Okay so this is loosely based off of the third years last national tournament, but side note I have recently become obsessed with Chihayafuru and, while I knew I shouldn't have because it's not the ship that's going well (I guess?), cuz unrequited love, and I knew it wouldn't, I am absolutely obsessed with TaichiXChihaya. I ache for them to get together, I am going to be devastated if they don't. I didn't think I would so vehemently crave this shipping and there isn't even lots of fan fiction on Chihayafuru for me to drown my maybe hopefully not sorrows in. Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I don't own Chihayafuru, otherwise you know what ship would be 1000% canon

! #$

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

The smell of sweat permeated the air. Chihaya's feet scraped against the tatami mats, but it was the weight of Taichi's headband snug against her forehead, combined with her heartbeat drowning out all her senses, yet enhancing them all at once, that made Chihaya still.

Taichi. Taichi was here.

Their eyes connected, his framed by such long, long lashes, while all of a sudden Chiyaha could only find hers rimmed with tears. The image of Taichi, so sorely missed, blurred before her eyes, and she set her mouth in determination, tightening her (his) headband even tighter.

As the reader began again, Chiyaha blinked, exhaling, even as her insides filled with a burst of strength and pure, unadulterated joy. Taichi was here.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"One- Two wins for Mizusawa!"

Thump. Thump.

"Three wins for Mizusawa!"

Thump.

"Four wins!"

Ba-thump.

"…Five wins for Mizusawa!"

A rush of wind filled Chihaya's ears, the beating of her heart loud even as she collapsed. She could hear them, her teammates, their joy at her familiar antics, the encompassing silence of everything else.

Before long, she was jumping to her feet, her heart uncontrollable and just, so, so pulsating. And then all she could see was Taichi, Taichi… Taichi. His chest. The soft movements of his own heart beat. She spoke, unaware of even her words, just his (her) headband wrapped around his neck and clung to by her fingers, linking them together as she talked.

And then it was the encompassing of all her teammates surrounding them, pressure on all sides, but the only pressure that mattered was her mushed up against his chest and the feel of his palm scalding her shoulder blade. All that mattered was the scent of sweat and the sick sense of relief making her knees go weak.

Soon enough, the pressure faded, and she was being pulled away for the ceremony. Her eyes glanced up, catching on Taichi's wide eyes ("Do you think I'm made of stone?"). Her heart thumped.

It was only later, when Chiyaha was hurriedly rushing to place footwear on, her skirt on backwards and her socks bunched, that Chihaya even thought to snap out of her daze, and then all she was doing was rushing, rushing, rushing, she needed to get to Taichi, she needed to get to-

Chihaya glanced around hurriedly, her hair flying all around her. There! She had to run, he was almost gone- Chihaya reached her fingertips out, his silhouette just out of sight-

A hand gently touched the crook of her outreached elbow and Chihaya whirled around in shock, the sounds of everything around her suddenly coming into focus, from the whispers of all the onlookers to Arata's footsteps shuffling on the spot, to the whoosh of the outside doors closing.

Wait. Arata?

"Chihaya?" Arata's smile was kind (I'm in love with you, Chihaya) and a box of some kind of confectionary was stretched out to her. On it was Taichi's name. Chihaya finally felt her heart stop, her teammates shoes squelching on the floor as she sank to her knees.

She wiped at her face aggressively. Taichi… He was really here. It was the first time that day, despite his distinct, boyish scent covering her in an embrace just earlier, that she felt it wasn't a dream.

! #$

"Taichi!"

Taichi froze, the sound of the one persons voice he would never forget. Briefly, he debated whether or not he should run. After all, Chihaya had caught him watching over her as she rested within his old club room, and he really was definitely not ready to face her ("Sorry").

His chest burned at the thought of her, but his shoulder burned more, the feel of Chihaya's palm resting on his back like an inferno. "T-taichi," she stuttered. Taichi tilted his head up to the sky, taking a deep breath inwards.

He turned, yet her hand stayed up, instead coming to rest against his chest comfortably. Intimately. He hid his eyes behind his hair, unwillingly to let her see the look in his eye or the twitch in his hand that wrestled with ripping her away from him.

"Taichi…" This time, there was an achingly familiar texture to her voice ("No! Please, don't leave!") and Taichi snapped his head up to come face to face with Chihaya's tears streaming down her face. Her hair, most likely disheveled from her fast movements, stuck to the tears, begging to be brushed away.

"The cards were black."

His heart stopped, and his mouth went dry. No. No no no no. This couldn't be happening, she loved karuta, he knew he was selfish but dammit no, he did not want to take away this important thing from her! Karuta was her life, it was her passion, no way could it be ruined by his stupid, stupid decision to fall in love with this clumsy idiot-

Chihaya's expression stopped his spiralling thoughts. "W-what?"

She was smiling, a quaky, unsure smile, yet beautiful nonetheless. "T-the cards were heavy and black," she hiccuped, "and I didn't know what to do. I just missed you so much.

"If you didn't show up, I don't know if I ever would have kept loving karuta again."

This time Taichi sucked in an audible breath. "Don't be ridiculous." he muttered stiffly, turning his head to the side to avoid the breathtaking look on her face. You have no chance.

Suddenly, the hand that had been so carelessly caressed against his chest, almost like it was moulded to be there, slipped upwards, catching at his collarbone at the exact pace his heart skipped a beat, and coming to rest to curve around his jaw.

Taichi's eyes were wide, his hands stuck glued into his pockets lest he do something stupid like kiss her again (the expression on her face had been an embodiment of his heartbreak).

Chihaya sniffed, and Taichi realised the hand so tenderly linking their bodies was trembling. "I-it turns out one of the main things I love about karuta is you."

Everything was silent. Taichi felt the blood sluggishly moving throughout his body, urging him to do something, anything. Chihaya seemed to know what his shocked muscles were trying to tell him, and she drew her hand back down to his chest, leaving his cheek strangely cold, as she stepped into his space and tightened as closely pressured into his chest as she could.

"T-taichi," She was full out bawling now, tears soaking into his shirt as he stood frozen. "I-I'm so sorry!"

Finally, his hands decided to unsheathe themselves from his pockets and tentatively hover near her, eventually resting on her lower back and the space between her shoulder blades. "Hey, hey," he shushed softly, because now she was blubbering incomprehensibly. He continued in this quest before falling silent. "Beauty in vain, huh?"

Chihaya hiccuped a laugh at his pathetic attempt at making her smile, and instead of hitting or kicking him like he'd hoped to cajole, she merely tightened her grip on his shirt and buried her head further into the crook of his neck, seemingly unaware of her lips brushing against his pulse point, or the way her hair tickled against his suddenly sensitive skin.

"I think I'm in love with you," she cried, and almost simultaneously both of their knees buckled, and the two of them crumbled to the floor as Chihaya clung to him, curling her legs over his lap and his loosely crossed legs.

Taichi stared distantly at the same door he remembered walking out of the last time he'd sat in this spot, his mind in a whirl. He glanced down at his hands resting- he blinked away tears. No, trembling. His hands were trembling, completely shaking, clutching at Chihaya's back, searching for this to be real.

Only the sound of Chihaya's snivelling appeared. Taichi's mouth went dry as he realised what this meant. "T-then why are you crying, stupid?" his voice cracked, sobbing a laugh as his tears dripped into Chihaya's silky hair that was pressed so obstinately against him.

"B-because!" With this admission, Chihaya indignantly raised her head up sharply, unintentionally cracking the crown of her head against his jaw. "Ow!"

The two clutched their respective site of pain, finally meeting eyes in a glare. "Idiot! Watch what you're doing!" Taichi scolded.

"B-but," Chihaya pouted, before her sulky expression turned into a tear rimmed smile, "But I love you."

Taichi's breath hitched and his cheeks spread into a blush, even as Chihaya pulled herself onto her knees and squirmed, playing with her fingers as she avoided his gaze and babbled on and on.

"And I know I really don't have any concept of romance or whate-"

Taichi snatched her fingers forward, pulling her back into an embrace as she kneeled between his outstretched legs, squeezed into his chest. He brought her fingers up to his lips and kissed them reverently. "I love your fingers." he whispered against her hair, near her ear. He repeated it a few more times.

Chihaya's grip tightened on his shirt and he heard a telltale sniffle again, just as he cozied closer to hide his own tears against her neck.

Finally. It wasn't a dream.