The alarm clock started going off and the Taiwan groaned, she blindly reached out and felt around for the alarm clock. She finally located it and slammed her hand down on the snooze button. With the annoying noise gone, she pulled a pillow to her chest and hugged it "Mmmm…Kiku…"
Then suddenly she was wide awake. Kiku! She had to be in time to meet him, they had a date! Well it wasn't really a date; she was just walking with him for a while. But this was her chance, today she was going to tell him how she felt for sure! She looked over at the alarm clock and was relieved to see that she had not slept in much at all. She just about fell out of the bed in her rush to get ready, if that left a mark she was going to be mad.
She got up hurriedly and looked around for the outfit she had laid out the day before. She took off her pajamas and changed into a short sleeve shirt, a short pleated skirt, and a pair of thigh high socks. She had spent hours yesterday picking out this outfit, she had even dragged Vietnam over to give her opinion on every outfit. She had finally decided on this outfit as the perfect mix of sweet and sexy, she couldn't look like she was trying too hard but she didn't want to look like a little kid. She kept fussing with every little detail until she was sure she looked the best she possibly could.
Then she turned to her hair, which was a mess. She picked up her hair brush and started to attack the snarls. She has gotten her hair cut a few days ago, just so Kiku would notice the difference and ask about it. It really wasn't that much shorter, but hopefully it was enough for him to tell it was different. She brushed it until is shone and she arranged her curl so that it looked cute and playful. She checked to make sure her graceless exit from bed had not left any marks. It hadn't so she was all good. She finished it all off by applying a soft pink gloss to her lips.
This was the day that she would tell him for sure! She even had a picture of him taped to the corner of her mirror so that she could practice saying it over and over again. One more time wouldn't hurt; she looked at the picture of him and said "I love you". She had perfected talking to the picture, but would she be able to say it to his face? She blushed at the thought of it. She looked at the picture again and said "Today is the day you will see me in a new way".
She looked at her watch and saw she was perfectly on time. She quickly grabbed her purse which was really a tote, she had wanted to take a smaller purse but she kept thinking of things she might need. Vietnam kept insisting she take more stuff too, so in the end Taiwan ended up with something that was less like a purse and more like an end of the world survival kit.
She rushed down the stairs and out the door. The weather seemed to reflect her mood, the sun was shining and it was unseasonably warm. It was the perfect day to go for a walk. Taiwan took it as a sign that this was the day she was fated to confess her feelings for Kiku.
She walked for a few blocks before she came to their meeting place. He was already there, just as she expected him to be. She had to stop a moment and catch her breath, he looked so sexy. He had dressed simply in jeans and a white tee shirt with a light jacket. Taiwan could feel herself blushing already.
He looked up as she walked over and waved to her. He didn't smile, but that didn't surprise her, he was almost always like this. Taiwan found it more endearing that he barley ever showed emotion. She could see the corner of his mouth lift slightly, that meant that he was happy to see her.
When she got to him she stopped walking in front of him. He looked at her with that quizzical half smile and he said "You look really cute today, Xiao. Did you cut your hair"? She simply nodded, unable to form words to respond. He had called her cute! And he had noticed her hair! She could feel her heart beginning to race; this was exactly what she planned to happen. She responded with a warm smile "I got my hair cut a few days ago, do you like it?" She hopped more than anything that he would say he did.
He looked at her and said "It really suits you". She felt like she was floating, he had complimented her hair! They started to walk, they didn't really have a set destination, and it was just a walk. They walked together for a few minutes in silence and Taiwan used it as an opportunity to glance at Japan every so often.
Then he broke the silence "Isn't the weather lovely today?" Taiwan inwardly cringed; he was already talking about the weather that means she must be boring him. Maybe she could try to talk about something more interesting "Yeah, it's really nice for spring! It makes me want to get ice cream or something".
She internally kicked herself. Why did she have to mention food? That made her seem greedy. He simply nodded and a few more minutes passed in silence. Taiwan felt defeated. If it was this silent then she must have failed at having a conversation. Then Japan broke the silence again "Xiao, do you have a boyfriend? I know you spend a lot of time with Hong Kong".
There was nothing he could have said that would have flustered her like that question did. There were a million things she could do. She could say yes and try to make him jealous, she could say no and then maybe he would ask her out, she could say maybe and let Japan figure it out on his own. No! She wouldn't be the bitchy girl who tried to make drama.
She was so flummoxed that she responded "No! You really think I would go out with Li?" Oh great, that made it sound like she didn't like Hong Kong, she did he was really nice and cute but it wasn't anything like what she felt for Japan. But did that make her seem judgmental, oh god this was way too stressful. And she hadn't even gotten a chance to say those three words she had promised herself she would say today.
She wouldn't let the awkward silence close in on them again "And how about you, Kiku, do you have anyone special in your life?" Oh god, if he said yes her life was over. She waited with baited breath for his reply "Oh you know me, I am a loner."
That was almost as bad as if he had said he had a girlfriend, but he wasn't done "But there is one girl I like. A certain someone I have known for a long time, but I haven't told her how I feel yet. I don't want to lose her friendship if she doesn't feel the same way". It was almost like he was trying to make her nervous.
Who was he talking about? Could it be Vietnam? Curse her and her giant boobs, always making Taiwan feel self-conscious. But she had a thing with America, so that couldn't be it…Taiwan couldn't figure out who he was talking about. Whoever she was, she was a lucky girl to have Japan like her. And she didn't know how lucky she was, Taiwan replied with a slight edge of anger "Well, you need to tell her how you feel! She is a lucky girl and she needs to know how lucky she is!"
Had she just said that last part out loud? Did that reveal that she liked him? She didn't get to find out because just then Thunder boomed. They had both been so intent on their conversation that they hadn't noticed the dark clouds rolling over the sun. The rain began to pour all at once, hard and cold. Taiwan cursed her luck; the forecast had said that it was going to be sunny all day.
Thankfully she had an umbrella in her bag, but what was the point of it. Japan had already told her that he liked another girl, so this day was a total failure. She had half pulled the umbrella out and started to put it back away when Japan said "Would you mind sharing that with me? I didn't bring one".
Taiwan couldn't help but smile, her bad luck just turned into good. This was just like a scene out of one of Japan's animes, there was nothing more romantic than sharing an umbrella. This was her chance for sure! She handed the umbrella to Japan, who opened it and held it over both of them. All Taiwan had to do was reach out and put her hand on top of his on the handle of the umbrella. But she couldn't bring herself to do it, she was too nervous.
Her heart was racing so fast now that he was standing so close to her. The umbrella was so small that they almost had to touch shoulders to fit under it. Taiwan wanted so much to tell Japan how she felt, it seemed like the perfect time "Kiku, I –uh, I –uh, I need to go home its getting rather late." She mentally kicked herself again, that was the lamest thing she had ever said. It wasn't even that late really. It almost sounded like she was trying to get rid of Japan. This was her chance and now she had completely blown it.
Japan looked rather put out, but agreed to walk her home. Now she couldn't really recover, she had ended the most exciting date that she and Japan had ever had. They walked back to Taiwan's house in utter silence. This was a disaster, an utter disaster.
When they got to her house, there was only one thing left for Taiwan to do. Japan took a deep breath and said "Xiao, I have something I need to tell you". Taiwan perked up a little, maybe she hadn't lost her chance to tell Japan how she felt "Kiku, I actually have something I need to say too". He looked surprised, which was very rare for him, "I'll go first, and you have to promise not to laugh". Taiwan had no idea what he was going to say but there was nothing he could say that would make her laugh unless he was trying to make her laugh.
She looked up at his worried eyes and said "Of course I wouldn't laugh at you". He look relieved and took a couple more deep breaths, as though bracing himself, and said "Xiao, I love you. I have loved you for the longest time. So, now it's your turn, what did you want to say to me?" She was utterly dumbstruck. One thought was going through her mind over and over again. Do not scream like a fangirl, do not scream like a fangirl, do not scream like a fangirl.
For a moment she was high on life and even this rainy depressing day was beautiful. Now she could definitely say it now, and she had to do it now "I love you too, Kiku!" He looked as though she had just slapped him "Really?" She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and said softly to him "Really, I love you". She had never been so bold before, it was as though she was floating through a sea of happiness. She had finally said it to him, and he loved her back! This was so much more than she had dared to hope for.
Japan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Oh My God, he was not about to do what she thought he was going to do. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. It was a tentative kiss, but it was still a kiss. His lips were so soft. Then he pulled out of the kiss and said "So, do you want to go on a date sometime?" She smiled at him "Of course, how about Friday night?" He looked delighted "That's great! So, I will see you then."
He kissed her lightly on the cheek before turning and walking away. She waited until he was out of earshot to give into her urge to scream like a rabid fangirl "YES! I DID IT! I DID IT!" She ran inside to her room and picked up her cell phone and opened it. What to do first? She needed to text Vietnam, put out a tweet, and change her Facebook status.
She opened her contacts and selected Vietnam, she wrote a short and sweet text "Hi Nam-chan! You are never going to guess what happened! Call me and I will give you all the juicy details". She wrote a very short status update on Facebook and wrote the same thing on her Twitter "Best First date EVER!" She had never felt so happy in her life; she just couldn't wait until Friday night!
A/N: I have been writing such intense fanfics recently, I just needed to write something short and sweet. I adore this pairing, they are so sweet. This was somewhat inspired by the vocaloid song Melt. I hope you liked it! Please review!