Well Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day late but oh well. This idea hit me suddenly on the 13th and so I quickly pushed it out for a little random fun. So I hope everyone enjoys it. And for those who are wondering, Respect-for-the-Aged Day is an actual holiday in Japan and is celebrated on the 15th of September. So anyways, please Read, Review, and of course, enjoy the story.

Valentine's Day Kiss Chiyo-chan

Carefully placing the peanut butter filled candy into the box, Chiyo had finally finished her homemade box of chocolates. She wiped her forehead with her arm and released a "Whew!" of relief. Chiyo had stayed up all of the previous night just making the box for her homemade chocolates. Pink construction paper, a rose-red bow (in the shape of a rose of course), silver and gold trimmings on the edges; this box had forced Chiyo to drink coffee with all the work that was put into it. And now the box sat filled with close to two dozen chocolates that Chiyo had cooked herself.

"But what will she say?" The question had tormented Chiyo ever since she had realized her feelings. Will she share my feelings? How will this affect our friendship? What will the others say? Will people think I'm weird for liking another girl? What happens if she says no? Chiyo had been drowning in these and other such questions all week long. "But," Chiyo resolved, "I have to try."

Closing the box of chocolates and tying it shut, Chiyo carefully slid the box into a paper bag and folded it shut. Secrecy was vital. If word got around that she had chocolates, everyone would be on her; and it wouldn't necessarily be because of a crush. Cooking just came naturally to her, as did most things.

Heading out the door, Chiyo started her long journey to school and soon enough, Osaka joined her side. "Today's Valentine's Day huh." Chiyo only nodded in reply as her best friend stared up at the clouds for almost two minutes before returning to earth and adding, "I wonder if I'll get any chocolates."

Chiyo forced a chuckle, and tightening her grip on the paper bag, "I wonder." A thought suddenly springing to Chiyo's mind, she casually asked, "But the boys don't generally hand out chocolates. Wouldn't that mean getting some from another girl?"

Osaka pondered this for a moment before answering, "That'd be a little weird."

Chiyo felt her heart dropping to her stomach and sighing, she said, "Oh, I guess you're right. That would be strange." So, she would be considered weird. The thought tormented Chiyo as Osaka continued.

"But come to think of it, I don't particularly like any of the boys in our class. Guess I'm okay." Looking down at Chiyo, Osaka asked, "Are you giving anyone chocolates?"

Caught off guard by the question, Chiyo jumped in response. "Uhhh no, why would I?"

Osaka merely shrugged and said something about geniuses dating early, but Chiyo wasn't listening. She couldn't stop thinking about what Osaka had said. Will everyone else think that too? They weren't even at school yet, and Chiyo had already received proof that her plan would be a disaster.

Arriving at school, Chiyo quickly hid the paper bag in with her books and papers. Fortunately, no one had noticed it and so she made it to class without arising suspicion from anyone. And with Yukari-sensei actually beating her to class; little small talk had to be made with the gang before lessons started. This allowed Chiyo to relax a little because she didn't have to worry about getting singled out for being tense. Still, questions swirled through her mind as she thought of what Osaka had said to her. Am I really weird for liking another girl?

When the lunch period arrived, Chiyo quickly excused herself to use the restroom. She wanted to freshen up a bit before sitting with her friends. Fortunately, Tomo had been called away by Nyamo-sensei for something she did during gym and so Chiyo could relax that much more. Splashing water on her face, Chiyo looked at herself in the mirror and watched the streaks of water slide down to her chin. "But . . . I'll have to face her sooner or later."

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Chiyo whirled around to find Osaka stepping inside. She appeared to be worrying about something as she slowly approached Chiyo. But instead of asking if Chiyo was alright or if anything was the matter, Osaka asked, "So, who are the chocolates for?"

"Huh," Chiyo's mouth dropped as Osaka repeated the question. Realizing that her face was still dripping wet, Chiyo pulled out her handkerchief and dried herself off. How did Osaka know? Of all the people that attended Kiyohiko High, how was it that Osaka was the first one to find out? If anything, Chiyo would have expected Yomi or Sakaki to find out. Those two were the most observant and as hard as it was to say, sensible of the bunch. "How did you know . . ."

"The box was sticking out of the paper bag."

"It was," Chiyo asked horrified. If Osaka had seen it, how many others had seen it? Did she see it?

"D-Don't worry. I covered it back up. No one else saw it . . . I think."

Though Chiyo wasn't sure about Osaka's assurances, she felt relieved nonetheless. "Thank you," Chiyo replied.

Osaka only nodded, but remained in an awkward stance. Chiyo knew what her best friend was thinking and though she really didn't want to talk about it, she trusted Osaka and the girl deserved to know since she did help hide the chocolates. "They're . . . for someone special. I mean . . . the chocolates are for a girl." Chiyo paused, and waited for a comment from Osaka involving the word, weird; but none came. "I think she might be my first crush."

"Well you chose the right day. Valentine's day is perfect for confessing, unlike Keeroo-no-hi (Respect-for-the-Aged Day)." Chiyo attempted to understand Osaka's thought process on her friend's response, but as usual, Osaka's train of thought left Chiyo clueless.

At least she didn't call me weird. Chiyo thought.

"Is it someone I know?"

Osaka had asked the question so quickly that Chiyo almost didn't catch it. Clearly, the girl was excited about Chiyo's love life, and making a poor attempt to hide it. "Yes."

"Who is it?"

Sighing over the unwanted attention that Chiyo knew she'd get from someone finding out, she reluctantly gave in, and said, "Alright I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone." Osaka hastily agreed and Chiyo, worried about anyone hearing, only now thought to quickly check under the stalls before returning to Osaka's side. "Okay. The box of chocolates is for . . . Tomo." Chiyo clamped her eyes shut and waited for the laughing, waited for the weird questions to start: How could you of all people fall in love with Tomo? What do you see in Tomo? What's wrong with you?

But nothing happened. No laughing, no teasing, no nothing. When Chiyo opened her eyes, she found Osaka pondering what had just been said. Chiyo suddenly felt guilt sweep over her for having such harsh thoughts about her friend. Still, the growing silence began to irritate Chiyo and desperate curiosity quickly swept over her. They had been in the bathroom for some time, and it was only a matter of minutes, seconds maybe, before someone would come looking for them. "Well, what do you think? Am I weird?"

"No," Osaka said matter-of-factly, "It fits. It makes perfect sense."

"It does?" Chiyo couldn't figure Osaka's thought process again, but she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders when she heard those words. Despite what was said before school, Osaka seemed to understand her feelings. But why does it make sense? Has Osaka noticed something that I missed? Whatever the case, Chiyo now felt a little more relaxed from sharing her secret and she couldn't help but squeeze Osaka in a hug.

Osaka merely accepted the hug, chuckled, and replied, "I hope Tomo doesn't see us."

The afternoon passed rather smoothly for Chiyo as she wore a smile on her face the whole way through. Having someone in on the secret helped more than Chiyo ever thought it would.

Everything was going to work out; she just knew it. At the end of the day, she'd leave a note on Tomo's desk to meet her out back of school, and there, the box of chocolates would be presented along with her confession of love.

The day soon ended without a break in Chiyo's newfound confidence, though her nerves did start to act up as dismissal approached. When the bell did ring, the classroom erupted in a million conversations as students left for club activities, sports, home, and whatnot. Chiyo however, had her note ready. It took but ten seconds to write, "Meet me out back. I have something important to tell you. –Anon." Stealthily, Chiyo slipped between classmates, neatly dropped the note onto Tomo's desk, and casually walked out of the classroom. Paper bag in hand, Chiyo swiftly walked to the appointed spot, found a tree to wait behind, and thus waited.

"You can do this Chiyo. You can do this," She repeated to herself as she removed the box of chocolates from the paper bag. Feeling sweat trickle down her forehead, Chiyo glanced towards the sun as it began to set, casting an orange glow over the school grounds. And now, everything is perfect. The sounds of footsteps raced into Chiyo's head, and as she turned to peak past the tree, Tomo came sprinting into view. The wildcat's cheeks tinted pink, Chiyo watched as her first crush nervously scanned the area, searching for the author of the note that was clenched tightly in her hand.

How cute! Chiyo thought, realizing that she had never really seen Tomo so embarrassed or nervous. Well, show time. Slowly revealing herself, Chiyo kept the box of chocolates hidden behind her back as she approached Tomo; wondering just what was it that attracted her to such a girl. Was it Tomo's sense of humor, her excessive energy, the way she attempted to conceal her concern for others? Who knows?

"Chiyo, w-what are you doing here?"

She was nervous. There was no doubt about it. Tomo was nervous, and maybe just a little scared. But Chiyo was too. She had to admit that this confession was probably the scariest thing that she would ever attempt, but it had to be done. Taking notice of Tomo, Chiyo realized that Tomo's eyes were darting from left to right. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm searching for the guy that I getta showoff to Yomi," Tomo had tried to sound confident and energetic, but there was an undeniable uneasiness to her voice. "I got a note that . . ."

"Actually Tomo," Chiyo interrupted, preventing herself from backing down, "I wrote that note."

Tomo's head came to a halt and she gazed down at Chiyo, confused. "W-What do mean?"

Feeling her cheeks redden, Chiyo lowered her eyes to the ground in embarrassment and said, "Well . . . would it be alright if you had a girlfriend to show off to Yomi instead?"

Tomo's perplexed look told Chiyo that the wildcat didn't quite get it yet, so Chiyo brought the box of chocolates out of hiding and held the box out to Tomo. "H-Happy Valentine's Day Tomo."

Silently accepting the box, Tomo stared in amazement at the box and the intricate wrapping of the bow. Chiyo watched the girl's every movement, the puzzled look still enveloping her face. Tomo opened the box, revealing the chocolates and popped one into her mouth. "T-Thanks Chiyo, these are good. But what did you mean by girlfriend?" Seconds passed and the widening of Tomo's eyes informed Chiyo that the wildcat had figured it out. "Wait! Are saying? Are you in love with . . . me?"

Nodding, Chiyo meekly responded, "I don't know why, but lately, my chest feels like it would explode just from being next to you. I mean, you're really cute and I-I . . ." Seeing the shocked expression on Tomo's face, Chiyo worried if she had upset the girl, "you're not mad are you?"

Tomo remained silent, and glanced up at the clouds for a moment, taking a deep breath. When she returned her gaze back to Chiyo, she wore a smile that Chiyo had never seen before. It was a real smile, a kind, gentle smile. "I'm not mad Chiyo," Tomo said in a surprisingly soothing and very unTomo-like manner, "in fact, I'm glad you told me . . . I-I love you Chiyo."

Chiyo's eyes softened as she felt a few tears escape. "Tomo," Chiyo whispered as she felt the girl's hand lift her chin up. She watched Tomo's face close in on her own, and Chiyo closed her eyes in excitement, unable to keep them open for what was to follow.

Feeling Tomo's breath tickle her nose, it was only a second or two later that she felt soft, moist lips caressing her own. Lifting her heels off the ground, Chiyo attempted to gain every inch she could to get closer to Tomo. Then Chiyo felt a new sensation as something slid past her lips, and into her mouth. Warm and moist, Chiyo could feel this new sensation wriggling around her teeth and over her tongue. Isn't this a little too much? It's only our first kiss. Should we be doing this?

Tomo suddenly pulled away, and though shamefully a little disappointed, Chiyo found Tomo's behavior quite confusing. "T-Tomo," Chiyo asked, but the wildcat had started licking Chiyo's cheeks. Tomo's tongue ran roughly over Chiyo's skin, leaving hardly any time for Chiyo to catch her breath when Tomo started again. "No . . . Tomo . . . What are you . . . not here," Chiyo pleaded, but Tomo didn't stop.

Opening her eyes, Chiyo flailed her arms about as Tadakichi-san's tongue covered every inch of her face in dog spit. "What's with you, Tadakichi-san? You never wake me up like this!" Fighting off the dog, Chiyo sat up only to hear a couple of her friends roaring with laughter. Sitting next to her on the floor in her room, were Tomo, Kagura, and Osaka. While Osaka gazed absently out the window, Tomo and Kagura held their sides as their explosive laughter continued.

Being the little genius that Chiyo was, she didn't need anyone to tell her what part of her dream had actually happened; it just wasn't with Tomo. Infuriated, Chiyo turned to her friends and shouted, "Why didn't you stop him? That's so gross!"

Tears ran down Tomo's face as she continued to laugh. In-between breaths, she responded, "We were . . . trying to see . . . how far you'd go! Chiyo, you should've seen the look on your face!"

Disgusted with how her friends chose to amuse themselves in her home, Chiyo said, "His tongue was in my mouth! It's disgusting! I'll have to go brush my teeth again."

With the girls' laughter finally dying down, Tomo wiped the tears from her eyes while Kagura just shook her head. Chiyo was actually a little surprised because usually Kagura was the sensible one of the three. If anything, she would have expected the athlete to step in with something like this going on. But Chiyo hadn't been that lucky as Kagura teased, "Well, you didn't seem to put up much of a fight against him."

Shocked by Kagura's words, Chiyo exclaimed, "I was sleeping! Besides, I thought I was kissing . . ." Chiyo's voice trailed off as she quickly realized what she was about to say. No way could Tomo know that she had been dreaming about her. However, Chiyo's hand had automatically pointed a finger to Tomo when she had started the sentence, so the wildcat quickly sprung on the opening.

"You were dreaming of kissing me? How was I? Was I a good kisser," Tomo questioned as she pranced around the room singing, "Tomo and Chiyo sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Feeling her face burning up in embarrassment, Chiyo's gaze fell to the floor as she said in defense, "It was just a dream."

Tomo, unwilling to let the subject go, exclaimed, "But you really seemed to enjoy that kiss! Which means I'm an excellent kisser!" Standing in a sort of offshoot of the Superman pose, Tomo grinned and released chuckle that matched the look of accomplishment on her face.

Kagura only sighed, "In your dreams."

"No, in Chiyo's dreams!"

Eyeing the floor, Chiyo couldn't believe the kind of torture she was going through. How long ago was it that Sakaki and Yomi left for snacks? Why did both of them have to go? Because you thought you could handle the craziness. Chiyo answered her own question. Thinking back, she realized that she must have fallen asleep, because the night before, she had spent making cookies for their little Valentine get-together.

While Tomo and Kagura argued over kissing, Chiyo glanced over to Osaka who had remained absurdly silent all through the whole ordeal. The girl's eyes had never left the window and the cars that passed below. Deciding that she could trust Osaka with a somewhat reasonable answer, Chiyo carefully asked, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

At first, Chiyo didn't think that Osaka had heard the question, but then she turned to face Chiyo and answered as if it were the most obvious reason in the world, "Well, you just looked so cute with Tadakichi-san that I didn't want to bother you."

Is it really okay for me to look cute with Tadakichi-san like that? Chiyo wondered. Chiyo was glad however, that Osaka hadn't made as big of a fuss over the issue as the other two did. Glancing over, Chiyo found that the other two bonklers hadn't resolved whatever it was about kissing that they were now arguing about. Osaka had resumed her studying of the cars outside and Chiyo realized just how futile the situation had become. Sighing in exasperation, Chiyo said to herself, "Yomi, Sakaki; hurry back!"

The End