AN: (F/D) means favorite drink.

It was at noon when Kiku called, asking if you were free for a night out. You agreed, and planned to meet him at his favorite spot at the park around three in the afternoon. Now, the time was twelve thirty, and you had no idea what to do.

Kiku didn't tell you where you were going and what you were going to do, and knowing him, it could be a simple night out bowling with Alfred, or a grand festival celebrating cherry blossoms. Usually, he would explain what he was planning, but when it came to occasions and outings, he was rather blunt and mysterious about the whole ordeal. You had known each other for a solid year now, yet you still did not understand everything about him. He was a rather mysterious guy, you admitted. Withdrawn and quiet, the Japanese boy attracted many girls that you knew. Although he got all this attention, he did not soak it up into his ego, like Alfred. Instead, he simply ignored it and continued on with his day.

Your friendship had started with him on a sunny day in the appropriately named Japan Town, an ant tunnel of Japanese stores and restaurants. During the summer, many tourists stopped by and sampled the many goods available, spending dozens of dollars in the big fancy places that took up a couple blocks. Of course, the tourists didn't know that the best places in town were the tiny shops that lined the inner streets. You were strolling around town looking for a good place to eat, not wanting to wait in the huge lines that extended out of the doorways of the bigger places. But you were also afraid of stepping into the wrong shop. Some parts of town were dangerous, and you never knew where or when you could get mugged or shot.

After asking a few locals where the best places were, (they all responded by saying that "They no speak English,") you had decided to give up and go eat at a burger joint and head on home. Yet, there was still a stubborn feeling tugging at your heartstrings, so you decided to ask one more person.

The boy you had decided to ask looked about your age, perhaps a year or two older than you were. His hair was cut in a neat and orthodox style, his eyes a somewhat dull brown mixed with amber, giving off a look of calmness and intelligence. He was on his phone, speaking in almost perfect English (say the strong Asian accent that messed up parts of his speech) politely to the person on the other side. As you approached, he hung up, and looked into your (E/C) eyes with curiosity.

"Excuse me; do you know a good place to eat around here?"

"Ah. You're not askring me because I am Asian, correct?"

"N-No! It's just… It's just that you seemed friendly."

He chucked softly, and then continued, "There is a prace a few blocks down from here that serves good ramen." After finishing his sentence, he turned and began to walk away in the opposite direction.

"W-wait!" You called out after him, jogging to catch up.

"Yes?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at you.

"I need help getting to the store." You admitted, putting your head down a little in shame. You hated to admit it, but you were horrible at directions.

"I'll take you over, then." He agreed, turning around once again.

The two of you shared a nice meal of ramen, Kiku ending up paying the bill because you had forgotten your wallet at home. You had chatted with him about general things like school work and teachers for a good two hours and by the time you had finished, it was already nine in the night.

"You need somerone to accompany you, right?" He asked, noticing your twitching hands.

"Yes…" You replied, a little shocked by the fact that he had sensed your emotions. "How did you know?"

"I simply read the mood." He answered casually, as if it was normal.

The two of you had walked out of the shop, and headed down the now empty street. The streetlights casted their dull orange glow onto the sidewalk, and the moon overhead shone brightly.

"By the way, I never got your name," You spoke, looking into his brown eyes.

"It's Kiku. And yours?"

"(Y/N)."

Another thirty minutes passed by the time you got home, and you had learned a little more about your new friend. He lived about a block down from where you lived, and he adored fluffy things. Nearing the doorway, you said,

"Let's do this again some time."

He agreed, and you two parted ways.

"What am I going to wear…" You muttered, holding up a formal dress and a graphic t-shirt. You were too embarrassed to call Kiku and ask what he had planned, and calling Alfred wouldn't help either. You found it odd that it was always you that had made a move to learn or change something, and that Kiku just replied or followed what you said. He was rather shy around people, but around his friends, he was social and amicable. "I'm thinking too far," You thought out loud, choosing the graphic shirt and throwing the dress back into your closet. Pulling out a pair of jeans and a jacket, you quickly changed and threw yourself onto your bed, not sure what to do next.

Only twenty minutes had passed by from your whole ordeal, leaving you with about an hour and a half before you had to meet Kiku at the park. Blinking slowly, you reflected on how warm the sunlight felt on you…

When you opened you eyes again, it was 2:40.

"Oh god… I'm gonna be late!" You exclaim, jumping up from your bed at what Alfred would call 'heroic-speed' and running out of your room. Grabbing your (F/C) backpack, you storm out of your house in a storm of running feet. The park was quite far from your house, and the streetlights were always slow where the park was. Barely dodging the many pedestrians on the street, you eventually make your way to the park. There, sitting on a little bench meant for two underneath a large oak tree was Kiku, who seemed to be staring blankly at the space in front of him, as though the most interesting thing in the world had just appeared.

"K-Kiku… I'm sorry that I'm late." You huff, your lungs burning from the intense exercise you had just done.

"Oh. It's fine, (F/N)." He replies gently, sounding distracted.

'I wonder if he's okay,' You wonder to yourself as Kiku gets up from his spot.

"So, what are we doing today?" You ask, stretching your arms behind your head. As you stretched, you quickly glanced over at Kiku to see what he was wearing. Your (E/C) orbs caught sight of a white long sleeved shirt with Japanese on it. (You didn't understand a single character, although Kiku did promise that he would teach you Japanese soon.) His shirt was tucked messily underneath black jeans, secured around his waist with a white belt. A smile spread across your face. Kiku was quite conservative and shy about wearing certain types of clothing that exposed his body. He rarely wore short sleeves, even during the hottest of summers. You giggled slightly, and turned your head away as Kiku turned pink.

"A-ah. I was going to take you around Japan Town… Since you know… It's our anniversary. Of friendship, I mean…" He answered, his blush darkening a little as he messed up.

"Then we better get going!" You grinned, and held out your hand for Kiku. He first stared blankly at the hand first, but eventually he took it and got up. You were a little confused by the fact that he had hesitated, since he usually accepted your help. Kiku was a usually calm and organized person, and his thoughts almost never got the hold of him. He must have been thinking of something important…

The walk to Japan Town was silent, say a failed attempt to start a conversation one or two times. Kiku just seemed to deflect those starters, by simply saying 'okay' or not replying at all.

Maybe his falter in speech earlier had affected him to stop talking? Maybe he was thinking about another girl? You shook your head, getting the thoughts out of your head. Kiku would never accept one of those others' requests… Right? Doubt began to make a large void in your heart, and you began to wonder why you were concerned about a thing like this. You should be overjoyed that Kiku finally got a girlfriend, not the other way around!

"(F/N)." Your Japanese friend said, tugging on your sleeve. "Turn here."

"Oh!" You shout, turning into the direction Kiku had led you, not focusing on where.

When you absorbed your surroundings, and were quite surprised where he had taken you. It was one of those tourist attractor restaurants, not your usual ramen shop.

"Kiku, what are we doing here?" You whisper, bumping his shoulder with yours for attention.

"Welcome. Do you have a reservation, or would you like the waiting time?" A hostess spoke almost robotically, as you and Kiku entered through the fancy cherry wood doors. Dozens of other couples and groups stood around the gaudy entry way, chatting about how amazing the whole place was.

"We have a reservation, under Kiku." He replied, completely ignoring what you had asked him.

"Then follow me, please." The hostess directed, picking up two menus with leather coverings, held together by golden string. You tried communicating to Kiku once again, but he simply followed the hostess, as if in a trance. Your eyes caught motion, and you looked over at Kiku's hands, which were fidgeting and entwining.

Now, you were really confused.

You followed the hostess through the narrow hallway that led to the center dining area, with plush chairs filled with people, circling around a sushi bar that made a full circle in the middle. Men were slicing fish and rolling rice in all directions, and plates seemed to magically appear in the blink of an eye. Then, more private rooms began to show themselves, hiding behind wood doors with rice paper windows, just like the traditional Asian style. It was much quieter here; say a few loud laughs that escaped the cracks of the doors.

"Your room is right here, sir." The hostess guided, opening the door for the both of you to walk in.

"Thank you." Kiku said as he nodded, going inside the room. You followed, and sat down on a cushioned mat that faced the table. He sat opposite from you, and thanked the hostess as she handed him two menus.

"A waiter will be here in a few minutes to take your order."

You and Kiku nodded, and opened your menus as she closed the door. Sadness and confusion rippled through your mind as Kiku scanned the menu and said nothing. Saying nothing, you went along with the program, and looked at your menu. Everything was so expensive, and the prices for most items were double than what you could find at one of the local places. A bowl of udon was ten dollars, for crying out loud!

The rice paper door opened swiftly, and a Spanish man walked in, flashing a small smile at you before pulling out his notepad to take orders. Your face began to warm up when your (E/C) orbs made contact with his olive ones, and you turned away from his gaze.

"Your order, senor and chica?" He smoothly questioned, taking another look at you before looking away again.

"W-" You uttered before getting cut off by Kiku.

"We rould like the sashimi boat for two prease." He interjected, closing his menu and handing it to the Spanish waiter. It caught the waiter by surprise, and he focused his attention onto Kiku. You also handed your menu to the waiter, and mouthed 'I'm sorry about that,'

"And drinks?" He asked, sounding a bit bothered.

"Green tea for me," Kiku sighed, his hands fidgeting where the waiter couldn't see. You were getting worried about Kiku now. He never acted like this, even when it came to tough situations.

"I'll get a (F/D), please." You order, handing your menu to him. A look of understanding flashed between you two as your eyes made contact again, he seemed to know that you were having troubles with Kiku. Before, you had thought he had been hitting on you, but now, you noticed he was just observing the situation. But perhaps interaction like this wasn't appropriate for the situation you were in…

About fifteen minutes of silence had passed by you and Kiku, even after the waiter had brought your drinks in. It was so awkward that it hurt.

"I'll be right back." Kiku muttered, getting up to go to the bathroom. You nodded, and looked at your palms while he left. A few moments later, your waiter walked in, holding a sashimi boat masterpiece that even Michelangelo would envy.

"Chica, something tells me that your date is worried about you." He said, gently putting down the sushi boat onto the table. Holding back a sarcastic comeback, you reply:

"I don't know why he's acting like this," You admit, putting your palm to your face. "I just don't understand why he's doing this. He's a pretty approachable person…"

"Maybe he's planning to do something?" He suggested, preparing to leave.

"By the way, I never got your name."

"It's Antonio, chica." He replied smoothly, his Spanish accent adding a dash of spice to his voice. Antonio then walked out of the room, holding a thumb up behind his back for you. You smiled, thankful for his advice. But you swore you had heard that name somewhere…

The doors to your dining room slid open again, this time Kiku entering them. His palms were not entwining anymore, and his face looked calm once again. A billion thoughts ran into your mind when you noticed this, such as:

"Maybe he was talking to another girl on his cell in the bathroom…"

"Did he… No…"

He silently sat down across from you, and picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece of the raw fish.

"(F/N), do you remember the first day re met?" He asked, his eyes scanning the boat for a good looking piece of salmon.

"Yeah. We went to that ramen shop, but I didn't know how to use chopsticks, so you had to feed me."

"Then let's act like today's the first day."

Your eyes grew wide as the sashimi neared your mouth, but you gladly accepted it. Both yours and Kiku's faces turned pink, and you turned away in embarrassment after accepting the food. You could see a slight (and rare) smile grow on your friend's face, along with a darkening blush. A single thought shot through your head, along with a smile on your face:

For once, Kiku had made the first move.