eyes really popped as her dark lashes fluttered. She had a little white flower in her shiny brown hair that completed her look and contrasted well with the forming blush on her cheeks. She felt incredibly self-conscious then, and felt her anxiety building up as he merely stared at her, not saying anything. She cleared her throat in an attempt to break the silence.
"Is there… something wrong, sempai? Is there something on my face?!" she inhaled as her hand quickly reached up to touch her burning cheek. Yuki finally snapped out of it, and chuckled, exhaling sharply. He stood up and grabbed the bag next to him, walking around the bench to stand before her.
"No, I haven't been waiting long, you're just on time, and no you don't have anything on your face" he smiled. "And I told you before, please call me Yuki. I think we're past formalities at this point," he said, winking at her. Giving her another one over, he couldn't hide that bashfulness on his face. "Gosh, you look really pretty," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. It sounded more like an acknowledgment to himself rather than a compliment, but he meant it as the latter. The comment made her blush profusely which caused him to giggle; not that he enjoyed embarrassing her but she just looked so darned cute when she blushed. He then remembered the flowers, and plucked them from the bag he carried to hold them out for her. There were only about five or six of them, but the pretty yellow and white flowers gave off a sweet fragrance and she shyly held out her hand to retrieve them.
"Oh my… You didn't have to do that, semp- Yuki," she said with a sheepish smile, trying to get used to calling him by his given name versus the formalities she was so accustomed to. She took the flowers from him and instinctively breathed in the scent.
"Nonsense, I would be putting shame to my family name if I didn't bring you flowers," he joked, and that got a genuine smile out of her. Her features softened and though the two shy creatures weren't saying much, they could both feel the magic in the air just by being together.
"Thank you, Yuki, they're really lovely," the girl beamed, and he was about to inform her about how Tohru had helped her pick them out when they heard the train whoosh past and come to a stop. The passengers exited quickly to let in the new ones, and the two of them checked their watches. They both had the same look of worry and excitement on their faces, completely oblivious that they'd been standing there for so long. Yuki grabbed her free hand and dragged her through the crowd and towards the nearest entrance. The sudden contact from their hands caused an adrenaline rush to surge like electricity through their veins, accelerating their heart beats. They weaved through the crowd of people, and Yuki helped the brown eyed girl up the steps and onto the train. They were one of the last to get inside so unfortunately they were left no choice but to stand near the window. When the bells chimed, the doors folded shut and due to the amount of people they had limited space to stand. The two of them laughed together; they were out of breath slightly from running but mostly from their proximity to each other. The girl looked up at him through her fluttering lashes, and he let go of her hand to lazily wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her close and closing the gap between them.
He liked the feeling of warmth he felt when she was near, and judging by the way she nuzzled her cheek into his collarbone, she did as well. He felt her smile against the fabric of his shirt. She broke away for a moment to unzip her leather purse and retrieve a little red box.
The girl held them up to give him a better look, and said sheepishly, "If you don't like them you don't have to accept it. I kind of made them in a rush… which is why I was late." The girl held the box as Yuki lifted the cover to reveal about twelve half burnt chocolate clumps. Without hesitating, he plucked two of the worst looking ones, popping one into his mouth and the other he held a few inches from her mouth, causing her to wrinkle her nose. "Don't worry. I made them for you, you should have them," she protested.
"Fine, more for me then," he said with a smug smile and she watched him carefully to see that he didn't choke on them. They were a tad burnt, he silently admitted, but they were also rich and creamy. Her doe eyes looked up at him waiting for a verdict. "Delicious!" he exclaimed, and she relaxed and let out a quiet laugh. He pulled her close and brought his lips close to her ear to whisper what his heart had been aching to tell her for a while now. The warmth of his breath in her ear caused the girl to turn as red as the box containing her chocolates.
"Thank you, Machi."