Milk Chocolate

Chappie 1: Sweet Valentine

---

"U-uhm… this… I made this chocolate myself… I made it with all my heart… so… Hikaru, please help me to give this to Eagle-senpai!" Meanwhile, other girl-students said the same noise, "Me too! Me too!" or "Mine should be given to Lantis-senpai!" and all those noises addressed to a poor 14-years old girl named Hikaru.

"Err… but I… Isn't this something you should give by yourself…?" Hikaru asked sweatdroppedly.

"If we can we already give it by ourselves!" They said in harmony.

"It's impossible for us to go to senior's building even if it's connected with our building!"

"Our seniors will glare at us… moreover if they know we're going to give presents to Lantis-senpai or Eagle-senpai…"

"You're the only one who permitted to go there, Hikaru… since you're their sister so our seniors can't do anything to you," said one of them followed by, "Yeah, yeah, right!"

"Not that again…" She thought.

"Okay… I'll give all of them to my brothers…" Hikaru said, totally surrender. All of the girls shouted happily in their victory. Hikaru sighed. This kind of thing always happened in 14th February. You guess! It's Valentine Day! The day when a girl confessed their love to a boy she likes with chocolate. But to Hikaru, it's a day when she became a chocolate messenger for her brothers.

"Last year's accident happened again… I guess," said Ryuuzaki Umi, Hikaru's classmate.

"I think we should call it 'curse' than 'accident', Umi-san," said Hououji Fuu, the other one of Hikaru's friend. Both of them have been Hikaru's best friend since elementary school.

"Ah, you're right!"

"Umi-chan… Fuu-chan… please…" Hikaru cried.

Right, it's a curse, definitely a curse for her since she has very handsome-lovely-caring brothers like them. Who? Shidou Lantis, 16 years old, 11th grade and Shidou Eagle, 16 years old, 11th grade. And guess what, they're twins. Twins from two eggs so they look different… Totally different I guess…

"Umi-chan, Fuu-chan, I'll go to my brothers' place."

"See you later then, Hikaru-san."

"Wait, Hikaru, you forget these!" Umi cried as she opened her bag and took four chocolates that already wrapped nicely in it. She gave it to Hikaru who accepted it happily.

"Ah, right! Thank you, Umi-chan! Sorry for all the troubles yesterday…"

"Troubles?" Fuu asked.

"Hikaru went to my house to make these chocolates. She almost burnt my house into ashes…" Hikaru and Fuu sweat dropped.

"Sorry…" Hikaru apologized.

"No problem, by the way, why didn't you take it home with you yesterday?"

"Because if I left it at home, Eagle-niisama would eat all of these before today…"

"Haha, that sweet-lover sure can't see sweet things…"

"You bet!"

"By the way, are those for your brothers? I thought you only have two brothers…" asked curious Fuu.

"Right, one for Lantis-niisama, one for Eagle-niisama, the other two… is for Umi-chan and Fuu-chan! Happy Valentine, Umi-chan, Fuu-chan!" She gave the chocolates to Umi and Fuu. Fuu happily accepted it meanwhile Umi seemed to be in sweat dropped state.

"Thank you, Hikaru-san."

"You do it again… I thought I already told you-"

"It's a chocolate of thanks! …because the two of you had always been a very good friend of mine…"

Umi sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll take it. Is this the sugarless chocolate?"

"Yup, because Umi-chan didn't like sweets, right? Even thought you're an expert in making sweets…"

"It's not that I didn't like it… I'm just getting tired of it…" Umi explained as she remembered when she had to bake cakes everyday and everyday and… everyday…

"Hikaru-san, if you didn't go now, lunch time will end soon."

"Ah, right! See you later, Umi-chan, Fuu-chan!" Hikaru waved as she took two plastic bags full of chocolates on her desk then leave.

"You should be honest when she gave you chocolate, Umi-san…" Fuu said suddenly.

"W-what do you mean!"

"Actually, you did want it, right? I can tell how happy you are when she gave you the chocolate…" Fuu teased her more.

"Fuu!"

"Hohoho…"

"I just… well… I really hoped she could do other things for herself more… but at the other side, I'm happy when she thinks about me… maybe I'm just too egoist…"

"I thought the same as you too, Umi-san. Hikaru-san sure didn't know how to please herself, but she does know how to please people around her…"

"That's why she needs us to think about herself more." Umi smiled just as Fuu did.

"Righto."

---

"Eagle-kun, I made this for you, I hope you like it…" said a girl shyly as she gave a chocolate to Eagle.

"Thank you," said him, smiling as he accepted the chocolate given to him.

"Please accept mine, too, Eagle-kun!"

"Of course, thank you."

"Kyaa! He accepted mine!" She shouted. As the crowd around Eagle keep shouting in happiness, Hikaru watched from far away sweat droppedly. Just when she decided to come again later, Eagle noticed her.

"Hikaru!" He called. The other girls frowned. Hikaru stopped but didn't want to turn. She wanted to run away instead. Knowing that, Eagle rushed to her side.

"Gotcha!" He said as he hugged her tightly, making her blush. The crowd watched them with jealousy in their eyes.

"E-Eagle-niisama!"

"Well then, see you girls! I have an important time with my little sister" He said as he dragged Hikaru along, leaving the other girls shocked.

"E-Eagle-niisama! Stop it! Eagle-niisama!"

---

"What did you do that for!" Hikaru asked after Eagle let her go. He thought it will be useless to drag her more far than there since there's already no one around them.

"For making them jealous of you…" He said honestly.

"…" Hikaru is totally speechless. She knew how her brother really likes to tease her every time he could. He did mention about how he likes to see Hikaru's expressions when he teased her.

"Here!" said Hikaru as she handed over the first full-of-chocolates-plastic-bag she had in her hand to Eagle. Eagle smiled happily. If there's a person who could be really happy during Valentine's Day, it would be Eagle. For a sweet-lover like him, receiving a lot of sweet-delicious-chocolates for free is like an eternal happiness.

"Sorry for burdening you again this year. Hey, you forget about the other plastic bag…"

"You can't have it! It's for Lantis-niisama…"

"Why not? He's not going to eat it anyway."

"Well, maybe… but I have to deliver these to him, or their owners would be so sad…" Eagle found her expression is really cute so he hugged her.

"E-Eagle-niisama!" Hikaru shouted.

"It's your fault for being so cute. heart By the way, Hikaru, don't you think you're forgetting about something?" He said as he released her.

"What?"

"I haven't got any chocolate from you."

"Wha- …I never said anything about giving chocolate for you…"

"Hee… I don't think you sleepover at Umi's house yesterday for nothing…"

"Uh…" Hikaru sweat dropped. Just as she thought, she could never lie to him.

"Okay, I give up…" She said. "I'll give it to you but you have to turn back around and not looking until I say yes."

"Huh?" Eagle asked, confused.

"Just do as I said!" She said, as she pushed Eagle to the other side. "Remember, not looking!"

"Yes, yes…" Although he said so, he tried to peek a little but Hikaru already knew.

"Hey, I said not peeking!" She shouted.

"Okay…" Eagle sighed. He could only hear the noise at his back. Minutes passed but Eagle didn't hear any 'Yes' yet.

"Hey, Hikaru, how long do you plan to make me wait?"

No answer…

"Hikaru?" Due to the silentness, Eagle finally turn around and found no one there… expect a little gift on the floor. Eagle took it and noticed the card on it.

It says:

---

For Eagle-niisama,

Happy Valentine!

Thanks for being a nice brother all the time!

P.S. I really hope you could stop your teasing habit…

From your sister, Hikaru.

---

Eagle smiled. The sweetness in her heart always does the best job to surprise him.

---

"U-U-U-U-Umi-san… he-here, I... I mean… CHOCOLATE!" Someone said shyly when he gave Umi his chocolate. Umi sweat dropped.

"What? You're giving me chocolate?" Umi asked. He blushed and nodded continuously. Umi laughed.

"Did you really understand the meaning of Valentine Day, Ascot? This day is the day when a GIRL give a chocolate to a BOY they loved!" Ascot blushed more. Ascot is Fuu's younger brother with two years different. He is now 12th years old, 6th grade. He fell in love with Umi since elementary school. He always wanted her to know his feeling but he didn't know how to tell his feelings to Umi since he's shy and younger than her. He thought that Valentine's Day would be the best day to show his love to Umi without words. But it seems to be failed… in a totally way.

"You're just like Hikaru. I'll take it anyway, thanks Ascot!" Umi said, smiling, a smile that always made Ascot blushed. Steam came out from his head. Maybe he didn't really fail…

"It's a chocolate of thanks, right?" Umi asked innocently. Ascot collapsed.

"Poor Ascot-san…" Fuu sighed.

---

"I wonder if he already realized the gift…" Hikaru thought as she giggled. She walked as she kept thinking about what Eagle's expression would be when he found out the gift. No wonder she bumped into someone and almost fell but the guy she bumped to, catch her so she wouldn't fall.

"Didn't I always tell you to be careful?" He said.

"Lantis-niisama!" Hikaru cried happily.

"What are you doing here?" Lantis asked.

"I was looking for you, to give you these chocolates," she said as she offered him the last full-of-chocolates-plastic-bag. Lantis sweat dropped.

"Again?"

"Uh-huh…"

"You know I will never eat that…"

"I know… but… you know, all the girls who made this must have facing a lot of troubles for making these chocolates… so at least their feelings could be delivered to you… Ah, sorry, I said something stupid again…"

"Nevermind…" He said as he took the plastic bag from Hikaru's hand.

"Will you eat those?" She asked.

"No, I'll give it to someone else." Hikaru sweat dropped.

"Still cold as usual…" Hikaru thought. Lantis is the oldest of the three. Maybe that's why he always looks cool… and cold? He rarely talked… and (maybe) never smiled. Unlike sweet-lover-to-death like Eagle, he is a sweet-hater-to-death person.

"But I know, deep inside his heart, he's a truly nice person…" Hikaru thought again as she smiled.

"Is something wrong?" Lantis asked.

"Eh? Oh, nothing!"

"Really?"

"Really! Oh, right, I have something for you!"

"?"

"Ta-daa! Happy Valentine!" She said as she offered him the chocolate. Lantis sweat dropped.

"Hikaru…"

"Ah, n-no! This is a sugarless chocolate! Umi-chan thought me how to make it. This is for sweet-hater people."

"…this is the first time I heard something like that…"

"It's true! It's sugarless but it still tastes good! Well, actually I didn't really know if it tastes good… You know, I can't cook…"

"…"

He remembered the first time Hikaru cook… 'something'… black… smell bad… and of course taste bad. Not just bad, you could say it's worse than anything. Not only the food, but the kitchen also pretty ruined. They need a whole day to clean up the mess. After that, Hikaru was banned to use the kitchen for the second time. Umi must have put a lot of effort to teach her how to cook.

"W-well, I guess even though it's sugarless, it's still chocolate… I should have known it… sorry…" Just when Hikaru thought her brother won't accept it, Lantis took the chocolate from her hand. He opened the wrapper and found the chocolate with, 'Happy Valentine, Lantis-niisama' words on it. He took a little piece and ate it. Hikaru is silently waiting for him to finish. She really hoped the chocolate suit his taste.

"It's delicious…" He said. Hikaru smiled happily.

"Thank God!" She said. Suddenly an I-wish-it-could-never-rang-bell is ringing. Hikaru shocked to the truth how fast lunch time passed.

"Oh, no! The class will begin soon! Sorry, Lantis-niisama, but I have to go back…" As soon as she finished, she left.

"Hikaru!" Lantis called.

"?"

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome!" She said with bright smile as she went to her own classroom.

"Hey, Lantis, got some chocolates?" Someone behind him asked.

"Here…" Lantis answered as he passed a plastic bag full of chocolate to Geo Metro, his classmate friend.

"Whoa! It's more than last year, thanks pal! Hey, I thought you miss one…"

"What?"

"That one you hold, it's a chocolate, right?"

"You can't have it."

"Hey… what happened to Mister-I-Can't-Eat-Sweets? Is that from a girlfriend?" He asked as he raised his little finger.

"It's not! It's from Hikaru…"

"Hikaru? Ah, your cute little sister, right? Hee… I never thought you do love your family so much that you could stand the pain from eating sweets."

"Love for family…? Yeah… maybe…"

---

"Finally it's over! Umi-chan, Fuu-chan, let's go eat some ice cream!" Hikaru cried happily after school's time is over.

"What's wrong? Your brothers don't walk you home today?" Umi asked.

"Eagle-niisama won't… He went for chocolate-hunting as he did every year. Meanwhile Lantis-niisama has to work." Hikaru sighed.

"Work? He? What for?" Umi asked again.

"He said he want to earn pocket-money by himself…"

"I wonder if he's what everyone called mature-guy," Fuu said.

"I thought he already is… You know, with that cool… or cold attitude?" Umi said.

"Lantis-niisama is not cold! Well… maybe sometimes he is… but…"

"He is a nice person indeed. I know it, Hikaru. You already told me hundred times!" Umi said, patting Hikaru on head.

"You do love your brothers a lot, don't you, Hikaru-san?" Fuu asked.

"Yeah! They're really nice, kind-hearted, smart-"

"Stop! Stop right there!" Umi commanded.

"Eeh?"

"Because you will need entire day to finish…"

"Umi-chan!"

"Really, Hikaru, I envy your brother-sister-complex family. I wish I had siblings too…"

"I just remember, the only one among us who doesn't have siblings is Umi-chan."

"That's right… even Fuu have a little brother, why only me…?" Umi sighed.

"Ah, I met Ascot today!" Hikaru said.

"We too, he even gave me chocolate." Umi said. She took the chocolate and showed it to Hikaru.

"Eeh? Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you got one too…"

"I greeted him but seems like he didn't see me… He seemed depressed…"

"It's because he was dumped by someone." Fuu explained.

"Dumped?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"Really! By who?" Umi curiously asked. "Well, children nowadays are growing up so fast. I mean, he's still in elementary school and yet…"

"Umi-chan, what's dumped mean?" Hikaru innocently asked.

"…wait for another ten years and I'll tell you." Umi answered.

"Eeh? Why?"

"It's not something a child should worry about, Hikaru." Umi teased.

"I'm not a child!" Hikaru cried.

"Yeah, yeah, you're not." Umi patted Hikaru on head. Both of them keep chatting meanwhile Fuu just watching.

"I wonder why Umi-san is so dense about love if it's including herself…" Fuu thought. She sighed.

---

"I'm home." Fuu said when she reached home.

"Welcome, Fuu-neesan." Ascot welcomed her. When she saw him, he was holding a big cup of milk. Fuu smiled to the fact how often Ascot drank milk even though he once hated it to death. Right, a long time ago, even hearing someone said, 'Milk' could make him sick. But now…

"It's good to know that you finally realize the importance of milk to your body, Ascot-san…"

"L-leave me alone!" He shouted as he blushed. He went upstairs to his room, leaving Fuu alone. You could hear a sound of slammed door.

"Still cute as usual…" Fuu said, smiling. It is true that a sister do like teasing her little brother…

"She knows…" Ascot thought as he blushed. He leaned on the door as he slowly sat down. He searched things in his pocket and let out a photo. Umi's photo. Seeing it, he could felt his heartbeat fasten.

"Umi…" He whispered.

---

"Now… which one of you should I eat first?" Umi asked to both of chocolate gift she received today.

"Are… you?" She pointed at Hikaru's chocolate then move to the other chocolate, "… or you?" She remembered how shy Ascot when he gave the chocolate to her. She smiled.

"Okay, I choose you!" She picked Ascot's chocolate and opened the wrapper. She was surprised to find chocolate cookies in it. She picked one and looked carefully at it. She has an ability to tell if one cake's is homemade or not. Looking at the shape, she decided it was homemade.

"Did he make these… by himself?" She said before tasting it.

"Mmm, delicious"

---

"Flame Arrow!"

"You Won!"

"Yaayy! I won against Eagle-niisama!" Hikaru cried, raising her hands happily. This is the first time she won a battle against Eagle in an action game entitled Magic Knight Rayearth.

"Aah! When did you learn that move?" Eagle cried, totally disbelieving his lost.

"It's a secret!"

"Wait until I discover how to launch FTO final move!"

"It is nothing against Rayearth's Ruby Lighting!"

"I'm not sure…"

"You will!"

"Oh yeah, take this!" Eagle said as he tickled her.

"Wha-! Stop it! Hahaha, it tickles!"

"I won't!"

"Stop it! Eagle-niisama!"

"No, I won't!" Eagle continued to tickle her until Hikaru finally fall from the sofa.

"Ups, are you all right, Hikaru?" Eagle asked.

"That's why I told you to stop…"

"Sorry…"

"It's okay! Hey, it's raining…"

"Oh, look so…"

"Ah! Lantis-niisama didn't bring umbrella, I'll go pick him up!"

"Want me to come with you?"
"Nope! I'm okay by myself." Hikaru said as she prepared herself to go.

"What a mature thing to say… Could it be you have grown up?"

"I can't be child forever, can I? I'm going!"

"See ya…" Eagle said "…can't be child forever, huh?"

---

Hikaru whistled as she walked. She liked it when she had to pick up Lantis since he usually bought her ice cream.

"Ups, I have to cross here," thought her. She almost skipped the zebra cross. Hikaru stand still, waiting for the light turns green. There, she watched a strange little girl on the other side of street.

"I wonder what's wrong with her…?" thought Hikaru. The girl tottered, just like a sick person would do. She worried that she would trip when walking… or being pushed by crowd. Yeah, it is happening. Someone accidentally bumped into her, which made her lose her balance and fall on the road where tons of hyper-speed-cars are.

"Look out!" Hikaru shouted. She threw the umbrella she had before running towards her. The car's speed doesn't seem to slow down much, maybe because of the rain. Luckily, Hikaru was fast enough to catch her and jump out of road. They hit the pavement hard, but it's better than being hit by a high-speed car. A lot of people gathered, wondering what happen.

"Are you okay?" When Hikaru saw the girl's face, she felt a familiar feeling with her.

"This girl…"

"Hikaru!" Lantis shouted as he broke through the crowd.

"Lantis-niisama!"

"What's wrong? Are you allright?"

"I'm okay, but this girl…" Lantis looked at the girl in her embrace. Lantis' eyes widened. He looked so shocked.

"She…" He murmured. Hikaru blinked.

"Do you know her?" Lantis didn't reply. He checked the girl's forehead. She was unconscious because of high fever. She may have been in rain for long time.

"We should go home now. This girl needs treatment…" He suggested, followed by Hikaru's nod.

---

"How is she?" Hikaru asked to Lantis who have just leaved the room where he leaved the girl to rest.

"She's fine. Her fever has cooled down but she still needs a lot of rest…"

"I see…" Hikaru sighed in relief.

"Now give me your hand…" Lantis said.

"Eh? How did you-"

"Because you kept on holding your right arm…" Lantis explained before Hikaru could finish her question.

"Let me see your wound…" He said again. She furled the right arms her of long sleeve shirt until he could see her wounds.

"This will hurt a little…" He warned her before he treated her wounds. She did shut her eyes because of pain and tried her best to endure it.

"There, it should be fine now…"

"Sorry… Lantis-niisama…"

"Wrong."

"Eh?"

"You should have said, 'Thank you' in this kind of situation." Hikaru sweat dropped, but she followed his advice. She said it happily with a smile.

"Thank you, Lantis-niisama." He replied her with his rare smile.

"It's late, why don't you go to sleep?"

"But, she…"

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."

"It's not just that… I mean… do you know her, Lantis-niisama? Err… well, because… your reaction before is kind of… strange…"

"I know… but it's too late now. I'll tell you tomorrow… okay?"

"…okay then. Good night, Lantis-niisama!"

"Night…" He watched her leaved to her own room before he came in to the girl's sleeping room. He stared at her and clenched his fists. He could feel nothing but angry and… afraid?

He whispered in the silent of night, "Why do you come… Nova…"

---To Be Continued---

FreeTalk: Happy Valentine, everyone… :D