"Kiku!" You yelled, running to him.
"Ah..! (Name)-chan! What're you doing here at this hour..?" He asked, confused.
You looked up at the sky, noticing that it actually was getting dark. You looked back at Kiku, having a somewhat curious, but slightly saddened look on your face.
"I... I want to know more about why your people attacked Pearl Harbor that day... I don't have a grudge or anything like that, but... I... I'm just... curious.." You said nervously.
Kiku looked down, suddenly feeling somewhat depressed. "I.. It was an ill-concieved decision... I agreed to it during the time, but... I regret it. I.. I really, really regret it..." He looked at you, eyes seeming somewhat saddened. You stared at him, thinking for a moment.
"It was your... boss or... whoever was the leader of your country during the time that was the main cause of it, wasn't it..?" You said quietly.
"I... I guess you could say that..." He said.
"I.. I don't think that everybody fully agreed to it, though... I remember reading something about a Japanese Pilot named "Kichiji Dewa" questioning why Japan was going to start a war... I even remembering him saying that he thought that Pacific peace was world peace..." You told Kiku, hoping that it would make him feel a little better.
Sadly, it didn't.
"I... I really wish I could apologize somehow for what happened during that time... G-Gomen nasai..." He said regretfully.
"It's okay..." You patted his shoulder, despite his personal space issues. He tensed up a little bit from it, but eventually relaxed. "It's all in the past. It's forgiven. Don't worry..."
"I.. I hope so..." He whispered, looking down.
"Think of it this way. I'm an American, and I'm into more Japanese things than just anime and manga, even after learning about Pearl Harbor day." You said, smiling warmly at him. Mentioning that caused his spirits to lighten up a bit, and he smiled at you softly.
"A-Arigatou, (Name)-chan~"
"..D-Doitashimashite~" You replied, struggling slightly, but managing to say it correctly. You were just starting to practice Japanese, and managed to learn only a few words so far, but you were getting the hang of it.
"A-Ah..." Kiku began to blush bashfully. It always happened whenever you spoke Japanese. God knows why... but even if you didn't know why, you didn't mind.
You suddenly realized that your hand was still on his shoulder, and you immediately took it off, allowing him to have his personal space back. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright..." He whispered, smiling warmly. This caused you to blush now, and you unconciously started to play with your fingers, holding them up in front of your chest while staring bashfully at him.
"...Is something wrong..?" He questioned, somewhat worried.
"N-Nothing's wrong... R-Really..." You struggled saying. This is when Kiku noticed the blush on your cheeks, and apparently, it was deepening.
"I see... Well... Would you like me to walk you home? It is getting rather late..." He looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun had almost set. Hearing him ask something like that caused your blush to deepen even more, and now it was completely covering your cheeks.
"S-S-Sure..." You managed to say, now holding your hands against your chest. "I-If you don't mind..."
Kiku smiled warmly at you. "I don't mind at all~" He walked close enough to you and gently took a hold of one of your hands, which was rather rare for someone like him. "I'll make sure you get home safely~"
"W-Well, i-i-it's not that far..." You said shyly, looking at the direction of where you came from. "Y-You don't need to hold my..." You said as your voice trailed off, looking at your hand being held.
"But I want to..." He said somewhat shyly. This made you look up at him, eventually smiling softly.
"O..Okay..."
The two of you had a nice conversation during the walk home, and Kiku eventually lead you to your doorstep. He let go of your hand, smiling more than ever.
"Have a nice night~" He said happily.
"I will.. G-Goodnight..~" You said somewhat shyly. You began walking up to your doorstep when you felt something grab your hand. You looked back to see Kiku, standing there with a somewhat longing expression. You turned around to face him, gently taking his hand off of yours. "Wh-Why did you..."
"I..I almost forgot to give you something..." He said shyly, looking down. "...Close your eyes..."
You weren't sure exactly what he had, and were a little nervous about closing your eyes, but you decided to trust him and did as he told. You waited there quietly, thinking about what he might have for you, until your thoughts were interrupted...
You felt something warm carress your cheeks, and then something else press against your lips gingerly. You decided to open one eye slightly, seeing that Kiku, usually concerned about his personal space, was actually giving you a sweet, gentle kiss. You were surprised at first, thinking that you might faint, but eventually gave in and kissed him back softly, holding onto one of his hands with your own.
Eventually, the both of you broke the kiss, staring into each other's eyes endearingly. You couldn't help but smile softly, which made Kiku smile warmly back at you. He took his hands off of your cheeks and watched you walk towards your door. You decided to look back at him before opening it.
"Goodnight..." You said quietly.
"Goodnight~" He said back to you, smiling. "I... I love you..."
Your eyes widened at what he said, but you soon calmed down. After a moment or two, you quietly opened the door.
"I love you too..." You said warmly, turning away and stepping inside. You closed the door behind you, leaving Kiku outside, staring at the door as if he was waiting for you to come out. He sighed softly, eventually walking back to his own home, feeling happier than ever.
