This story took me a ridiculous amount of time to complete! Like...just insane. I'm no good with straight couples haha. The ending isn't that great either. I struggled a bit with it. But this story is cute and sweet and it shows that love conquers all even for the ones who struggle to admit that they love someone. Someone has to be the initiator or romance can never happen. Love can only do so much if the participants aren't willing to put in some effort too. I hope this inspires some of you to go out and confess to the ones you love. You never know...you may just be surprised at the response.

Ikkyu listened to the sounds of the balls clanking together on the pool table. He had sat that game out, deciding he needed to muster up the courage for what he was about to do. After everything he did to set this up there was no way he was going to back out now. He had begged Shiro to actually purchase the present when he left the school with his dad. Shiro was allowed to leave since he wasn't a clone and he graciously helped Ikkyu with his task. He had gone to the store with his dad and picked out the perfect present. Ikkyu couldn't thank Shiro enough for what he did. So since it took long enough for that occur, the time had come for the present to actually be given to it's proper recipient.

"I win again." Freud said nonchalantly.

Shiro shook his head as he and Napoleon began to gather all the balls out of the pockets.

"Are you joining us this time, Ikkyu?" Napoleon asked.

Ikkyu quickly shook his head. "I'm sitting this one out too."

Napoleon shrugged his shoulders, though he still grabbed another pool stick. "We need another player for teams!" he said. He shoved the stick towards Elizabeth who just stared at it. She looked from Nightingale, who was next to her, then back to the stick with a confused face.

"What? Are you asking me to play?"

"Yeah! We need another player! Don't worry about not knowing how to play. You can be on Freud's team. He'll balance you out."

Ikkyu snickered. "Wouldn't that be a handicap for Freud's team?"

Ikkyu instantly stood and ran to avoid being smacked by Elizabeth. "I'm not that terrible!" She screamed, grabbing the stick from Napoleon and making her way to the table. "I'll show all of you!"

Now was his chance. Ikkyu made his way back to Nightingale and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Do you have a minute to walk with me?" he asked, his voice just slightly shaky.

Nightingale didn't seem to notice it as she stood up, nodding her head. "Sure! I'm not doing anything."

Ikkyu led her out of the room and shut the door behind them. No one questioned where they went since they were too busy arguing about teams. However, Shiro did quietly wish Ikkyu good luck.

"Where are we going?" Nightingale asked when they left the room. Ikkyu shrugged his shoulders, staring at the ground as he walked. Something seemed odd with him today. His large personality seemed to shrink with each passing moment. It almost frightened Nightingale. Was something really wrong with him? She stopped their walking by touching his shoulder. He finally looked from the floor to her.

"Are you okay, Ikkyu?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice. "You don't seem like you're well. Do you feel sick?" She put a hand to his forehead to feel if it was warm.

Ikkyu stepped back as soon as she touched him and shook his head. "No, I feel fine! I wasn't trying to make you worry or anything! I just…I wanted to talk to you in private."

"Private?" Nightingale asked. "Is something on your mind?"

Ikkyu wanted to hide under a rock. Nightingale had such a concerned look on her face. He didn't mean to make her worry! He calmed himself down by saying that it was just in her nature to worry. She was always concerned about her friends and he hadn't exactly been clear as to why he took her away from everyone.

"Well, I just wanted to say…to say happy birthday."

Nightingale's concerned look turned to one of confusion. "Happy birthday? We don't have birthdays, Ikkyu."

"Well, we don't celebrate birthdays here. I mean, we don't know the day we were created but we know the day our originals were born. I did some research and today is May 12th. This is the day your original was born, Nightingale."

Nightingale was taken aback. Did Ikkyu really take time out of his schedule to find out when Florence Nightingale's birthday was? She just stood there and watched Ikkyu scratch the back of his head. He must have felt awkward. She wanted to say something, but she was in such shock. Words wouldn't form in her head at all. She was relieved when Ikkyu finally started speaking again.

"I know we don't celebrate the birthdays of our originals as our birthdays, but I wanted to do something nice for you anyway. After all, if it weren't for your original you wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be friends. So…here."

Ikkyu stuck his hand out and in it was a little box. Nightingale hesitantly took it. She slowly opened it and gasped at what she saw inside. It was a necklace with a little silver bird on it. She simply stared at it, in awe of it's beauty. This was the first time she had ever received anything like this. She touched it and felt the cold metal against her fingers, the reality of the gift settling in.

"I don't know if the bird is a nightingale or not but…it's a bird!" Ikkyu said with an awkward laugh.

"It's beautiful," Nightingale said in a quiet voice. She couldn't take her eyes off it. This meant so much to her. No one had ever done anything like this for her. "I…I don't know what to say, Ikkyu."

Ikkyu just shrugged. "You don't have to say anything."

"It's so gorgeous!" Nightingale said, finally looking into Ikkyu's eyes. He was relieved to see those pretty eyes filled with happiness and the huge smile on her face reassured him that he had made the right decision.

"Would you like me to put it on you?"

Nightingale nodded her head and handed the box back to him. She turned around and lifted her hair so Ikkyu could clip it. It didn't take him long to do so and she let her hair fall back down while turning to look back at him. She gently touched the necklace and kept her hand over it.

"Why did you do this, Ikkyu?" she asked, trying to keep the tears from showing. "This is…so nice."

Ikkyu shrugged, looking at the floor again. "I just…you deserve it, Nightingale. You really are the knot that keeps our whole group together and you're just so nice and caring and I guess I just want you to know that…I care too. I care a lot about you."

"Ikkyu…."

"Happy Birthday, Florence Nightingale," Ikkyu said.

Nightingale was about to grab Ikkyu into a hug when she heard someone shout her name from down the hall.

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

Elizabeth had left the pool room and was making her way to them. Ikkyu just winked at Nightingale before heading in the opposite direction of Elizabeth. Nightingale watched him walk away, almost wishing Elizabeth hadn't shown up when she did.

"Why did he leave?" Elizabeth asked. She turned Nightingale around and saw tears flowing down her face. She gave a small yelp before grabbing her arm and dragging her to the nearest bathroom.

"What happened?" she said loudly. "Did he make you cry? What did he do?"

"He was so nice, Elizabeth," Nightingale said, trying to wipe away her tears.

Elizabeth gave her a confused look. "Nice? If he was nice to you then why are you crying?"

"I don't know!" Nightingale said. She lifted the necklace a bit so Elizabeth could see it. "He got me this! He gave me this necklace for my birthday! It's so beautiful, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth held the necklace and studied it, wondering if the bird was really a nightingale. "Birthday?" she asked. "We don't have birthdays."

As hard as Nightingale tried she couldn't wipe away the tears. She was just so excited to actually receive such a special gift. "Today is my original's birthday. He wanted to celebrate it so he gave me this. I don't know what to do! It's so wonderful! How can I pay him back for it?"

"You don't have to pay him back," Elizabeth said, crossing her arms. "It was a present. Just accept it and I think he'll be happy. Does he like you, Nightingale? Did he say if he had any feelings for you when he gave it to you?"

The girls gave a yell as one of the bathroom stalls burst open. They stared as Empress Dowager stepped out, flipping her hair and laughing.

"Oh, he likes you, girl. People don't just give gifts for nothing. Especially making up a special day like an original's birthday? He's got the hots for you."

"You think so?" Nightingale asked as she watched Dowager wash her hands. The shock from Dowager appearing caused her tears to disappear. She was much calmer than she had been only a few seconds ago.

The Empress nodded and dried her hands on a towel before responding. "I know so." She stared intently at Nightingale's chest where the necklace hung and even fiddled with it a bit. "It's extremely nice! Who got it for you, anyway? The non-clone boy?"

"It was Ikkyu," Elizabeth answered for Nightingale.

"Ikkyu?" Dowager said in a shocked voice. "I almost don't believe he would be so romantic. However, he does have a cute face," she smirked as she saw Nightingale turn red at her statement. "You think he's cute, right?"

"Oh…well…ummm, I don't…ummm," Nightingale stuttered. Dowager just laughed and put her arm around Nightingale's shoulders.

"He is cute! Those glasses are the perfect touch to his adorableness, but that hair is just the right amount of edgy. He's pretty attractive! Did he ask you to go out with him? Did you say yes?"

"No."

"No?" Elizabeth nearly screamed. "You won't go out with him, but you still took the necklace?"

"Atta girl," Dowager said, patting Nightingale on her back.

"Not that!" Nightingale said. "No, he didn't ask me out! He just gave me the necklace."

Elizabeth and Dowager exchanged glances, both of them knowing what the other was thinking.

"How cowardly!" Elizabeth said.

"If he's into you he should just come out and say it!" Dowager said, shaking her head. "Why are the boys you hang out with so intimidated by women?"

"I think we should go and have a talk with him."

"Agreed. He's obviously confused Nightingale and he's not being direct enough. We'll whip him into shape."

"No, wait!" Nightingale yelled above the other girls. She knew they were trying to be helpful, but she had a feeling they would only take the situation to a level no one wanted to go. She smiled at each of them and began to head for the door. She prayed that they would listen to her and not try to interfere.

"I'll handle it. I'll talk to Ikkyu myself. I think that's the best thing I can do right now."

Elizabeth and Dowager both stared at her with their arms crossed, looking as if they had no faith that she could handle anything on her own. However they both gave a sigh of defeat.

"If you need any help with anything then let us know, okay?" Elizabeth said.

"She's growing up!" Dowager said. She walked past Nightingale and opened the door, ready to exit the bathroom. "Use protection, Nightingale!"

Elizabeth just rolled her eyes and ignored how red Nightingale turned. She draped her arm around her shoulder and together they left the bathroom.

A few days had passed since Ikkyu had given Nightingale the necklace. There was no awkwardness between them. In fact it had been quite normal. She had worn the necklace every day after that and she noticed that Ikkyu noticed. She assumed it had made him happy, but she wasn't ready to talk to him about it just yet. There was something she wanted to do first and it involved a bit of research.

She sat at the computer in the library and sighed loudly. She wasn't exactly one who enjoyed research, but she never imagined finding something so simple would be so difficult. Perhaps she was looking too hard? She wasn't about to give up. She put on the most determined face she could and continued to look for as much information as possible. It was only when she was interrupted that she felt all of that determination disappear.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and startling her.

"Yeah! What are you looking up?" Dowager appeared on her other side, startling her again.

Nightingale quickly put her hands over the computer screen and shook her head, her face turning bright red. "Nothing important! Just homework stuff!"

"Oh yeah?" Dowager said, grabbing Nightingale's arms. "Homework stuff is nothing to be embarrassed about." She pulled her hands away to see what was on the screen.

"Ikkyu?" Dowager and Elizabeth screamed in unison.

They heard someone shush them and the two girls quickly pulled chairs as close to Nightingale as they could.

"Why are you looking up, Ikkyu?" Elizabeth asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dowager said. "She's so into him! She's trying to find out as much as she can about him. You don't need the internet, girl. I'm positive he would be willing to give you a private lesson."

"Dowager!" Nightingale yelled.

"What? I'm just saying he would be interested in some private time with you. I'm sure if you showed him yours he would show you his…."

"Anyways…" Elizabeth said before Nightingale exploded from embarrassment. "There's nothing wrong with liking him. He's a great guy and I think you two work well together."

Nightingale fiddled with her necklace. "I wouldn't mind going out with him if he asked me. I haven't talked to him yet and I was trying to think of a way to make it special, just like he did. I've been here for a while trying to find his birthday, but I can't find it at all."

"What do you mean?" Dowager asked, taking control of the mouse and scrolling through the page Nightingale was on.

"I mean I can only find the year he was born. I can't find any exact date."

"Nothing at all?" Elizabeth asked, getting closer to the screen.

"Nothing. He was born in the year 1394 and that's all I know. It doesn't help me!"

Dowager just shrugged. "It's okay. You were wanting to give him a present on his birthday like he did for you, right? Well, what if he was born in December or something? Then he would be waiting a long time for you to talk to him about the necklace."

"Why doesn't he come back and talk to her? He's the one who gave it to her!"

"I think he's shy! He could argue that he was only giving it to her as a present and nothing more. If she came to him then he would feel like she liked him or something."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"He's a man. He's not supposed to make sense."

"Okay, I see your point!" Nightingale said. She didn't really like them talking about Ikkyu in that way. She thought he hadn't talked to her about it anymore because he was just as shy as she was. Ikkyu may have a large personality, but if they had seen the way he acted when he gave her the necklace then they would have understood. He wasn't trying to force her to talk to him and he didn't want to make her feel awkward by asking her out.

"This is my decision to do something nice and see if we could possibly be boyfriend and girlfriend. I just wanted it to be nice when it happened. I'll have to think of something else."

"Do you have a present picked out for him?" Dowager asked.

"I know what his favorite sweets are. I was just going to give him some cakes."

"Smart girl!" Elizabeth said, patting Nightingale on her back. "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Absolutely," Dowager agreed. "You couldn't have picked a better gift!" She stood up and hoisted Nightingale to her feet. She ignored the confused look on her face and pushed her to the doors of the library. "Go get your man!"

Nightingale struggled to keep her balance as she was shoved through the doors of the library. She tried to go back in, but Dowager had quickly shut the door behind her. Nightingale shook her head and went back to her room. She wouldn't confront Ikkyu today, but tomorrow held infinite possibilities.

Finally, the day had arrived for Nightingale to do exactly as Dowager had told her. It was time for her to get her man! Nightingale armed herself with cakes, crepes, and courage as she walked down the hall to the pool room. She would do just as Ikkyu did. She would take him somewhere private, give him the cakes, and hope that he sees she's interested in him. She didn't want to be the one to have to admit it first. If things went according to plan she would have a new boyfriend by dinnertime.

However when she got to the pool room she realized there was already a hitch in her plan. Ikkyu wasn't there! She saw Freud, Napoleon, Shiro, and Elizabeth gathered around the pool table, deciding on teams. For a moment she was surprised at how Elizabeth seemed to really enjoy playing pool, but then she remembered her mission.

"Hi, guys!" she walked in and waved to them, keeping a smile on her face to hide the discontent of Ikkyu not being there.

"Hey, Nightingale! Did you bring us some cakes?" Napoleon asked when he saw the box in her hands.

Nightingale stopped short. She didn't want to be rude and refuse them food. What if they were hungry? She didn't even consider that they might want some cakes too! She was only thinking of herself and Ikkyu and she hadn't even bothered to pick up some sweets for the others!

"Those aren't for you, Napoleon! Quit ogling the box and hit the balls! Get a solid. I want to be solids."

Nightingale gave a sigh of relief. Elizabeth to the rescue. She could always count on her.

"Where is Ikkyu?" Nightingale asked.

Shiro turned away from the pool table to focus on Nightingale. "He didn't show up today. He even missed class. I went to his room and he was asleep even though it was almost noon. It's close to three now. I'm not sure if he's still asleep, but you could check."

Nightingale nodded her head. She hid it well, but worry filled her heart. Why in the world was Ikkyu still in bed? Was he sick? Or perhaps he was hurt in some way? She nodded a thanks to Shiro and left, immediately heading for Ikkyu's room. She had only been to his room once or twice so the path there was unfamiliar to her. After knocking on the wrong door she got directions to the right one. She gently tapped on the door and did it once more after she got no response. She didn't want to be rude and just barge in, but what if he was seriously hurt? He could be in pain! Or coughing up blood! She closed her eyes at the horrible thought and burst the door open.

"Ikkyu, are you okay?" she screamed.

She heard a yell and then a loud crash. She found the light switch and flipped it on only to see Ikkyu tangled in his sheets on the floor. He quickly fumbled around until he could move his arms and legs, then sat up on his knees, facing his visitor.

"Nightingale?" he said in a loud and shocked voice.

"I didn't mean to startle you! I'm so sorry!" she cried.

"No…no, it's okay. I'm good," Ikkyu said, rubbing his head. Sleep was still evident in his voice and eyes, though there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep. He pulled himself back on the bed, taking his sheets with him. He then felt around on the dresser next to his bed for his glasses.

"Where did they go?" he whispered to himself.

Nightingale glanced at the floor and noticed the glasses had fallen. They probably got knocked off by the sheets falling or perhaps Ikkyu had knocked into the desk. Whatever the reason they were on the floor and Nightingale didn't want them to get damaged. She quickly ran over and picked them up, handing them to Ikkyu.

"Oh, thanks," he said. He put them on and blinked a few times, focusing on the girl in front of him. "If I had known you were coming I would have dressed in more than a t-shirt and boxers."

"It's okay!" Nightingale said, turning away from him so he wouldn't see her bright red face. She tried to calm herself down by thinking how much worse it could have been. It was only a t-shirt and boxers! That was fine! It could have been so much worse than that. He could have been one of those people who slept completely naked!

That thought didn't help calm her down at all.

So instead of dwelling on that she faced him again and shoved the box in his face. "It's for you!" she cried.

He graciously took if from her and opened it, inhaling the scent of freshly baked cakes and sweets. He got up to shut his room door while taking a piece of cake and sticking it in his mouth.

"Thanks! This is awesome. You didn't have to do this," he said, taking another bite of cake. He sat down on one side of his bed and patted next to him to tell Nightingale to sit. She did sit on his bed, though she sat on the complete opposite end instead of next to him. He just smiled at her and offered a piece of the cake.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," she said. She looked around the room a bit before breaking the silence. "It's almost three, Ikkyu. Why are you still asleep?"

"I didn't sleep at all last night," he answered her.

"Really? How come?"

He shrugged. "I guess I just have a lot on my mind. Schoolwork and…other things."

She nodded, but didn't press the issue any further. As long as he wasn't sick or hurt then she was fine with his answer. Now that she actually looked at him he did seem a bit tired. His eyes were red and though they were light, she could see circles forming under his eyes. What if he hadn't been sleeping for several days? She knew he wouldn't tell her the truth if she asked. It would only worry her and he didn't want to do that.

"Thanks for the cakes," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you sure you didn't want a piece?"

"I'm fine!" she said with a big smile. "I wanted to repay you for the necklace!" She touched it as she mentioned it.

Ikkyu just shook his head. "You don't pay people back for a birthday present. It defeats the purpose."

"Oh," Nightingale said. He was right. However, the cake was supposed to be a birthday present too! "Well, I looked online for your original's birthday, but all I could find was the year he was born. There was no exact date so I had no way of knowing when to give you your birthday present."

Ikkyu stared at her for a moment before his lips pulled back into a huge smile. "You looked me up online?"

He let out a laugh as Nightingale turned away from him, obviously embarrassed. "It's okay!" he said. "I had to look you up too. It was the only way I could find out when your original's birthday was. I'm pretty shocked that you went through so much trouble for me."

"It was no trouble," Nightingale said, shaking her head. She kept her eyes to the floor, though she could feel Ikkyu staring at her. She had no idea what else to say. She didn't expect this to have been so awkward! What should she do now? She gave him the cake and told him she had to do some research on him…what else was there to do? She had done her part and now she was just waiting for Ikkyu to say the words she wanted him to say. After a few more minutes of awkward silence Nightingale had all but lost hope. It seemed that Ikkyu wasn't interested in her and was only trying to be a good friend. She couldn't hide the disappointment in her face as she turned away from him.

"I guess I'll be leaving now!" she said a bit more loudly than she wanted to. She quickly stood up and headed for the door, though she was stopped due to slamming her knee into the bed post. She gave a cry and fell back onto the bed, holding her knee.

"Are…are you okay?" Ikkyu asked.

"Fine! Just fine!"

Nightingale rolled down her stocking to assess the damage. There was already a tiny bruise there and she was bleeding slightly. She sighed and shook her head when suddenly Ikkyu appeared on the floor in front of her with some tissues.

"Oh, it doesn't look too bad, Nightingale," he said quietly as he dabbed her knee with the tissue. She stared at him and could feel the blood rushing to her face. She knew she was as red as a fire truck. Ikkyu was so close to her and he was being so nice! What could she say to him? Her mind seemed to shut down entirely as Ikkyu stood up and took her hand in his to help her stand.

"Let's get you to the nurse's office. I'm sure there's alcohol and other stuff in there to treat your cut."

Nightingale just nodded her head as she stood and leaned against Ikkyu. He was holding her so close and she couldn't help but to feel so warm and cozy. She wrapped his arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. This felt so right. Was he really not romantically interested in her?

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded her head against his chest and flinched a bit as Ikkyu started to rub her hair. Why was he torturing her like this? He had successfully made her like him and now it seemed he wasn't interested in her in that way at all. All of her hard work was for nothing.

No, she couldn't let it end like this. She wanted this so badly it hurt. And it wasn't fair to her! Ikkyu had made her fall in love with him! She wouldn't have looked at him in that way if he had never given her the necklace. She wasn't going to let the men who stole her heart break it too.

"Why did you give me the necklace, Ikkyu?"

That seemed to catch Ikkyu off guard. He stopped stroking her hair for a moment and seemed to need a minute to gather his thoughts. He gently pushed Nightingale away from him and she realized he was just as red as she was.

"I…I told you, Nightingale. It was to celebrate your birthday," he said nervously.

Nightingale just shook her head. "We don't have birthdays, Ikkyu. And you never celebrated my birthday or even brought it up in the years before now. So…why this year? Why now?"

"Because…well…." Ikkyu was struggling to find the right words. Nightingale didn't want to back him into a corner, but there was no other option. She didn't want their relationship to stalemate when it was the perfect time for them to move forward. However, Ikkyu just couldn't get the words out. The two of them were getting nowhere and Nightingale could see that. She swallowed hard, put her fears aside, and said the words that were on her heart.

"I really like you, Ikkyu."

She instantly looked at the ground just so she wouldn't have to look at Ikkyu's face. She could only imagine what he looked like right now. Was he shocked or scared or maybe happy? She didn't dare open her eyes. There was no telling what Ikkyu would do now.

"I really like you too, Nightingale."

Nightingale's eyes shot open only to be staring at Ikkyu's back. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. Both of them were bright red and both of them were at a loss for words at this point. They just stared at each other before Nightingale finally stood on her toes and kissed Ikkyu's cheek. Ikkyu chuckled and repeated the action, both of them about to explode from embarrassment.

"Lets uhh…let's get that cut on your knee taken care of," Ikkyu said.

Nightingale nodded her head and kissed his cheek once more. "You should get dressed first."

Ikkyu looked down at his pajamas and laughed as he rummaged around his room looking for clothes. Nightingale left just to give him some privacy. She waited outside with the largest smile her mouth could form. She was happy to honestly be able to say that she was simply waiting for her new boyfriend to escort her to the nurse.

I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?