DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHUGO CHARA AND ITS CHARACTERS =))) EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO =)))
-Hey everyone! I am back! I am so so so so so so so SORRY! DX I feel bad for updating so late. I just finished my MIDTERMS and now I am awaiting my grades. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME =))) I'm aiming for DL and I really want to achieve my goal. And FINALS are coming up soon….NOOO!
-Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter, it's a bit longer than usual, so please tell me what you think.
-As always, any ideas are more than welcome and I will be updating as soon as possible. Thank you so much for all the reviews and hope you continue to support this fic. Thanks guys.
-Oh yeah, my cousin is planning to write her own story and I am trying to convince her to post it here in FF. I think it's really good but she thinks otherwise. Haha. Just sharing. Needed to give her some encouragement =)))
-Lastly, please also pray for my relative. She got admitted to the hospital, and I hope she gets better soon. Thank you guys. Thank you so much for everything =)))
-Now, to the story: I placed all the couples here! YAY! Ahaha. I hope you guys like it. NO KENTA AND HIRO IN THIS CHAPTER I don't know if that makes anyone feel better or worse but yeah, they're not here. =)))
-enough of my blabbering. So sorry about that. ON WITH THE STORY! ENJOY GUYS! Please review and tell me what you think! :D
Flower Festival: My Beginning With You
Utau woke up when the sun suddenly hit her eyes. She squinted a bit before fully fluttering her eyes open. She smiled slightly, before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. Once she was done, she walked out of her room and headed for their dining hall. The cook had greeted her immediately after her arrival to the room and then she sat down and waited for her food to arrive. "A very pleasant morning to you Utau-sama." Greeteed one of the cooks "I do hope that you enjoy your breakfast Hime-sama."
"Thank you very much." She replied with a smile "I take it Yuu is busy doing something else with Yukairi-san? I haven't seen them in the halls today. Nor have I seen Ikuto."
"Yes, they seem to be very busy these days, and as for your brother Hime-san, he mentioned something about meeting you in the Hinamori mansion." Said the cook.
"Ah, alright." As Utau dismissed the cook, she had a quiet, delicious and peaceful breakfast. She was used to not having her parents there with her. She was used to eating alone in the morning, but she was usually with Ikuto back then.
"I guess he's busier now." She muttered to herself. She sighed to herself and then thought "This is why I want Kukai to be here. My mornings are usually lonely when he's not here…" She was tired of the loneliness, and she just wanted her mornings to start with a smile every day, and without Kukai there every day, it just wasn't the same and possible.
Once she finished her breakfast, someone was already there, ready to collect her plate. She smiled and gave one more thank you, before leaving the dining hall and heading out. As she was walking down the corridors of the palace, she spotted Tadase, Lulu, kairi and Tsukasa in the palace garden and decided to pay them a visit before leaving for her trip to town.
"Good morning Utau-chan." Greeted Tadase.
"Morning Tadase, Lulu, Tsukasa and Kairi." Said Utau "You're all up early aren't you?"
"Time is essence Utau-chan. It cannot be wasted after all." Said Kairi with a smile.
"That's true. And there's so much to do today." Said Tsukasa "Were you planning to go off somewhere today?" he asked her.
"I'm actually waiting for Kukai to arrive. He promised to pick me up today and we'll be going to Amu's before heading for town." Said Utau.
"Ah, yes. The town should be very busy right now." Said Tsukasa. "After all, the Flower Festival is taking place yes?"
"I heard about that. Apparently people were making a really big fuss about it." Said Lulu "But I do wonder what it's all about."
"That's right. You aren't accustomed to all the village traditions here." Said Tadase "And to be honest, neither am I."
"No one from the palace seem to be quite familiar with it. In fact, if Kukai and the others never told me about it, I never even knew that such a thing existed in our custom." Utau stated.
"Yes, well that's a tad bit normal if you ask me." Said Kairi. "After all, none of the nobles usually bother to celebrate something like this."
"True, it's as if the villagers have their own personal world out there." Said Tsukasa "And I do suppose that we can no longer blame them for that. Let's all be honest, we as nobles and royals have our own ways of doing things and most of us isolate those of non-royal blood." He explained.
"These traditions in the village are the people's own way of expressing themselves and not just that, it's their way of doing things." Said Kairi.
"There are actually many more various festivals that they have there in the village, not just this one." Said Tsukasa with a smile.
"I see. I wonder why they never told us anything about them?" Utau asked.
"Dear, when you live your life in isolation, you can miss a lot." Said Lulu with a sigh "Trust me, I've been there, and it is not pretty. One of the disadvantages of ever being one of us, of being a royal."
"But they usually do that for protocol don't they?" asked Tadase. "Besides, you have much freedom now."
"Yes, and Kukai has played a very big part in that." Said Utau "Having him as a fiancée has so much life in it, and so many perks too." She said with a chuckle.
"Well I suppose that goes with the package of your very unique relationship." Says Tsukasa with a smile.
"Yes I suppose so." Utau says with a smile.
"So, Utau-chan, will you be attending the Flower Festival? It's supposed to be beautiful this year." Says Tadase with a smile.
"Hm? Yeah, Kukai said that he'd take me. The others are going as well. Aren't you?" she asked Tadase with a questioning look.
"I was planning to go as well. Lulu-chan had agreed to accompany me." Tadase glanced over at Lulu and gave her a smile, and Utau didn't fail to notice that she smiled back with a blush very evident on her face.
Tsukasa gave off a small chuckle as he stared at the two teens and Utau gave off a little laugh. This action made Tadase and Lulu blush even more. Utau stifled more of her laughter as she saw the aftermath of what happened, and even kairi couldn't help it.
"Ahem." Tsukasa said as he cleared his throat "Anyway, Kairi-kun, were you planning to attend as well?"
"Yes. I'll be asking Musashi to drop me off in the Fujisaki household later on so I can pick up Yaya." Said Kairi with a small smile.
"Oh I see." Said Utau "So you and Yaya will be heading there separate from us?" asked Utau.
"Yes, well, that's what was supposed to happen." Explained Kairi.
"And Tadase and I will be going there separately as well." Said Lulu.
"Hm, so I guess that we'll just be seeing each other in town then." Stated Utau and the others just nodded in reply.
"Seems that your escort is here." Said Tsukasa with another smile.
"Hey everyone!" Utau turned to see Kukai there as he waved at them. As he walked closer to where they were sitting, she walked towards him and she was welcomed with a hug. "Hey to you too, princess." He told him with a chuckle. "Couldn't wait to see me?"
"You wish." She muttered softly only loud enough for him to hear, but of course she meant nothing of it, since she was really glad that he was here.
"Aw. That really hurt." Said Kukai with a mock pout on his face, but she could definitely feel the humor in his voice.
"Hey Tsukasa-san, are you going to the festival?" asked Kukai as he continued to hold Utau in his arms.
"I'm rather busy today, but I will definitely try to stop by the town today. After all, I wouldn't want to miss such a beautiful festival yes?" said Tsukasa.
"You really wouldn't, they've decorated the whole town for this you know." Kukai looked over at Utau and smiled at her "You're going to love it, I'm sure of that. The townsfolk put up a lot of effort for it you know? To make everything so grand."
"I'm looking forward to it, you know that. This is my first time to attend any festival made from town. So I'm truly looking forward to it." Said Utau honestly, she was still hugging him, not willing to let go just yet.
"And I'm sure that all of you will have a great time." Said Tsukasa, and then he looked over at Kukai "Now then, wouldn't you two want to go on ahead now?"
"What? Do you want to be rid of us already Tsukasa-san?" asked Kukai with a playful grin.
"Why of course not, but I also didn't want to be the one to keep you here, and I have enough company to keep me entertained." Tsukasa said with a smile.
"And I figured that the two of you wanted to spend as much time as you could today." Said Lulu "Everything seems to be so hectic nowadays that we can't seem to get any free time at all."
"Well, we just have to bear with that. And hopefully today will go by without any problems." Said Tadase with a sigh. He wished that at least one day would go on without some kind of shocking news that will turn their entire day into some disaster fest.
"Let's not keep thinking about that Tadase. We must learn to enjoy what we have right now, and we might not know what tomorrow will bring, but making most of the present is what's important. After all, we can't turn back time, so we might as well make the most of it. Wouldn't you all agree?" said Tsukasa with a smile. He always knew what to say, and even when to say it. It's as if he shares his 'words of wisdom' every chance that he gets. Not that anyone's complaining.
"I suppose what we can do now is to just be optimistic about it. Not too much though, and we simply have to be cautious." Said Kukai with a smile.
"Oh sure. That shouldn't be much of a problem for you now should it?" said Utau with a smile, finally pulling away from their hug, much to Kukai's dismay. "You're just the epitome of optimism."
"I wouldn't say that, but thanks." Said Kukai with a laugh.
"Anyway, I agree with Tsukasa-san, you should get going." Stated Tadase as he looked over at Kukai and Utau "After all, we wouldn't want to wait until it gets too crowded down there. The rest of us will follow soon."
"Alright." Kukai then took Utau's hand in his and spoke "Come on, this way we'll have time to see if my dear brother is still at home."
"Don't forget to ask Musashi to come back here for the rest of us after he drops you off." Reminded Lulu "Or we won't be able to follow."
"Don't worry. I won't forget to remind him, but I'm quite sure that Kairi was well prepared and already told him to come back for you guys." Said Utau with a smile. "So, we'll be heading off now?" she asked Kukai with a smile.
"Yeah." He replied and turned to the others "Well we better head off. See you all later." And with that said, they left the garden hand in hand and headed off for their destination.
Meanwhile With Ikuto and Amu
After Ikuto woke up early to attend some sort of meeting with his father, he immediately headed for the Hinamori Mansion. He never bothered to go back to the palace. In Ikuto's terms, he had enough of palace issues for the entire day. He's had to wake up early, and the only reason that he was thankful was simply because he got to see Amu earlier.
"It's good to see you here so early in the morning Ikuto-kun." Dia had greeted him once he came in. "Amu-chan and the others are waiting for you outside."
"Nice to see you too." Said Ikuto with a smile and then he followed Dia as she lead him outside.
Once they got outside, almost everyone was there, as Ikuto had noticed.
"Everyone, Ikuto-kun has just arrived." Dia called as she and Ikuto came into the garden.
"Ikuto!" Amu greeted him with a smile and went over to give him a hug. She's been quite expressive of her feelings lately, ehich Ikuto didn't mind one bit.
"Happy to see me then Amu?" he asked her with a grin.
"Will you stop doing that? It always ruins the moment." Said Amu with a playful glare, but everyone, even she knew, that she was happy to see him. And that he had finally arrived.
"So, what's the plan for today?" asked Ran when Ikuto and Amu broke apart.
"I guess we head for town as soon as everyone is ready, which would be only a few moments from now." Said Dia.
"Aw, come on. Can't we just go already?" asked Ran "I'm really looking forward to seeing the town when it isn't that crowded yet."
"It's crowded every year." Said Daichi who had arrived just a few minutes before Ikuto. "I didn't bother to wait for Kukai anymore, and he should know that he might not see me when he gets there."
"Was it that crowded already?" asked Dia.
"Yeah. That's why I didn't bother to wait for Kukai and Utau to arrive. I couldn't stay there in the crowd. The entire town was crowding around everywhere earlier, and that was just before I left. You can imagine what it looks like now." Said Daichi with a sigh.
"Anyway, come on, and let's not even waste our time here!" said Ran "We have to move everyone!"
"Alright, alright." Said Miki. "Come on, I'm meeting Yoru there."
"Really?" asked Ikuto "No wonder he said he didn't want to come with me. I guess he had his own plans."
"Seems so, but let's all leave these two lovebirds alone shall we? She'll tell us all about it when she's ready." Said Dia with a smile.
Miki blushed but chose to ignore it and stay silent. They waited for a while to fix up everything before they all decided that it was just about time that they themselves headed to town. They agreed that they'd all go there together before splitting up just so no one got lost, and so that they'd at least see how crowded it was. After all the confusions were cleared up, they all headed to town with no other complaints.
In The Town…
With Kukai and Utau
Meanwhile, Utau and Kukai had just arrived in town, and Kukai wasn't too surprised when he didn't find his brother at home. "I guess he left already." Kukai has stated. From the looks of things, the people were already gathering around, and roaming all over the town. Flowers were decorated and stationed everywhere, and each place they looked, was just as well decorated as the others.
Utau had never seen the town so well done before. After all, festivities like this don't seem to happen every day. Everything she saw continued to fascinate her, especially the wide variety of flowers on display and on sale. Vendors were selling flowers to almost every other passerby in the area, and a lot of buyers were also present.
Kukai had left Utau for a moment to mingle with the crowd. Utau stayed in one place all on her own as she waited for Kukai. She didn't expect any of the others to suddenly appear, and she didn't mind being alone for a while, just enjoying everything around her.
"Hey, sorry about that but…" Kukau stopped speaking when he called to Utau, as he saw her staring into space with a soft smile. He smiled softly and from behind, placed his arms around her slim waist. Utau's eyes widened at the contact because of her shock, but she eventually sighed contented and leaned against him.
"Your back." She stated with her eyes closed and still with a smile.
"Yeah, sorry for leaving you for the moment. I just needed to get something." Said Kukai "So, what are you thinking about?" he asked her curiously.
"Nothing important really." Said Utau "Just very content."
"Seems like it." He told her in agreement "You were smiling when I came back, I felt bad for disturbing your train of thought."
"Not really, don't feel so bad." Said Utau as tilted her head upward to meet his eyes as he looked down at her. "I was just thinking happy thoughts that's all."
"Seems like you really like it here." Said Kukai as he looked at the colorful view in front of them.
"Yes. As I said, it's my first time." Said Utau and then she asked "What is this all about anyway? I mean, you never did tell me the purpose of this festival."
"Oh yeah. I never explained that yet haven't I?" said Kukai with a smile.
"So? Explain it to me then." Stated Utau as she leaned back into his chest "What is it all about?"
"Well, how to put it. In a nutshell, the Flower festival is o welcome the entering of new beginning. History wise, we never really had anything new happening here, but did you know? The townsfolk have organized this kind of this every year, and say that there's always something new to look forward to. Like…spring right after the winter." Said Kukai. "So, they pull out all these flowers and decorate the whole town for an entire day to celebrate it. They always do it this time of the year, when it's near spring."
"I see." Replied Utau as she continued to smile. "So, it's tradition then?" she asked.
"Yeah. Kind of. Everyone's looking forward to it every year. I'm kind of shocked you guys knew nothing about it." Said Kukai with a shrug.
"Hm, well, if you happen to be stuck in the palace your whole life you wouldn't be so surprised, boy." Said Utau. "Besides, we knew that things like this happened, it's just that we never got to see them first hand."
"Hmmm? Did you know that there's a tradition in this tradition?" asked Kukai with a smirk.
"And what would that be?" asked Utau suddenly amused and interested.
Even though he knew that she couldn't see him, he smirked. He then released one of his hands around her waist and took out a flower that he has been hiding just beside him. He placed this hand back around her waist, but this time, with the flower at hand.
"Here, this is for you." Said Kukai as he leaned his head on top of hers while he waited for her to respond.
Utau looked at the flower right in front of her and smiled. Of course, she was shocked, but to see that single red rose held right in front of her, being offered by no one else but Kukai. "And what's this?" she asked him teasingly.
"Ouch I am so hurt." Kukai said with a mock-hurt voice and then he chuckled. "It's a flower of course. And it's for you."
"Oh?" Utau smiled and she took the flower from his hand and used her other hand to touch his. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Said Kukai "But you know, now you have to give me something."
"Hm? Give you something? Like what?" asked Utau confused.
"You see, that tradition I was talking about?" asked Kukai and she nodded "Whenever the guy gives a girl a flower, it basically means that he wants that someone to be a part of his new beginning or something like that. And in return, the girl has to give the guy a specific something to acknowledge him and respond to his…request per se."
"Ok." Said Utau in understanding "And what is it? What is it that I have to give you?" she asked him, curiosity very evident in his voice.
"Well, it's something only you would be able to do." Stated Kukai, his grin getting wider "You have to…"
With Rima and Nagihiko
"Kiss me." Stated Nagihiko with a grin as Rima was holding the flower she had just received in her hand, her face flushed a deep shade of red. Rima and Nagihihko had met up with Amu and the rest of the gang a little bit earlier when they arrived, but they soon decided to split up and simply meet up later tonight. And now, Nagihiko and Rima were left alone.
"Hmp. I don't see why I have to." Stated Rima as she looked down at the flower and not at Nagi's face, afraid that she wouldn't be able to make eye contact.
"Oh? But Rima-chan, it is tradition is it not?" asked Nagihiko with a smile "Unless of course, you didn't like my gesture…"
"No!" Rima suddenly looked up to meet his eyes but her face was still beat red. "i-it's n-not like that at all…."
Nagihiko looked shocked for a moment about her outburst but then he smiled. "Alright, I was just joking Rima-chan. Gomen."
"No, it's not your fault anyway." Stated Rima "It's…just embarrassing. But…thank you."
"Hm? You're welcome. And you don't have to if you don't want to." Said Nagihiko with a smile.
Rima slowly looked up to meet his eyes and saw that he meant what he said. She knew that Nagihiko never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do, and she really liked that about him. She smiled and slowly she stood on her tiptoe and placed her arms around his neck.
"I'd rather I stick with the tradition." She told him with a smile.
Nagihiko chuckles as their faced got closer, only inches apart "Ah, well, we wouldn't want to break this tradition now would we?"
"Agreed." She told him before leaning down to kiss him. He smiled and of course, did not hesitate to kiss to kiss her back.
Once they broke away, their faces not far from each other Nagihiko smiled and said "You know this means that we have a new beginning ahead of us."
"Yeah…" she replied with a small smile.
"And will get through it won't we Rima-chan?" asked Nagihiko, although already knowing the answer.
"Yeah…we will…" said Rima "I know we'll get through anything…"
"Together." They said at the same time. And then they stared at each other for a moment baffled, before laughing and pulling away, with their hands intertwined.
"Yes, we'll get through it…together." Said Nagihiko with confirmation in his voice. "Together…"
With Ikuto and Amu
Ikuto and Amu were both together roaming around the town, and just like Kukai, Ikuto had decided to leave Amu on her own for a while, to go get some flowers for her. Amu, unknown to it all, simply agreed to wait for him as he did whatever he wanted. Once he returned, he smiled as he presented her with a bouquet of beautiful red roses. She looked up at him in shock and then she smiled.
"I thought you didn't know anything about these kinds of traditions that happened in town?" said Amu amusingly, although her face was already beat red, she wished to keep her composure as long as she could.
"I asked Tsukasa about it when you mentioned it to me. He gave me the information I needed concerning this tradition of yours." Said Ikuto and then he added "So? Aren't you going to take the flowers? I'm hurt Amu, after I took the liberty of purchasing them for you."
Amu eyed Ikuto for a moment and then she smiled. "How sweet of you Ikuto, but you didn't have to." She took the flowers anyway and leaned her face closer to be able to inhale its scent. "They smell nice." She stated with a sigh.
"Hm. But you know what they say, you give and you get Amu." Said Ikuto as his face gave out a wide grin.
"Hm? What do you mean by that?" she asked confused.
"Didn't you know Amu? That a person who gives a girl the flowers gets his own reward?" asked Ikuto, the grin never leaving his features.
Amu blinked once, and then twice, and then after the third time, her face turned beat red, even redder than it was before and her eyes immediately widened in shock of realization. "Wh-wh-…." She was rendered speechless.
"Too shocked I see?" asked Ikuto "I thought you were supposed to know this tradition better than I did? Then why oh why do you seem so…shocked." He enjoyed moments like this when she was flustered and he couldn't help but tease her to no end.
"Pervert…" she muttered, but it didn't go unheard.
"So, I get my reward now don't I?" asked Ikuto.
"Hmp, just don't get a big head you pervert." Said Amu as she looked up to meet his eyes.
"Now, why would I ever get a big head for? But you know, I do want that reward quite badly." Said Ikuto as he leaned in closer, their faces only inches apart. 'I wouldn't want anyone else to give it to me, no one else but you Amu."
"I know." Amu stated in a matter of fact tone in her voice, but it was slightly trembling because of both embarrassment and her nervousness.
"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Ikuto "You know I'm not very patient, especially when I know what I want."
Amu sighed and took a deep breath before slowly closing the distance between them and whispering "You're so lucky I love you, because if it were any other perverted cat, I'd probably slap him right now."
Ikuto chuckled and cupped her face with his hands before replying "And that, my dear Amu, is why I love you, and only you." And he pulled her face closer to his and sealed it with a sweet lingering kiss.
With Miki and Yoru
Yoru had met up with Miki in the eastern part of the town. The two of them had often seen each other there before so it wasn't a hard meeting place and it saved them the time of looking for the other. Miki had split up with the others and immediately headed for their meeting place, and what awaited her was a smiling Yoru with a large bouquet of flowers.
"Miki~nya, you came." Said Yoru happily as Miki came and gave him a hug, causing his face to turn beat red.
"Of course I did." She stated, unknown to him that she was also blushing madly, her heart pounding paces faster than the usual rate. "I told you that I would show up right? So here I am."
"Thank you. And these are for you~nya." He handed her the flowers in his hand and looked away when she took it from him, afraid of her possible reactions.
"Sugoi. They're so pretty." Miki said as she smiled and held the flowers in her hands while examining them. "You didn't have to."
"But, I had to." Said Yoru with a small smile "I mean, I wanted to give them to you~nya."
"Really? Thanks so much." She told him and she gave him a smile that made his heart stop for a brief moment.
"A-ah, I don't mind…I mean, I'm g-glad that y-you liked it.~nya." He said, as he couldn't stop himself from stuttering.
Miki looked at him and then realization also hit her, she didn't know if Yoru knew of the rules of this tradition or of he's heard of it, but he figured that he had the right to know, or maybe he just didn't bother to bring it up, but whatever the reasons, it didn't stop her from asking.
"So, Yoru, have you heard about the…tradition of the festival?" asked Miki.
Yoru looked at her questioningly and then shook his head "Not all of it~nya. All I know is that the guy gives the girl flowers."
"Hm, that sounds about right…anything else?" she asked again.
"No~nya. Why?" he asked her confused.
Mki gulped and then breathed before answering "You see, the girl needs to…give the boy…a kiss, when she receives the flower."
"Eh?" Yoru looked at her shocked and then red became the new color of his face.
"I…I mean, I don't have to if you don't want me to, it's just tradition and yeah…so I don't have to…" stated Miki immediately, she didn't want any kind of awkwardness to come between them, but that didn't stop her from wanting it to happen either.
"N-No!" Yoru's sudden outburst caught her off guard. "I mean, I…I want you to…." He stated softly.
"Y-you won't mind?" asked Miki shocked, blush taking over in her cheeks as well.
Yoru simply shook his head, embarrassed and worried that he might say something he isn't supposed to. Miki smiled to herself and her heart was pounding so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. Then slowly, but a bit hesitant, she leaned in closer to him and whispered "Thank you…I…I love you…." And as his eyes widened, before he could even respond, her lips met his in a sweet longing kiss, which they both knew was the start of their new beginning together.
With Yaya and Kairi
Kairi had fetched Yaya out from the Fujisaki household taking her around town, as the gentleman that he was, he knew that he had to guide her everywhere she went, never daring to leave her side. Yaya, of course, appreciated this gesture but didn't hesitate to be her hyper, active self and drag Kairi everywhere.
"Yaya, don't you think we should stop and rest?" he asked with a sigh, but he still had a smile on his face seeing her so happy.
"But Kairi! We have to look around some more. Yaya isn't tired yet." She stated as they continued to walk around town.
"As you wish." He stated, simply giving in to her wants, after all, nothing beats seeing her happy.
As they walked around the town, Yaya saw a flower that caught her attention and immediately went go buy it, but as she was paying for it, kairi reached out and gave the vendor the amound of coins needed to buy the flower. When they left Kairi handed Yaya the flower and she smiled. "It's for you." He told her with a smile.
"Thank you Kairi! Yaya's very happy to have gotten a flower from you and not some other boy." Yaya stated as she smiled wider.
Kairi, still pondering on what she had said, utterly confused, was stunned out of his mind when she immediately kissed him. He stood there motionless and wide eyed and heard her give off a giggle. It was a quick kiss, coming from Yaya, but a kiss nevertheless.
"W-why did you…" Kairi didn't complete his question when he realized the reason why she did it. The Flower Festival had its traditions and this was one of them. He's heard of it before of course, but never realizing that he had forgotten about it the moment he started going with Yaya, he had forgotten about the return when a boy gives a girl a flower, leaving him completely stunned. Her giggling brought him out of his trance and then he heard her voice speak to him.
"Come on Kairi! Let's go." She smiled and pulled his arm to some other direction, as she heard the vendors nearby chuckle and giggle at their little moment.
As Kairi let himself be dragged, he smiled at the thought of what she had said before. "Yaya's very happy to have gotten a flower from you and not some other boy…." She was happy it was him, and that thought was enough to make him smile for the entire day.
With Tadase and Lulu
Tadase had arrived with Lulu in town not too long after Ikuto and the others have. Tadase had known little of the tradition before Lulu came, and he probably wouldn't have bothered asking about it if not for her. But as Utau and Tsukasa had predicted, Tadase was drawn to the girl, and unknown to him she was drawn to him as well. And he also figured that somehow, him knowing a little bit about the tradition would eventually be worth it.
"Tadase, do you know anything about this tradition?" asked Lulu. She herself knew quite a lot about it, from her family members of course, other than the fact that she's attended it before.
"Not quite well, but I do know about it." Admitted Tadase.
"Really?" she asked, a bit shocked.
"Yes, Tsukasa-san had told me about it just a few days ago." Said Tadase a bit embarrassed.
"Hm, well what do you know about it?" she asked.
Instead of giving her an answer, he shyly handed her a rose. He looked away from her face, but it simply displayed the mix of happiness and shock. "This is for you." Tadase told her softly.
He was such a shy boy, and she knew that, this must have been really important for him, and honestly, she was more than touched. "Thank you." She stated in return with a smile and a blush on her face.
"You're welcome." He replied and was about to turn away when she pulled on his sleeve and stated "Shouldn't I give you something? You know, tradition wise?"
Tadase looked at her stunned and couldn't stop the blood rushing to his face. "Y-you don't have to, not when it makes you uncomfortable."
"No, I don't mind at all." Said Lulu with a sly smile "I would feel really bad if I never got to repay you, and I wouldn't want that now would I?"
Before Tadase could even bother to reply, he felt her lips quickly touch hers, and as quick as it happened, it was soon gone. He blinked a few times before realizing what had just happened. He heard her giggling in the background, probably because of the weird look her knew he had on her face, and she also felt him hold onto his hand and pull him away. He smiled, let himself be pulled to who knows where and the happily thought "It was most definitely worth it."
With Ran and Daichi
Like Miki and Yoru, they also had a meeting place that was set. Daichi had taken Ran anywhere she wanted to go that day after they met up. He had the flowers with him, but still didn't give it to her until they were back at the Souma household. He had taken her there and had prepared a small meal for her, one that she willingly taken.
"This was really nice of you." Said Ran as they were seated in one of the round tables, just opposite each other.
"No problem, any time. As long as it's for you." He stated with a grin.
"You're getting too cheesy for your own good." Said Ran with a giggle.
"It's all your fault and you know it." Daichi stated. "Wait here for a minute."
Leaving Ran a bit confused, but hopeful at the same time, he walked towards one of the back rooms and came back with flowers in his hand. "These are for you." He told her "Sorry I took so long in giving them to you.
"No, it's not your fault, and I didn't mind at all. Thank you." Ran smiled at him and the she laughed silently.
"What's so funny?" he asked her confused.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about Miki and Yoru. I wonder if they've made some progress." Said Ran.
"They should have." Said Daichi as he placed a hand at the back of his head "Or I'd be really pissed at Yoru for being so slow."
"Like you?" asked Ran teasingly.
"I wasn't that bad!" he protested and then laughed "But I guess I should know well enough how he feels. After all, we've been there."
"So true." Said Ran with a sigh.
"Anyway, shouldn't you owe me something now?" asked Daichi with a grin "After all, it's tradition."
"And we wouldn't want to neglect tradition."Ran finished for him. "You know I would never."
"I know." Daichi stated with a smile. He leaned in closer and kissed her softly before pulling away. "Now that you mention it, this is the first time that you let me kiss you during the festival." And it was true. Daichi would give Ran flowers every year but she always returned with a kiss on the cheek, afraid of possible rejection, but it was different now, it was better.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way." She told him with a smile. And neither of them would, they both knew that they liked things just as they were now, and wouldn't change it for the world.
The day went on as it would every year. Fireworks were set off by nightfall and soon everyone was huddled together with someone they held dear. They celebrated a chance for new beginnings and a day to look forward to. Dia was with Su, as they both haven't found their significant others, but still held each other dear and waited for their time to come. Rhythm had spent his day with his best friend Temari and they both looked up at the beautiful display of the colorful sky. And even Tsukasa, who was true to his word had came and visited the town. He smiled and knew that their new beginning was indeed starting to come into fruition. "A big challenge is about to begin, of love, friendship and trust, and with that challenge they will be tested. For in every darkened road, the beauty of life will soon come hand in hand. As a flower blooms and shows it's true beauty so must they show the true beauty of love and friendship to another."
Author's Note: I am so sorry once again for my late update! I hope you guys can forgive me again. Please don't kill me :D I wanted to update sooner but as I said, many things happened lately and it's so hard to adjust to my schedule nowadays. Please Review and tell me what you think. : )))) Thanks everyone!
