Disclaimer: I do not own ONS or any of the characters in this story.


Shinoa follows Yuu up until the line at the cake shop and waits for him to come out. It was a good 20 minutes before he did too. She didn't really know what to do, after somehow indirectly finding out that the guy you like liked you back.

Although she did know what not to do. Interrupt him. As much as she'd like to kiss the living daylights out of Yuu, running into him now, even by accident, would probably ruin his momentum. Plus, watching him from afar is enough to make Shinoa adore him and his efforts to make this day perfect for her. He had no idea that he already has.

Shinoa fondly watches him walk out of the cake shop, big red box in one hand and the other in his pocket. Damn, Yuu sure was dashing today. He wasn't even trying too. The raven haired boy took a turn and the heiress let him be. She wouldn't want to spoil herself by following him all around town buying whatever it was he was going to buy.

She's curious and everything but, Yuu probably won't appreciate it if she were to walk up to him now and innocently ask what he was doing or later find out that she followed him all around town to see what he was up to. So instead, Shinoa decides to buy herself a gift. Nothing like getting a reward for surviving another year on earth.

Slight problem, she had no idea what to get herself. Not when she already got what she's always wanted. In a way.

How about a book? Too generic. A coat? Too practical. A watch?

This is ridiculous. The moment she saw Yuu buy their pictures, she had lost her sole purpose for coming here. Great.

She should probably just go home where she'll at least have some stuff to do or people to talk to. She hadn't really opened her gifts yet but since everyone always opens their gifts together, that was definitely out of the question.

Feeling slightly defeated, she buys some hot chocolate from the nearest cafe and trudges her way back to her car. Maybe this was all just a dream, and any moment she'd wake up in her bedroom, no surprises, no cakes, no pictures, no Yuu exerting his best effort for her birthday.

It wasn't though. It was just something too good to be true. And they say that you can't feel pain in a dream, so she's probably in the real world where the first sip of any hot drink stung like hell. Shinoa swears her tongue just got scalded.

Sighing, something she seems to be doing a lot lately, she turns on the engine and starts driving around aimlessly. What a way to spend your birthday. She passes their school, the park, a church, another mall, but nothing seemed to hold her interest for more than a few minutes. Her mind was very much preoccupied with thinking about a certain flat where her friends and a certain raven haired boy would be waiting at to surprise her.

Not much of a surprise since she already figured it out, but hey, it's the thought that counts. Maybe they were ready and she could go back now. That definitely sounded a lot better than forcing her car to plow through piles of untouched snow whenever she turned into a quiet street.

She's been driving around for almost an hour now, her clothes were crumpled, hair a bit disheveled, and her hot chocolate, well, it wasn't exactly hot anymore. That's it. She can't take it anymore. She's going home. Screw the surprise. Spending her birthday alone is way worse than whatever they must have cooked up at their flat.

When Shinoa was just about to pull up on the garage, Guren appears and knocks on the car door.

"Hey, brat. Got a minute?"

"Uh, yeah," she says as she unlocks the door.

"I know you want to go home but I'm gonna need you to drive around a bit more. I wanted to talk to you, in private."

"What's it about?"

"You like Yuu, dont you?" The car halts to an abrupt stop, almost throwing Guren onto the dash had the seat belt not been tight.

"W-what? Why would you ask me that?" Says a flustered Shinoa as she clenches the fabric of her scarf, something that calmed her down. It was one question, just one, and it almost killed them because Yuu was involved.

"I'll take that as a yes then," smirks an amused Guren.

"Take it how you want," she sighs.

"Being completely undone by the mention of the other's name. How pathetic can you two get?" An annoying look creeps up on the older man's face.

"You practically raised us so who's the one with the problem here?" Counters the annoyed periwinkle as she took another turn.

"You can drive back now. They're all excited to see you," Guren says as he blankly stares outside the window, his voice sounding just a bit off.

"Okay, I meant that as a compliment, Guren." Shinoa mumbles as she drove back.

Arriving home, for the second time that day, wasn't as satisfying. Not when Guren was giving her the cold shoulder. She was just about to speak up when-

"I think I did do a pretty good job at raising you kids, I just wanted to say that you're story doesn't have to be the same as mine. Or Mahiru's. We made our mistakes, go make your own with that unpredictable boy. He's an idiot, but he's dependable. I raised him, after all," Guren finally spoke up, keeping his eyes glued to the roof of the car while he pats her head. Like when they were young and it was still his' and Mahiru's story.

Shinoa was speechless. Guren never talks about that part of his life. It was, after all, somehow a weakness. A vulnerability. And her sister, was someone they both miss dearly. Yet here he was, being the dependable sibling/father figure that she never had. He was well out of the car by the time she came back to her senses.

Her emotions got the best of her as she hurriedly gets out and tackles him in a hug. Her head on his chest, her arms around his neck, feet barely touching the ground, eliciting a sort of chuckle from the man. "Thank you, Guren. For everything," she looks up and smiles at him.

"Don't thank me yet, come on, they're waiting," he says as points to the flat and ruffles Shinoa's hair.


A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry this one took so long. Healthy criticism is always welcome. :)