I do not own Sakura Wars or any of it's characters…'cause if I did, I wouldn't be calling this a fanfic and I would be sailing on the Caribbean in my private yacht, literally swimming in pools of money.

So, now that that's over, you can read the fanfic. Enjoy!

Oh, and this is set in sort of a past/future sorta way and it's based on if Orihime and Reni hadn't come in ST2.

Chapter 7

"A table for two please." Ohgami said to the waiter. "Right this way." the waiter replied, showing them to a table next to an oversized window. Ohgami and Maria were able to see the entire city from the window. "Very beautiful…" Ohgami commented. "Yes it is." Maria replied. "Look at all the lights." "I wasn't talking about the city. I was talking about you." Ohgami said. Maria began to blush like crazy. In the corner of the restaurant, there was a dance floor, and at that precise minute, the small orchestra began to play a waltz. Ohgami took Maria's gloved hand as he got up from his seat. "Let's dance." he said. Maria looked at him uncertainly. "I don't know…" she said. "Come on. It'll be fun!" Ohgami replied. "Besides, it's just a waltz." Maria smiled and got up from her seat. "All right." she said. He led her onto the dance floor and they began to dance. "That dress looks really nice on you." Ohgami said. "You should wear it." Maria stared at him. "I am wearing it." she said. "Oh, right. I was just trying to give you a…" Ohgami trailed off as he tried to think of the right word. "Compliment?" Maria asked. "Right. A compliment." Ohgami replied. They danced in awkward silence, but the silence was soon shattered by Maria. "I feel a little dizzy." she said. "Kind of lightheaded?" Ohgami asked. "Yes…" Maria replied. "Me too." Ohgami said as they slowed to a stop. "Probably from spinning… maybe we should stop." "We have stopped." Maria said. "Lets go out on the balcony." Ohgami suggested. "I think I need some fresh air." He led Maria off the dance floor and they walked to the balcony. Maria leaned against the rail and Ohgami did the same. They were both looking out at the Imperial Capital. On impulse, Ohgami put his arm around Maria and drew her close. "Maria, I…" Ohgami couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, and as he spoke, the Russian woman turned and looked at him. "Yes?" she asked. "What I want to tell you…I can't express it in words just yet." Ohgami replied. "Is there any other way you can tell me?" Maria asked. "Yes…" Ohgami said, drawing Maria even closer. The blonde already knew what he was trying to tell her. She had the same feelings for him, but Maria wasn't sure how to say it either. And yet a kiss seems to do just fine. As their lips combined, a sudden breeze occurred, sending shivers up Maria's spine. She pressed her body against his, trying to keep warm. Ohgami tightly wrapped his arms around her and when the kiss ended, he kept her in his arms, not wanting to let go. "We must've done something wrong." Ohgami said. Maria looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Kami-san is punishing us. He knows that you and I both lead different lives, Maria. He knows that it would make us suffer more if we loved." Maria smiled. "That's only a better reason to defy him." she replied. Ohgami smiled back. "You're absolutely right." he said. The two went back inside the restaurant and sat back down at the table. As they gently clanged their wine glasses, Ohgami realized that what Maria had said was probably the only thing she had ever said that made sense to him. Something about her…I wonder what it is?

"Okay, so what's the plan again?" Orihimai asked. Sumire sighed. "One last time." she said. "As soon as Kanna spots Ohgami and Maria, we all go to our rooms and lock the doors." Sumire paused just to make sure that everyone was listening. "Then, Kanna comes downstairs and takes the key to Maria's room, which is underneath the carpet. She locks Maria's door and then goes back to her own room." "And when Maria and Ohgami come back, Maria's door will be locked, she'll have to sleep in Ohgami's room, and no one will be the wiser!" Orihimai exclaimed. "Bingo!" Sumire said. "I still don't see why you guys are making me do all this." Kanna complained. "We did this fair and square, Kanna." Reni replied. "Yeah, well, distracting with food isn't exactly fair and square." Kanna said. "Hey. Ya snooze ya lose." Orihimai quoted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Kanna pouted.

"This night has been wonderful Ohgami." Maria said as the waiter took their plates. "Thank you so much." "Hey, don't thank me. Thank my wallet." Ohgami said. Maria smiled and stifled a yawn. "Uh oh…Maria's tired." Ohgami teased. "Am not!" Maria quietly protested. She got up from her seat, and Ohgami draped his coat over her shoulders. "Don't want you getting a cold when we walk back." he said with a wink. "I'm going to pay the bill…wait here will ya?" Without listening for Maria's answer, Ohgami walked over to the cash register. He cares for me so much…I should be the same way…or am I? Do I not even notice it? Am I so wrapped up in my emotions that I fail to notice anything around me? Is this what true love feels like? I wonder… "Ready to go?" Ohgami's voice interrupted Maria's thoughts. "Done already?" she asked. "Yup." he replied. "Come on. There's someplace I want to show you." Taking Maria's hand, Ohgami lead her out of the restaurant. They walked in the moonlight for several minutes until they came to a park. Maria recognized it as the park where The Flower Division held performances during Cherry Blossom Time. She never had the time to look around the park before, but now Maria would get to see it in all its glory. "Ohgami…do you come here often?" Ohgami turned and looked at Maria. "No. Not at night." he said. "This is the first time I've ever done this. I've always imagined the park to be beautiful at night, but I never came. I wanted to share this with someone special." Before Maria could say anything or ask any questions, Ohgami grasped her hand tightly and led her over to a bridge that was overlooking a lake. Almost like in a dream, the bridge lit up with white lights as Ohgami led Maria to the center. In the water, Maria could see their reflection and that of the stars in the velvet, dark blue sky. After minutes of comfortable silence, Maria felt that she had to ask a question. It was burning in the back of her mind, leaving scars as she asked it. "Why me?"

"WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO BE BACK?!" Sumire shouted. She was going crazy, and dragging everyone else with her. "Stop pacing like that. You're making me dizzy!" Reni complained. "Yeah Sumire. It's not like they went off, got married, and are on a boat to the Caribbean." Orihimai said. The room became very silent. "Okay. Let's just forget that was ever said." Kanna said after a while. "Yeah." Kohran commented. "Maria and Ohgami have enough sense to know better, right?" There was another round of silence. "RIGHT?!" Kohran asked. Her only answer was silence, for everyone was deep in thought. The Chinese girl sat dejectedly sat down. "You can answer me any time now." she muttered.

Did she just ask that? Ohgami wondered. I thought it would be apparent. Then again, we're talking about Maria here, not Sumire. He cleared his throat. "I…I've been in love with you for some time now Maria. I'm not sure why though. Maybe it was something about you, when we first met, that made me fall in love." Maria looked down into the water. "I see…" she murmured. Now that she had asked the question, she wished she hadn't. It seems that being able to regret things happens to be my talent. Maria's reaction to all of this was unexpected. What did I say? Ohgami wondered. "What's wrong?" he asked. Maria looked up at him, her eyes were no longer shining like they were in the restaurant. "What you told me…it's made me happy…but now I have something to tell you." she said. "I know that you overheard my conversation with Ayame today…but I know that you didn't hear all of it. You see…I'm going back to Russia." Ohgami looked startled. "So when you told me that you had been in love with me for a long time, I felt stupid for not telling you earlier." "Telling me that you're going back to Russia?" Ohgami asked. "No." Maria said softly. "Telling you that…that I love you too." There was a long silence. "You…you love me?" Ohgami asked. Maria nodded in response. "I wish we could've known this earlier so that tonight would've been one of many." she murmured. "Let's pretend." Ohgami said, pulling Maria next to him. "Let's pretend that we knew, and let's make tonight unforgettable." Maria could feel a blush creeping up on her. It's a good thing it's so dark out here, otherwise, Ohgami would see my flaming cheeks. "You look so cute when you're blushing, you know that?" Ohgami commented. Maria looked at him, quite taken aback by the comment. Ohgami took this as an opportunity to sweep Maria off her feet…literally. The blonde yelped in surprise, but she smiled when Ohgami started laughing. He carried Maria off of the bridge, and down to the edge of the lake. "Ohgami! Don't even-" Maria's protests were drowned out by splashing. Ohgami had dropped her in the lake. "Ohgami! I can't swim!" Maria exclaimed. Ohgami started laughing. "I dropped you in the shallow part Maria!" he said. "You don't have to know how to swim in that part!" Ohgami took off his sports jacket and laid it in the grass. "Well pardon me for not knowing all of the swimming rules, Mr. Navy." Maria replied as Ohgami walked around the edge of the lake. He stopped when he reached the opposite side of the lake. Ohgami dived into the water but didn't surface. Maria started to worry, and when she started to wade towards where Ohgami had dived off, strong arms encircled her waist and dragged Maria under.