Valentine Surprise

The cherry blossoms had begun to bloom on some of the trees. The wind blew a few into the air and they drifted ever so slowly towards her window. Sakura was typing up her physics homework on the computer when she felt the breeze enter, bringing with it a few cherry blossoms. They landed on her bed, almost in the shape of a heart. She smiled at this and then returned to her typing. Out of the blue it occurred to her that Valentine's Day was approaching.

"This year will be my last chance to try and win over Aya-san's heart. If I fail, I'll know that we're just friends." She thought to herself.

She then saved what she had completed and sat gently on the end of her bed.

"Come on, Sakura. You have to think…"

She decided after nearly an hour of unproductive brainstorming that her answer lay elsewhere. So, she grabbed a light pink sweater from her closet and headed downstairs. As she slipped into her pink tennis shoes she shouted to her parents.

"I'm going to the library!"

"Okay. Just be back before dinner." Her mother replied from the kitchen.

As she made her way down the sidewalk she began to wonder if it was possible to catch him off guard. He was always so tense, and he didn't show much emotion as it was. She sighed and sped up into a jog.

After a few miles of track style jogging she reached the library. She knelt down slightly, only to catch her breath. She wasn't as out of shape as she had assumed, which was always good to know. After all, after a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas who could honestly jog for an hour straight without collapsing? She hurried up the stairs and pushed the door open. The library had always been a nice quiet place for her to come as a child. She enjoyed its young adult section. Jane Austin and Nicholas Sparks had become her idols. She hoped that one day, even if Aya would not become her lover, that she could feel such happiness and completion of the soul. And, as a teenager, she was curious about the "love scenes" as well. What teenage girl wasn't?

She peered through the shelves, looking for nothing in particular. Suddenly, a bright red binding caught her attention. She retrieved it from the shelf and read the title aloud.

"How to Make Your Valentine's Day a True Victory."

It sounded interesting enough, but was it truly realistic? She decided to take her chances and proceeded to the counter to take it out. The woman behind the counter smiled at her.

"Ah, young love. I remember my first real Valentine's Day."

Sakura nodded and gave a coy expression. She headed home with the book in her hands, eager to begin reading it.

After she had finished dinner and had cleaned the table she proceeded to take her shower and read the book afterward. When she was comfy and content in her lilac panda pajamas she retrieved the book from her dresser and opened it to the first page.

"This book is based off of myths and should only be attempted by those in desperation…"

She giggled slightly.

"Well, I suppose you could say I'm desperate."

As she read it she realized how peculiar this book was. There were chapters contemplating the true meaning of love. Was it a physical attraction? Was it a completion of the soul? Was is merely an infatuation? She began to question her own feelings. Maybe she wasn't truly in love with him. Maybe, just maybe, her hormones were acting up. Then, she shook the thought away.

"No, that can't be right at all. I've had feelings for him since I first met him. I was only fifteen then, and I'm eighteen now."

She kept reading like the dedicated reader she had become over the past few years. It eventually reached midnight, and she was two pages away from finishing the book. After she finished, she closed the book. She sat in silence for a moment, thinking back to all of the chapters and then opened to a bookmarked page. It read, "Love Serums."

"I wonder if a potion is crazy enough to work." She thought aloud.

She skimmed the page briefly and then once more. Finally, she decided it was a chance worth taking. She headed downstairs to check and see if she had all of the necessary ingredients for the concoction. Surprisingly, she had them all.

"It is officially a sign…" She thought to herself as she turned the kitchen light on and grabbed the necessary ingredients and supplies.

The following day was Valentine's Day. She awoke in her bedroom, her head resting on her desk with the bottle of serum next to her. She smiled, yawning slightly as she headed into her bathroom to get dressed for the day.

She had the perfect excuse to visit him. She wanted to purchase a bouquet of roses for her parents for the holiday. As she had assumed, the flower shop was swarming with girls. Some were in college like her, but a vast majority was high school or even junior high students. She laughed, remembering those days.

Somehow managing to push through the sea of bodies she entered the flower shop. The bell above the door announced her entrance, but the shop was just as busy inside as it had been outside. It took her a few minutes to find him, but eventually she did. He was making up a bouquet for some girl with dark hair. She neared him and shouted over the noise.

"Aya-san! Over here!"

He looked up and saw her waving to him from behind a few girls surrounding him. He pushed past them and stood before her, finishing the bow on the bouquet.

"You're brave to come here today." He said.

"Well, I couldn't let today pass by without wishing you a happy Valentine's Day, could I?"

"You really shouldn't try so hard." He replied, handing the bouquet to the girl, who bowed and proceeded to the counter.

"Why? I don't mind." She countered, smiling gently.

With a small grunt he turned away from her and proceeded back to a bin of carnations. She noticed that he was sweating slightly.

"You look a little parched. Why don't I go get you something to drink?" She asked, trying to be helpful.

"That would be great. Thanks."

"Of course." She said as she turned and headed off to the deli next door.

She purchased a bottle of iced tea for him and sat down in an empty section of the store. Sitting at a little table, she retrieved the serum from her bag and cracked the seal of the iced tea. She took a small sip out so that she could incorporate the serum. As she poured the almost transparent liquid she sighed.

"I really hope this works…" She thought.

She shook the tea well before returning to the flower shop. When she entered, he was standing up, leaning against the door that led to the basement.

"Here you are." She said calmly, handing him the bottle.

He smiled and nodded, taking it from her. When he twisted the cap off she felt a whirl of emotions spin around inside her.

"Wait, maybe this is a bad idea." She thought at first.

Then, quite the opposite, "He just needs a little push."

She felt his hand on her shoulder and looked up. He shot her a worried expression.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked.

"Who me? I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You seem kind of tense, that's all."

"Do I?"

He nodded and she apologized. She told him that she needed to get some air and left rather abruptly. He tried to follow her, but he lost her in the influx of girls moving about.

She inhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure.

"Get it together, Sakura. You've made it this far. Besides, it probably won't even work."

Meanwhile, inside the flower shop, Aya reached for his iced tea. Taking a huge sip, he swallowed graciously in order to quench his thirst. After a few more sips he suddenly realized how unnaturally sweet his tea tasted. He looked at the label doubtful, but saw nothing unusual.

"Odd. It usually isn't this sweet." He mumbled to himself. He put his drink down and continued to work.

Sakura eventually returned and approached him slowly. He noticed and asked very casually,

"Am I scary to you now?"

She shook her head and laughed.

"Of course not, Aya-san. Sorry…"

She noticed that his expression was the same as it had been when she first entered. She sighed in disappointment and proceeded to ask him for a bouquet. He began making it and she thought to herself,

"I knew it was too good to be true."

He interrupted her train of thought, asking if the bouquet looked okay. She said it did and took it from him.

"Thanks so much." She said with a smile and bowed.

Then, he looked at her curiously as she reached in her purse and retrieved some yen. She took his hand, opened it, and placed the yen inside before closing it. Aya shook his head.

"No, it's on me for once." He said with a smile, handing the yen back.

"Aya-san, you don't have to…"

"I know that I don't have to. I want to."

She smiled. Even without a magic potion he had his moments. She thanked him once more and headed towards the door.

"Happy Valentine's Day…" She said as she ran out the door.

He nodded and went back to work.

Later that night, Sakura returned home with the bouquet and her mother brought out a cake she had baked. Her parents thanked her and placed the flowers in a vase. She and her parents ate the chocolate cake together and said goodnight before heading their separate ways for the night.

Sakura settled down into her bed and began to work on more of her homework, calculus this time. She still felt bad about tricking Aya and realized that she deserved the serum's failure. She held the pencil in her left hand, tapping at her homework monotonously.

Back at the flower shop, Aya was closing it up for the night. Yohji gallivanted in with a rose between his top and bottom rows of teeth.

"Hey there prince charming. Do anything exciting today?"

"No, but I suppose you have much to talk about." He replied, irritable due to a sudden stomach ache that had hit him an hour or two ago.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure. I think the tea I drank earlier was too sweet or something."

"Too sweet? Man, your taste matches your personality; bitter and sour."

"Ha ha. Very amusing, Yohji." He mumbled, going to his room to settle down for the night.

He closed his door and slowly lay down on his bed. Then, out of nowhere he began to wonder what it would feel like if Sakura was laying beside him. He would feel her chest rising. Immediately shunning the thought, his face blushed and he closed his eyes. Once again, romantic feelings began to surface from deep inside of him. Nonetheless, he was stubborn and fought back as much as he could.

"I want her here…" He thought.

"No, what am I saying?" He countered, sitting up from bed.

"I want to kiss her…" His mind tried once more.

"No!" He shouted, but the thoughts wouldn't dissipate.

"I want her to be mine and no one else's."

"She's not mine to have." He argued.

As the thoughts raged through his mind, physically he felt that he was fighting as well.

"My God, I've suppressed urges like this before. Why can't I now?" He growled, closing his eyes tightly.

"I do not love her!" He ordered himself to say.

"Of course you do. Why else would you be trying so hard not to?" His mind asked.

Suddenly, feeling unable to suppress the combination of physical and emotional needs, he went to his closet and found an outfit quickly. He subconsciously put it on and zippered on a pair of jeans. He grabbed his trench coat and headed outside. It was cold, and he buckled most of the buckles on his coat. He had no idea where his legs were taking him, but he did not fight against them. Somehow he knew he wouldn't disagree.

Meanwhile, Sakura had just finished her calculus and was moving onto her psychology homework. She found the brain a truly interesting organ, and wondered if it was actually possible to be brainwashed by it. Suddenly, she noticed her curtains move. She looked up from her homework and neared the small balcony attached to her room. She pushed the curtains aside and let out a small shriek. A familiar hand immediately silenced her, covering her mouth. She looked up and saw the violet of his eyes. She let out a sigh and he removed his hand.

"Aya-san, you startled me!" She began, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"I'm sorry." He replied apologetically.

"It's fine. What are you doing here? Did you need something?"

His violet eyes narrowed as he looked her over, paying attention to particular areas more so than others. She blushed slightly and took a step forward.

"What are you…looking at?" She suddenly wondered.

In all of the times he had ever glanced over at her it had never been like this. He seemed to be, in a way, "checking her out". She looked down at herself and then back up at him. He smiled faintly.

"What do you think I'm looking at?" He asked, closing the distance between them.

"I don't…"

"I'm looking at the incarnate of beauty…" He whispered into her ear that held the matching gold earring.

It jingled slightly as his breath fanned at her ear. She blushed and took a step back.

"Aya-san, really. Why are you here?" She asked once more.

He merely closed his eyes and inhaled. When he opened his eyes he smiled, but not of the manner she had seen before. It was…almost flirtatious.

"Mmm, you smell like cherry blossoms…" He said, bringing her into his arms.

With a gentle kiss on her cheek he added,

"They're my favorite."

To this she couldn't respond. The only thing she could think was that maybe, in some rare phenomenon, the serum had worked. She looked into his eyes and saw something truly unexpected…lust.

"Aya-san, really it's late." She tried once more.

She was satisfied just knowing that it had worked. Besides, she wasn't sure how far the serum would encourage him to go.

"I know, but I just couldn't sleep…" He replied, his arms holding her tightly to him.

As soon as she looked up into his eyes she knew she had sealed her fate. Within seconds they were locked in a deep, passionate kiss. He remained chaste for only a moment, quickly parting her lips with his tongue. She moved away slightly, but he immediately pulled her back. As he kissed her, his hands traced her petite frame. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying every moment of it. With a quick lift she was in his arms, lips still locked, being carried into her bedroom. He playfully threw her onto the bed, his body lying atop hers as he claimed her lips once more.

"Why? I can't stop." He thought to himself as he moved down to her neck.

She let out a small moan as he bit down on her delicate neck, his hands unbuttoning her top. She arched her back and shuddered beneath him, trying to stop him in between kisses. When he suddenly opened her top and kissed the area between her breasts she gasped.

"Aya-san, no. We can't go this far."

"Why?" He asked, gasping for some air.

"I love you, Sakura. I really truly love you. And, oh God…"He said, suddenly unbuckling every belt his trench coat possessed. It was then that she realized that he wore only a button up T shirt and a pair of jeans. She shook her head.

" You do?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I love you so much that I…"

The urge grew stronger and stronger and he found himself unable to speak. All he could do was remove his trench coat and run his lips across her skin. She shivered, trying so hard not to react to his touch. On impulse, she reached for his jeans and pulled the zipper down.

"What am I doing?" She asked herself.

In Aya's mind it was clear as day what was happening. He paused only briefly, tugging at her pants.

"For so long I've wanted you…to be mine."He said, breathing heavy.

"But I just couldn't…allow myself to act like this. I don't deserve you, Sakura."

"Love has nothing to do with deserving someone…" She replied, tugging gently on his boxers.

"Love is making the other person happy."

His eyes saw nothing but her. He brought his lips to hers once more before pulling down on her cherry panties. Sakura was unbuttoning his shirt with amazing speed. He couldn't help thinking how cute she was, ever so playfully trying to catch up to him.

"Aya-san, will this make you happy?" She asked, running her fingers through his scarlet hair.

"Yes, but…" His expression looked doubtful.

"Will you be happy? Your happiness is mine as well, Aya-san. That's…what love is, right?" She asked, smiling tenderly at him.

"Sakura…" He whispered his body almost in position.

"…my Sakura."

Then, at that very moment, when the climactic portion of the evening was about to ensue he let out a slight grunt and backed away slowly. She looked at him questioningly.

"Aya-san?" She asked.

Then, he turned back towards her. His eyes looked surprised and he looked around, confused.

"What the-?" He asked, looking around and then, when he looked at her…

"My GOD." He backed away with unprecedented speed. He searched the room for his shirt, his jeans, and his boxers. She realized that the serum had probably worn off.

"Aya-san, I can explain…" She began, quickly putting her shirt and pants back on. He finished putting his clothes on and looked back at her, eyes sharp.

"Oh really? I doubt it, but by all means go ahead."He replied coldly.

She winced, caught off guard by his drastic switch in attitude; and to think he had been so tender seconds ago. It was hard to believe him the same person.

"I sort of spiked your iced tea with a love inducing serum."She began.

His eyes were mocking.

"Are you for real?"

"Yes. You see, I wanted to see if you really loved me. The serum is meant to bring into focus feelings suppressed or normally hidden below the surface."

He stared at for a long time, not saying anything. She immediately regretted having ever come up with the idea of making this Valentine's Day different from any other.

"You spiked my tea."

"I'm sorry, but there was no other way…"

"Sakura, that was dishonest. I've told you how I feel about you, so why wasn't that enough?"

"But…all of this. You had been suppressing it and the serum released it."

"How selfish you are, assuming that these feelings are for you."

After he finished he immediately regretted it. Her eyes were big, glassy, her expression crestfallen. He turned toward her and added,

"Not that they aren't. I'm just saying, what you did…"

"It was very wrong of me, I know. I'm…sorry." She replied, hands trembling.

As he stood near the window to leave she added,

"I never…meant to upset you. Honest, I just…wanted to see you romantically. I figured that if the day went by and there wasn't any connection…I would stop pursuing you once and for all."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"So in order to make sure that didn't happen, you cheated."

She looked down. Her eyes were puffy and teary. She clutched at her sheets.

"I'm so sorry, Aya-san. Please, forgive me…" She pleaded.

He watched her cry, not saying much. He thought of leaving her to drown in her own tears, but he knew he never could. After an exasperated sigh, he came over to her and sat down beside her.

"Look, I have my own speed with things. I don't think rushing into a relationship like this will do either of us any good." He suggested.

Sakura nodded and wiped at her eyes. He closed his eyes and slowly brought her into his arms.

"If you love me as much as you claim to, then please be patient."

He tapped her nose softly and smiled.

"I'll come for you when I'm ready."

She smiled and hugged him tightly. He kissed her head and left his arms enclosed around her. The two of them sat for a long while, just breathing and enjoying each other's company. They watched the sunrise from her balcony.

"Sakura…"

She looked up into his eyes, noting that they were unexpressive.

"Yes?"

"Wait for me…I'll come." He said in his soft voice.

She smiled.

"Okay. I will."

She leaned back to look at his expression and was caught in a chaste kiss. He paused briefly, and then held it a little longer before parting and getting up to head home.

"Remember, you promised to wait." He added.

He disappeared down the road. She smiled to herself and closed her windows.

The next morning, she awoke later than usual. She told her parents that she couldn't sleep. She arrived at the library with the book and approached the counter.

"Did it work?" The lady asked.

Sakura shook her head. She figured that, if in the wrong hands, the serum could do frightening things and didn't want anyone else to be as careless as she had been.

"Aw, shucks. I was thinking of trying it out."

They both giggled and Sakura proceeded home with a light heart. She believed him, and knew he would come someday. She just hoped it wasn't too far away.

END

Oh, Aya was so close! Darn it! Well, maybe next time...?

Anyway, this is just another Aya X Sakura fanfic from me.

Feedback is highly desired! Let me hear your thoughts/feelings on it :)