Starting off the collection of oneshots is Tao x Akari, along with a *small* side dish of Chihaya and Mai. Not too sure abut the next oneshot though. Feel free to request any Tree of Tranquility or WakuAni pairings for me to do via a review~ I'm open-minded, and like just about any pairing. ^^. Be it friendship or romantic. You can give me a theme too, if you want. :D. Summary will change with every new oneshot. Updated weekly, or so.

Bah. I need to work on my writing some more. D: … By the way, have any of you noticed how Natsume killed Tao's personality in the English version of ToT? ;____;. He was so cute in the Japanese version. D: . Now all he talks about are… Naps and fish. *end of rambling*

Been doing oneshots while working on my long fic… … *shot* . Been a bit lazy… Okay, I suck at excuses.

Tao x Akari - Steps

Akari was dangerously sitting over the near edge of the pier, as she held her fishing rod between her two palms. Casting the rod into the cool, deep water, she heard a splash, which had come from the impact. Now all was left was too be patient.

Something she wasn't very good at.

Several minutes had passed, and she could feel herself growing more and more bored each second. At the moment she had thought otherwise of quitting fishing, she could feel that her rod had caught onto something. Reeling it in, her eyes were wide with anticipation. This was her first catch in her life! Wheeling up her rod while pushing it back like she had seen the pros do, she was a bit disappointed that whatever she had caught onto wasn't putting up much of a fight. Nevertheless though, she had got something, which put a bit of excitement.

As the hook came into clear view, her previous expression disappeared. It was no fish, and was definitely not something she wanted to eat.

It was algae. Yuck.

She frowned as she threw it back into the sea. This was a lot more frustrating than she had expected. Placing her rod beside her in a somewhat rough fashion, she laid on her back, until she heard footsteps. Twisting her head to look at who just had came; she saw both Chihaya and Mai. The two sure were on pleasant terms nowadays, weren't they? Seeing a bucket in Mai hand, its contents held several fish. They both laughed as Mai skewered each fish, and as Chihaya started a bonfire. Seems like they were making grilled fish today, and so far, it smelled extremely delicious.

She now had a newfound motivation. To satisfy the crave that found itself in her tummy. Throwing her rod in once again, she began humming a soft tune. Perhaps that would keep her busy.

But it didn't.

Taking her enthusiasm down a notch, she sighed, letting down her guard. Nothing interesting was happening so far, that is, until she saw a beige flip-flop.

"Tao?" Akari had inquired, before looking up to the figure above her.

"Correct!" He had said brightly, plopping down next to the girl. "I see you're using the fishing rod I gave you."

"Uh huh." Answered Akari with a crestfallen expression. "So far nothing though… How will I get the fish to make Darren's rainbow and crave my starving tummy now?" She added the part miserably.

Tao cast her an odd look, obviously confused. "… Darren's Rainbow?"

"Oh!" Akari clamped her mouth with her hands as soon as she realized she had leaked information about the Harvest Sprites. Putting up a front, she waved her hands in front of her defensively. "I mean; I need fish for Darren's recipe! It's a recipe in a cookbook… I'm not insane, I swear I'm perfectly norm-"

Cutting her off with a loud chuckle, Tao shook his head playfully at her. "I get it, I get it."

Akari puffed up her cheeks, and then released the air as she just remembered Toby's specialty.

Fishing.

"Hey Tao…" Mused Akari, toying with her fingers, "Do you think you could help me with fishing? I'm not doing too well." Her frown deepened. "You're a really good fisherman, so… I was hoping, since you're here and all." "It's fine if you don't' want to though."

The boy beside her could see as his face reddened. He wasn't used to compliments so much; unless being called a lazy and slow person counted as one. "Y-you really think so?" He finally breathed out.

"Of course!" Exclaimed Akari exasperatedly. "Why would I lie?"

Turning an even brighter red, he sucked up all his courage not to blow up. Leaning over the pier a bit to glance at Akari's hook, he went back to his normal position, and looked at her somewhat quizzically. "A- Akari, you forgot to put bait."

The truth hit her. Hard.

"You got to be kidding me!" She said, reeling back in her hook. She met only silver. "I-I can't believe I forgot bait." Muttered Akari. It brought a small blow to her. How could she be so … stupid?

"Don't worry, we all make mistakes… Even if some are more silly than others." whispered Tao, standing back on his feet. For some unknown reason to him, he felt like cheering up the girl. "Come on, let's take a break and get you some bait at the same time. You've been sitting here for a while."

Her face held mixed emotions, as she was a bit unsure of what to do. She decided to follow Tao.

-----

"Oh wowww!" Exclaimed the girl, as she entered the fisherman's house. "You sure have a lot of things in here."

Tao had a faint blush on his cheeks. He found it a bit embarrassing to bring a girl into his house, but he managed to keep his cool. "Aha – I guess I do…"

The boy walked over to his fridge, as the girl continued to comment positively on almost everything in his house. He was even more nervous now. Taking out a plate out of the fridge, he called out to the girl. She immediately stopped her seemingly endless notes.

"Do you like sashimi?" His voice came closer to her, as he set the plate on the table. "Go ahead and eat." He said, removing the plastic wrap around the dish.

As she reached over to take a piece, she plopped it into her mouth. She must've finally found heaven. "Uwaa~" swooned Akari. "If only I was as good as a fisherman as you right now, I'd be able to eat this everyday!"

"It's not that g-great." Stammered Tao, "Besides… You'll catch up to me in skill someday." He said this earnestly. "You just need to take it one step at a time. Rushing will always hinder reaching your goals..." By then, he had noticed how much talking he had done. "Haha! You must think I'm odd though, so you don't have to listen…"

Akari tilted her head, as she suddenly began to view Tao in a whole new light. Perhaps he was a lot more of an interesting person than she thought. Previously, she had this whole image of him that he was a person that only cared about naps and fish. A smile tugged at her lips. Good thing she came, because right now was the highlight of her day.

"Don't put yourself down, Tao." Said Akari, as her face inched closer towards his. "You just gave me a lot more motivation!"

Tao raised his head at her, and blinked several times before taking in what she had just said, and how close she was to him. He tried his best to stop himself from looking away in embarrassment. "A-alright then."

"Pfft!" Akari bursted out loud, falling out of her chair in laughter. "You're just so cute sometimes, Tao!"

The boy was now beat red, not looking at the girl at all.

"Ahah… Sorry for laughing." Apologized the girl, as she brushed a tear away from her eye. "Anyway…" Said Akari in a more serious tone. "Would you walk those steps with me?" She continued, smiling. "The steps to catching my first fish, and the steps to becoming a more successful fisherman." A small blush was laid upon her face. "Now you have me being cheesy, Tao! It's all your fault."

He took no time at all to answer, and when he did…

The two were grinning at each other, madly.