Authoress' Scribbles: Yes, yes, I know. You guys are probably getting bored of seeing my name in the UM section. But I'm really sorry if I make crappy fics, but I can't help it! I like Ultra Maniac a lot. Writing spree, if you may.
YutaxNina again, what else did you expect?
DISCLAIMER: Anything you see that you know does not belong to me does not belong to me. I'd be really happy if you gave me Yuta, though. Huzzah.
I can't say the plot is original, since it's a Valentine's thing…
---
Flora
By
psychedelic aya
She stared at the flowers, pondering.
"Nina," Ayu ushered her, nudging her, eyes drooping and sleepy. "Is this what you woke me up for? …To buy flowers?" Although her voice held no annoyance, she seemed really tired as to being woken up that early. "Mou… its 6:00 in the morning! And it's a Saturday!"
Nina giggled, not tearing her gaze away from the flowers. Usually she would be the sleepyhead amongst the two of them, but today she felt extra cheerful, even in this hour of the morning. "Flowers are fresher in this time, Ayu!" She declared, proud. She then stared again… "Now what to get…"
Her best friend gave a yawn, as shrugging. Leaning on the cashier counter, she shut her eyes, intent on getting more sleep. "Whatever you say, Nina…" Then, another yawn. "Wake me when you're done…"
"Oh Ayu…" Nina said in amusement, shaking her head in disbelief. She stared her at her best friend for a few moments before resuming with picking the flowers. With an exhausted sigh, she murmured, "If only I knew what these flowers meant…"
And as if on cue, when she said that phrase, a man stood before her. He came from… well, nowhere. "You need some flower translations, little girl?" The man said, looking her with a toothy grin. He seemed to be old, and maybe that's what made him look so knowledgeable.
Although surprised, the mage nodded. "I was wondering if these flowers had any meanings…"
"Ah, going to give them to a special someone, I see?" The old man said, almost teasing. "Well, well, well… I've never heard of the girl bringing the flower to the boy… but then things have changed…" He gave Nina another toothy grin and said, "Must be wearin' down that knowledge of the old times, ne, child?"
Although she did not quite understand what he meant, she gave sheepish smile and nodded. But then she cleared one thing: "I'm not only giving them to that special someone, ojiisan…" She gave a small smile to the man before averting her gaze back to the flowers. "Today is a special day from where I come from." She suddenly sweatdropped, hoping the flower vendor would not ask where she did com from. She wouldn't want him to keel over just because of the mention of witches… "I mean… this date today is kind of like Valentines to us."
The man raised a delicate eyebrow, "Why, jou-chan, I never would've thought any country held Valentines in the middle of July!" He guffawed in amusement, and his laugh, although filled with mirth, seemed to show how old he really was. "But I'll take your word for it!"
Nina gave an appreciative smile. "Arigatou, ojiisan!" She exclaimed, the cheerfulness she was known for showing. Then in a polite voice, she asked, "Now maybe you could please show me the meaning of the flowers?"
Having momentarily forgotten about that, the old man slapped his own head. "Why, yes, yes!" He seemed to agree whole heartedly. "Now…" He went nearer to his fresh flowers, observing. "Where should we start…" He rubbed his chin in thought. "Who are you giving it to? Family? Friends? Loved ones?" He bombarded her with questions, and the last one was, "…Your boyfriend?"
A quick image of Tsujiai passed her mind. She blushed. "No, ojiisan!" She exclaimed, waving her hands about, flustered. Then all of a sudden, another image passed by, but this time it was of a different teenage boy. One with soft, wind-blown, light brown hair—matching emeralds for eyes. In her mental thought, that boy had an arrogant smile on his face.
'Get out of my thoughts, Yuta-kun!' She exclaimed to her mind, not really minding that she was talking to herself. When the picture of her childhood friend had gotten out of her head, she sighed in relief. "Uh… I guess friends, family, and loved ones would do, ojiisan." She left out the 'boyfriend' one. It gave her too much to think about.
The old man's eyes narrowed, as he dug from his old memory for the knowledge of the flowers. "Well… let's see. Over here," He pointed to the Tulips. "Those are Tulips. They're mostly yellow… and I think they symbolize… friendship?" He rubbed his chin. "Or was that passion?" He shrugged, and made up a meaning. "Passion for friendship."
Nina could not help but stifle a giggle. She knew that was made up.
"Well… then there's this one. Sunflowers. They symbolize joy and hope. A new beginning for us all, or if you're giving them to someone, that means you want that someone to feel better if they're depressed. Then here are the Asters. They symbolize gentleness… softness. Its are merely a plain flower, though; but still, it's hard to take care of. Ah, here are the Forget-me-nots. Need I say more about their meaning? Then ah… there's the Lavender. It's most popular among lovers, friends and family alike, because it smells good and symbolizes care. The Vanilla flower. It symbolizes purity… Then… there's the Daisy. Now that symbolizes friendship, too, but Tulips are more expensive, so…"
Nina laughed again. She couldn't help it.
"…What's so funny?" The old man said, amused himself but also quite annoyed. It wasn't everyday he had his customers laugh at him, you know. But then again… maybe it was everyday… but that's besides the point. "Do I look funny?" He demanded, putting his hands on his hips, which made the mage girl laugh even more.
"Nothing's funny, ojiisan…" Nina explained through muffled laughter. "It's just that…" Her voice trailed off as she suddenly saw a pink flower, with no name labeling it. Beside it was the famous Rose. "Ojiisan… why didn't you explain the Rose to me?" She suddenly asked, curious. "…And what is that flower?" She neared it, smelling it. "It smells wonderful…"
The old man shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "Well… that new flower is a Sakura Stem. You know, the one that comes from the Sakura tree?" He saw Nina nod and so he continued. "Well… I didn't explain it because it has no meaning at all." There was silence for awhile, and then, "Same with the Rose."
Nina couldn't help but arch a dainty eyebrow. "What do you mean, ojiisan?" She mused, looking indifferently to the two flowers in question. "I thought they were the most famous… why don't they have meaning?"
There seemed to be a sparkle in the old man's eyes that she could not recognize. "Well… you see, young lady…" He started, not taking his gaze of the flowers. "The Rose and Sakura have multiple meanings. For every person, the symbolism is different." The knowledge and wisdom in his tone began to show. Then, the next words he said probably were the ones that could change Nina's perspective of this day… and maybe even her whole life, forever.
"If the Rose was only meant for romantic love, then why do children give it to their parents, or even to their teachers? If it were only meant for family, why do some give it to their friends? If it were for joyous occasions, why would some give it to the sick, or even the dying?" He paused; making sure his words sunk in. "Do you understand? It is the same with the Sakura, young child. They are complex flowers. You give meaning to them when you offer them to the person. Not a mere flower vendor like me can give them a permanent meaning." And he flashed Nina another toothy smile. After a pause, he asked, "So… have you decided which ones to get?"
Although startled by his explanation, Nina nodded. After all, what he said made perfect sense to her.
She knew what to get now, and she knew whom to give it to.
With an accomplished smile, she replied, "Yes, ojiisan. I'm ready to pick some out now."
---
Freshly showered, Ayu grinned. Nina and she had come from the flower shop a few hours ago, although the mage girl had never told her the purpose for going there.
'The only thing she said was something like…' Her mind dug deep for Nina's exact words earlier in the morning. Then suddenly, she found it."Valentines day for the Magic Kingdom…" She spoke her thoughts out loud, her eyebrows burrowed in confusion. "Valentines in the middle of July…?"
She shrugged again, thinking maybe it was a custom back in the Magic World.
"Nina!" The girl called out to her best friend, upon exiting the shower room, all dressed, feeling clean—and most especially: calm and cool. "I'm done! You still want to go somewhere?"
…There was no response. Thinking that maybe Nina would be in her room, she shrugged and entered a door that had a sign which said: 'AYU'.
"Nina?" She called out, creaking the door open a little, switching the lights on.
She was surprised to find the room empty; except maybe for a bouquet of Tulips lying by her bed.
Ayu raised an eyebrow as her first reaction, wondering how those flowers got there.
But then, after some thinking and putting two and two together, she grinned.
"…Now I get it."
---
Kaji was just off with baseball practice.
"It's been a long, long day…" He murmured, wiping some sweat off his forehead. Then, he suddenly realized, it wasn't even mid-afternoon yet. With a sweatdropped, he murmured to himself, "…Fine. It's been a long, long morning, then."
He shrugged to himself, wondering why he was even bothering to talk to himself. "…Must be the heat…" He concluded, walking over to the bench where his things were at. Spotting his bag, he opened it and grabbed his towel out. He wiped his neck and face. "Ah… that feels better…" He sluggishly threw the towel back in his bag, not even making the whole thing shoot inside. He didn't mind it afterwards anyway, as he sat at the free space of the bench. After a short pause, he smiled. "Wonder what Tateishi's up to…"
He grinned again, deciding that he should visit her later. "But first," He concluded, hauling his bag over his shoulder. "A trip to the locker room."
Whistling along the way, he sauntered casually over to the baseball team's locker rooms. When he got there, he saw one of his teammates just walk out. He smiled at him and gestured a small wave. "Yo."
His teammate looked to him and grinned. "Oy, Kaji." He said in a friendly manner, as giving him a high-five. Then suddenly, as if remembering something, "Oh yeah… some girl passed by just a few moments ago. She was looking for you."
At first, Kaji's eyes brightened up, thinking it was Ayu. "Was it Tateishi?" He asked eagerly.
The other shook his head. "No, it wasn't Tateishi, Romeo," He teased, chuckling. "It was that girl always with Tateishi." He thought for a while, as if pondering on the name. "Sakura Nina. Yeah… Sakura passed by. I think she left some things by your locker."
And after that, his teammate gave another farewell before walking into the sidewalk, probably heading home.
Kaji raised an eyebrow. "Nina passed by?" He murmured, wondering. "I wonder what she left…" Not being able to take the curiosity, he entered the locker room faster than he was supposed to, and rushed to his locker. When he opened it, he found a bouquet of Daisies waiting for him, all wrapped in pretty plastic with a note attached to it. For one more time, his eyebrows rose.
"Is there any occasion I forgot…?" He wondered, taking the bouquet delicately and examining it. "Hmmm…" He murmured, as the sweet scent of the flowers reached his nose. "It smells good, though." With a small smile, he put the flowers softly in his large varsity bag and picked up the note next to it.
Kaji-kun,
It's kind of like Valentines day in the Magic Kingdom today. We believe that not only lovers should celebrate it, but also friends and family. So… happy valentines! (Well… sorta… but you get the point.) Daisies are for friendship. Thanks for being my friend.
-Nina
Finally getting the point, Kaji grinned. He put the note in his bag, right beside the flowers.
With a smile on his face, he left the school and headed for Ayu's house.
---
She stared around the four-cornered room, as if terrified of something to come.
Her dark gloomy aura loomed everywhere. She sat on one corner, huddled up, hugging her knees.
"I don't want to go out…" She muttered to the atmosphere, even though no one would hear her. "Today is a special day. People will just get bad luck because of my presence…" She looked crestfallen and helpless. "I hope Maya and Yuta are doing okay…" Then suddenly, "No! If I think they're doing okay, then something bad might happen to them…" She looked around frantically.
However, she was startled she when she suddenly heard a giggle.
"Luna-chan," Someone called her name. But who?
Her soft (but troubled) amethyst colored eyes darted around. The voice was familiar. "Nina?" She guessed, standing up from her corner. "Nina, are you here?" She asked, wondering.
Nina giggled. "I'm right in front of you, Luna-chan," She said. "Try to be at least a little cheerful so you can see me."
She did as she was told, and when part of her gloomy aura diminished, there was her childhood friend, standing before her. Nina was holding a bouquet of yellow colored flowers, smiling all cheerfully.
"Happy love day, Luna-chan!" She exclaimed so cheerfully that it almost put a permanent vent in Luna's systems. She held out the flowers for the other girl. "Here," Nina ushered, handing the bouquet for her. "Sunflowers!"
Uneasily, Luna took the bouquet in her hands. "…For me?" She murmured, touched. She stared at the flowers in wonder, then to the girl that had given them. Deep inside her a spark was felt for her childhood friend. No other person had given her something for this day. With an appreciative look, she gazed towards Nina. "…Thanks."
And oddly, the aura usually around her diminished, replaced with a small smile upon her face.
---
Maya looked outside, gazing at the kingdom from her balcony.
Below her, everyone was cheering, smiling, and being happy for today. She gave a longing sigh and grinned. "Love day…" She murmured, feeling the soft zephyr tickle her neck as it blew through her hair. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. "Hmmm…"
She spent a solemn moment like that, just feeling the breeze pass through her, as if it were the most relaxing thing in the world.
She didn't even flinched when two arms snaked around her waist, and almost immediately she could feel another warm body hugging hers.
She gave a small smile, knowing already who it was. "Do you know I used to hate this day?" She stated, opening her eyes. "I used to mope around at home when this day would come. Moping around… or staring at this castle."
The prince grinned. "Missing me, perhaps?" He teased his wife, squeezing her tighter. He snuggled his face against her soft hair, smelling its sweet rose scent.
She laughed. It felt good to laugh. "Dream on."
Then suddenly, the palace's oh-so-faithful butler came in. "Excuse me, your highness," He said, giving off a respectful bow. The prince did not release his delicate hold on his wife, not caring whether anyone would see them.
Both royalties grinned. "What is it, Butler?" The prince asked, as he took Maya's hand and they approached the servant. "What news do you bring?"
The servant grinned and went back a few steps, only to get a tray with a vase of flowers in it.
Instantly, a smell that resembled honey or cotton candy reached Maya and the prince's nose.
"Sakura-dono passed by today," Butler explained, holding the flowers in place as the princess went near them, smelling them. "She asked me if I could give these to you."
Maya grinned. Every year before, Nina would also always give her something on this day, but she never cared. Only today did she appreciate what gift was held out before her. "How thoughtful of Nina…" She murmured, picking one flower out of the many and smelling them. She held the petal out to the prince. "Smell." She said, in a playful but commanding voice.
He complied. "That smells…" He searched for a word to describe it. "…wonderful! Heavenly! We should have some of these at the garden!" He grinned ecstatically as picking out a stem himself. Then, suddenly curious, he asked, "What kind of flower is this?"
"It's from the human world, according to Sakura-dono," The servant replied politely, though he was explaining. "She said it was a—" He stopped, momentarily forgetting. "A…" Uh-oh. He forgot the name. Sometimes old age does really get to you.
Maya continued for him, drawing the name from a past memory in the human world. She remembered passing by the same flower shop once, also enthralled by this flower.
"…It's a Vanilla flower." She murmured, closing her eyes and taking in the scent. "It symbolizes purity."
---
Rio sat at Grandpa's piano, licking his paws.
"I wonder where Nina went…" He murmured, his green eyes glazing around. "Man, it's really so boring around here…"
He searched for something to do, but to no avail. Only books and the piano was around. "Neverending BORING-NESS…" He complained, rolling his eyes like he did everyday. "How do people get by here? I mean…" He looked thoughtful, then shrugged to himself. "No wonder Grandpa's always so boring…"
Then suddenly, the moment he said that, the screen connected to the piano flashed on, revealing a peeved Grandpa.
"What did you say, Rio?!" The old man exclaimed, eyebrow twitching. Although Rio could only see him through the television, he still looked scary when he threatened. "Do you really want me to turn you into a ferret for the next days?!"
The cat's eyes widened. "Heck no!" He exclaimed, jumping off the piano and doing a summersault. A bright white light enveloped him, and suddenly, instead of a simple gray cat landing on the carpeted floor, there was a cute boy with silver hair and green eyes. "I don't want to be a ferret! I'm a cat, for crying out loud!"
"Then act like one and be more graceful!" Grandpa huffed, as if really annoyed. "Cats are known to be graceful and refined creatures. Why did Nina get one that is so rowdy!?" He murmured to himself, but also loudly enough for Rio to hear.
"HEY!" The cat exclaimed, although still in his human form. "I heard that, old man!" He retorted. Then, without thinking of what he was going to say, he said, "When it comes to insulting me, you're worse than Yuta!"
A vain could be seen bulging out of Grandpa as he held his fist up. "Do not compare me with that insolent boy!" He shouted through the screen, making Rio cover his ears. Then all of a sudden, he calmed down. "Oh yes. The reason why I am here." He made a snap with his fingers and a bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared above the cat-boy. "These are for you, Rio."
The flowers fell on his messy silver hair, but he was able to hold them and see them. "Lavenders." He murmured, and being a cat, he knew this kind of things. As he smelled the relaxing aroma of the flower, he suddenly looked horrified as he realized something. He stared at Grandpa with dread. "Don't tell me this comes from you!?"
"Why would I give YOU anything?!" The old man replied hotly, instantly. At hearing that reply, Rio calmed down and smiled. He smelled the flowers again. Then Grandpa continued, "…Those are from Nina."
Rio shrugged and smiled, as if already knowing. "So, what kind did you get?" He asked, still smelling the flower.
As Grandpa held out his own Lavender bouquet, he put a handkerchief over his nose. "The same." He murmured, his voice small. Then suddenly, he sneezed. "But I'm getting allergies to them now! A-A-ACHOO!" He wiped his nose with the hanky. "Nina seems to have forgotten that…"
Rio guffawed. But as the old man was about to scold him, the screen suddenly split in two. The other half was suddenly dominated by Nina's adoptive family.
"Look what Nina gave us!" Mama said enthusiastically, showing the flowers on screen. "Forget-me-nots!" She gave a sniff to the flower. "It was so thoughtful of her!"
Papa suddenly appeared at the screen. "What kind did you get, Grandpa and Rio?" He asked, slowly embracing Mama from behind.
Before any of the two who were asked could even answer, Papa and Mama suddenly began with their romantic rant again. Grandpa also started blabbering nonsense stuff too, and Rio got bored.
"You guys are confusing me…" The young boy said, as sighing hopelessly. Then, seeing the many piano keys and the buttons he could press, he grinned mischievously. Before pressing anything, he said to them, (even though he knew no one was listening to him anymore) "Bye bye!"
And he pressed a button that said: 'NINA'.
---
He had been watching her for about and hour now, watching her stroll in the human world, giving people flowers.
Rio recognized some of them. Her teachers, Mikami-sensei and the other one… oh, what was her name again? Oh well… anyway, Nina gave them Asters. Then Kaji was given Daisies, Ayu had Tulips, and blah blah blah. He didn't recognize some of the other people his owner gave flowers to, though. 'Must be classmates,' He thought, because she had given them Asters as well. Only a few special people, (like himself) were given something other than Asters, as he had noticed.
Now Nina was in the Magic Kingdom again. Through the screen he saw her give Luna some Sunflowers, and when she passed by the castle she left some Vanilla flowers.
And then now, she was holding a bouquet of roses.
"Roses?" Rio thought out loud, leaning in more to the screen, as if interested. Roses were expensive and delicate. Usually people only gave them to someone special in their hearts. Interested, he smirked. "Now, now. I wonder who she's going to give the Roses to?"
He knew his question would be answered soon. And so, he didn't take his eyes off the screen as Nina walked by the streets of the Magic Kingdom, humming to herself.
Soon enough, much to Rio's dismay, (he was getting excited, after all.) Nina reached her destination. It seemed to be a tall building, like a condominium of sorts.
"…That looks like the Magic Kingdom's school dorm…" He murmured, leaning in closer to the screen, wondering. "Who will she visit there?"
He leaned in more than ever, anxious. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know he was pulling a certain wire, and so… one more tug… and…
SNAP!
The wire gave in. Rio looked startled, as the sound system suddenly went off.
"DARN!" He exclaimed, pounding his fist on the piano's edge. "Just when she was about to ask the counter lady for the room of… whoever she was going to visit!" He pouted to himself, frowning. "Guess I'll have to wait again."
He rested his chin on his palm, looking really down, as if the skies had fallen upon him. "Too much anticipation for Nina's love life…" He murmured, sighing. "But then again… Roses have multiple meanings… so… maybe she's just going to visit a friend."
He watched the screen even more attentively now, making up for the loss of sound.
Nina walked through a long corridor, then up the elevator, then another corridor. Through the screen, Rio could see her pass by many rooms, each one with a number label on it.
She seemed to be muttering a certain room number, as well as darting her head around to look for it.
"C'mon… find it already…" Rio urged. He observed her as she suddenly gave a small smile and stopped in front of a certain door. "Ah yes! She probably found it!"
Carrying the Roses with one hand, she used the other to knock on the door. She tapped the wood three times.
…No answer.
Now Rio was getting even more frustrated. The mystery and suspense was killing him!
Another knock. Still no answer.
Nina's face suddenly turned worried. But nevertheless, she put her hand on the doorknob and turned it gently. The door opened! With a small grin that almost looked mischievous, Nina suddenly went in the dorm room.
The room was kind of dark, with only the light of the sun from the window providing light. Much to Rio's dismay again, because he had been in some of these rooms, and he was hoping maybe he could recognize which room his master visited. Nina's hand reached for the light switch, and when she was about to on it…
She suddenly stopped. Something had obviously caught her eye.
"AW!" Rio cried out in frustration. "What is she seeing?!" He banged on the piano. "Doesn't the camera ever focus on anything else but NINA?!"
His cries reached no ears as the screen continued to show Nina, as she gave a soft, gentle smile to what she saw.
…Well… whatever she saw.
Her hands left the light switch, suddenly deciding not to turn it on anymore. She tiptoed slowly to what seemed like a study desk, with some books scattered around beside a personal computer. She left the bouquet of roses on an empty space, then began to take her leave.
As she walked out, she stopped again in front of …whatever… she was looking at awhile ago. She gave a soft smile, suddenly just staring there. Then she suddenly shook her head, as if shrugging a thought off. But nevertheless, she took cautious footsteps forward, approaching whoever or whatever she was staring at.
And then, she bent down, and kissed whatever or whoever that was on the cheek.
And then as if realizing what she had just done, her eyes widened and she scurried out of the room.
Rio cursed the screen. "She… she…" He was at a loss for words, his mouth trying to form some sort of sentence. "She kissed… whoever that was!" He was certain it was a person now, since Nina did that action and all. He banged on the piano top again, sobbing. "Waaaah! Why doesn't the camera ever focus on anything but NINA?! NOW I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT WAS!"
But then an idea hit him.
He did a summersault again, and the familiar white light surrounded him. Instead of a boy landing on the floor, there was a gray cat.
Rio smirked.
"I'm gonna find out who that was for sure."
He was going to the MK school dormitory.
---
Tsujiai was walking home from training.
Humming to himself as he had his varsity bag hauled up his shoulder, being held by one hand. The other hand was holding his tennis racket. He had just gotten into a match with Ayu today, a match just for fun.
And then, suddenly, it hit him.
"Odd… Sakura wasn't with Tateishi today…" He thought out loud, looking concerned. "I wonder where she went?" As he asked the question to the atmosphere, his mind suddenly filled with mental images of the young mage girl.
After that, oddly, he was smiling all the way home.
Every time he headed home, he would pass by this certain playground surrounded by Cherry Blossoms. It was a wonderful place to rest, even for a teenager like him. 'I guess I'll hang out there a bit,' He thought, as taking a turn. The playground wouldn't be so far now.
And soon enough, he was standing it front of that park. He entered, feeling the sudden relaxation enter his systems. The Cherry Blossom's pink leaves were scattered all over the place, and it also blew with the breeze. He closed his eyes, taking in the strange gentleness of the plant.
"Sakura…" He murmured the Japanese name of the plant, but meant something else entirely.
Someone giggled from behind him. His eyes opened in surprise, as he turned his head around.
"Konnichiwa, Tsujiai-kun!" Her voice was a melodic bell to his ears.
He blushed slightly only, since he was Tsujiai, after all. Tsujiai did not blush. He was the stoic kind of person. "Sakura," He stated simply, regaining his composure and nodding his head to her in acknowledgement.
She smiled at him, approaching him. Her hands were holding something, but they were hid behind her back. "It's so nice here, isn't it?" She said, also breathing in the scent of relaxation. "So… peaceful…"
Tsujiai nodded. "I come here everyday." He stated, looking at the wonderful Cherry Blossoms in their finest. "I pass by here when I go home…"
Nina giggled. "Yes, I know." She said, then suddenly looked down, as if in embarrassment. "I was waiting for you here." She stated, but this time in a smaller, more meek voice. "I-I…"
He looked to her.
"I… wanted to give something to you."
Although it took him by surprise, he tried to act cool and calm, as he always was. He gave her a small grin. "For me?" He saw her nod. He looked back to the Sakura trees, still smiling.
She handed to him the package she was hiding behind her back awhile ago. "Ummm… here." She held it out to him, a bouquet of Sakura flowers wrapped in pretty paper. The shyness in her eyes did not miss his gaze. But although she looked shy, he could still feel the radiating cheerfulness from her.
He took the gift slowly; as if afraid it might break. "Thank you." He murmured, holding it in his two hands. He stared at it, secretly trying to wanting to inhale its sweet scent—but he couldn't, because he would look to sentimental. Tsujiai was not sentimental. He looked to her and smiled. Then suddenly, "This means a lot to me, Nina."
Her heart skipped a beat. He called her 'Nina'!
She blushed a little, her face really pairing with the slight tint of pink on her cheeks. She looked to him, as if about to say something… when suddenly…
BEEP BEEP BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEP…
Nina gave no other reaction except an exasperated sigh.
She took out her ringing computer from her pocket and opened it up. Grandpa was calling her.
"Sakura Nina!" The old man exclaimed, his voice so loud. He looked to his grandchild as if he wanted to pop out of the computer and take her in. "Why did you give Roses to that insolent---"
His voice suddenly got cut off when Nina unexpectedly pressed the mute button, giggling all the while. She stuck her tongue out at her grandfather before slowly closing the monitor screen.
Although confused, Tsujiai asked, "What was that all about?"
Nina giggled again, and she blushed once more. "Oh… nothing…" She murmured, waving her hands as if trying to shrug the topic off. She gave him her sweetest smile. "Don't mind them. They just probably found out just who I gave those other flowers to…"
He raised his eyebrow. "Other flowers?" He looked to the bouquet in his hands. And then it made sense.
She giggled. "Yeah. You see, today's sort of Valentines Day in the Magic Kingdom. I wanted to give everyone different kind flowers… with different kind of meanings… so… there." She looked to him, with a smile again.
He looked to her, and their eyes met. There was something special about the way they stared, but then it got cut off again when Nina's computer started beeping.
She gave another sigh. "I think I should go to them…" She murmured, not answering the computer. Then she laughed a little. "So that Grandpa won't shout so much."
He nodded at her, understanding. With a smile, he held out the Sakura stem bouquet. "Thanks a lot for this."
She nodded and smiled. "No problem." Then, she paused for a moment, as if hesitating. And then in a split second, she tiptoed up to him, her lips coming in contact with his cheeks.
He didn't even have any time to react because after that, she ran away.
His free hand held his cheek, as he approached a park bench. His eyes were still widened with surprise. For a silent moment, he looked around, wondering if anyone had seen… but nevertheless, he smiled.
He was happy for the rest of the night, being more smiley than a usual Tsujiai.
---
He had a good dream.
His eyelids slowly opened, his vision adjusting to the soft light of the sunshine.
It was already sunset, though. How long had he slept?
Kirishima Yuta yawned and looked at his quite dark dormitory room, still yawning all the while. Only the rays of the sun passing through his window gave light. And to think that he only had one window. He yawned, sitting up on bed, stretching his hands.
…He had purposely slept in today.
He knew what today was for the Magic Kingdom, and he had no intention of celebrating it. Somehow, he felt that today would always be the worst of days for him.
…But maybe he would visit a few people just for fun…
He smiled his trademark smile.
"But first," He yawned again, standing up sluggishly to open the lights. "The lights." He walked over to the light switch, his ocean green eyes probing around, almost adjusting to the darkness. Although he couldn't see much, he somehow knew something was wrong—something was different about his room.
For instance, there was this certain floral smell… a smell that was relaxing. His heart felt at peace with the aroma, even though he didn't quite know where it came from.
As he reached the light switch, he flipped it on.
His eyes blurred a bit, adjusted, then he could see clearly again.
The first thing that caught his eyes was the flowers on his table. He raised an eyebrow. 'How did that get here?' He thought, looking to the bouquet sceptically.
Then suddenly, he remembered his dream.
"Roses…"
Absentmindedly, his hand grazed over his cheek.
…Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all.
---
Authoress' Scribbles: Nina gets to kiss them both! And thus, huzzah, this Valentines fic in the middle of July ends. W00t, or whatever.
(Maybe I should stop my writing career forever?)
Smile, someone up there loves you.
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