Secret Cupid
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Chapter Eight

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Thursday, February 14th ...St. Valentine's Day

Makato

Soft sunlight broke through the blinds, flooding the floor of Makato's bedroom in light. The girl was already awake, as she had awoken nearly an hour earlier, before the sun rose. She sat snuggled under her blankets, sipping at a hot cup of cocoa she had forced herself to the kitchen to make, and watching as the sun rose outside her window.

Minutes later, her alarm clock rang. She set the coffee cup down on a side table and flung the covers off herself, standing and making her way to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. She opened the doors and took out her school uniform. "Special day today! Even an ugly uniform like this can't get me down." She chirped happily.

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The wind was brisk and chilly as Makato stepped outside her apartment and made her way down the steps that led onto the sidewalk. She pulled her scarf high up on her face, sheltering her already red, cold nose in its folds.

"Does it have to be so cold?" She muttered to herself in a whining voice, shivering. Hoisting her school books to her hip, she walked quickly to school. She passed by the Moon Beam coffeehouse on her way, and her mind flashed to that afternoon she had met Toro. She smiled softly in remembrance of his soft brown eyes, and the way he kept smiling at her. 'Well, if this date doesn't work out, I would love to get to know him better.' Then she scolded herself mentally. 'Baka! You've got some great friend of Motoki's as your date tonight… now stop thinking about another guy!'

Reaching her school building, she rushed up the steps and wrenched open the glass doors, and was instantly relieved by the warm air inside. She saw Usagi standing beside their adjoining lockers, and she waved to her, crossing the hallway to stand with her. "Morning, Usa-chan! Where's Ami-chan?"

Usagi shrugged, scratching her head in puzzlement. "I have no clue, Mako-chan." She sweatdropped. "The mornings that I'm here on time, she's always standing right here waiting, reading. She told me once she's always here a half hour early. I hope she's okay."

Makato frowned. She turned to her locker and opened it, shoving her coat and scarf inside, as well as the books she had been carrying. Grabbing her first class books, she turned back to Usagi and slammed the locker door. "I'm sure she's fine. She probably slept in a little late."

Usagi shook her head. "So unlike Ami."

The bell rang, and they parted and went to their separate classes.

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The sun was still bright when Makato left the school. She rubbed at the back of her neck, a cramp bothering her. She waved to Usagi, who was heading in the opposite direction, and then turned and walked away.

She walked down the sidewalk idly, thinking over the events of the day. 'What a crazy Valentine's Day! Ami-chan was late for class, and then she didn't talk to us at lunch… well, at least Usa-chan was normal.' She sweatdropped. 'I wonder what she would talk about if she didn't have Mamoru.'

Suddenly, she slipped on a patch of ice. Yelling out, she fell to the ground, her books flying out everywhere, papers scattering. She lay on her back, air knocked out of her lungs. She lay staring up at the sky, catching her breath. 'Yep. A Twilight Zone Valentine's Day.'

She groaned and sat up, noticing she had fallen across the street from the Moon Beam café. Sighing, she got up and gathered her books together, and went across the street. She went inside, and found a booth in the corner where she dropped all of her things. She fell into the seat and buried her head in her arms on the table. Her head was throbbing from where she hit the cement, and she wished desperately for it to go away.

"Makato-san!"

She lifted her head at her name and noticed Toro standing at her table, a wide smile on his handsome face. She cringed at the throb that her head had made when she had looked up.

Toro gasped when he saw a scrape on the side of her face. "Makato-san, what happened?"

She laughed weakly and rested her head in her hands again. "I slipped on a patch of ice. I have a headache the size of Tokyo."

He frowned. "Hold on just a minute, Makato-san. I'll be right back."

Makato flopped her hand out on the table as he went. "Ow, ow, ow, ow…" She kept muttering to herself, closing her eyes.

He returned a minute later with a washcloth and a coffee mug, and he sat across from her. "Makato? Makato, look up, okay?"

Wincing, she lifted her head up and looked at him. He took the washcloth and wiped the scrape on her head clean, and then took her hands and gently washed them off the cuts she had taken. Blushing at his touch, she looked away, gulping.

'How is it that a cute guy can make a headache ease?' With this thought, her blush became deeper.

He finished cleaning the cuts, and then pulled away from her. Makato instantly missed the warmth of his hands, and she folded her own in her lap.

He pushed the mug across the table at her.

Makato began to protest. "Oh, I didn't bring any money with me…"

"Don't worry about it!" He shook his head. "It's a special tea, with herbs that will ease your headache." He grinned at her, his brown eyes twinkling. "It's a Moon Beam specialty… I call it, 'Makato's Special Headache Curing Tea'".

She giggled and brought the cup to her lips, sipping the hot liquid. It was warm on her throat, and tasted like apple cinnamon. She cocked an eyebrow at him.

He was grinning at her wryly.

She rolled her eyes. "It's apple cider."

He laughed. "Yeah… well, it's a cure-all?"

She laughed with him. "Not really, but thanks anyways. It's delicious."

"You're welcome! I'm really glad you came back… I'm just sorry you hit a patch of ice on the way."

She grinned. "Do you joke about everything, Toro-san?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." He whispered.

She laughed and leaned back in the booth, feeling relaxed. Her headache was easing, and she wasn't sure what was helping more… the tea or Toro. She just happened to glance up at a wall clock, and she groaned. "Oh, no."

He frowned. "What's wrong now?"

She gave him a small smile. "I have to go. I need to get home and get ready for this… date thing tonight. I told you about it last time we met, remember?"

"Oh, yes, your blind date. Good luck." He was grinning at her again, the same grin he had given her before.

She tilted her head to the side. "You give me that smile so much… it's like you know something I don't. But that can't possibly be it… you barely know me!"

He wagged a finger at her. "Ah, but pretty lady, don't you know that I'd love to get to know you better? That way I can always give you a knowing smile?"

She placed her mug on the table and leaned across so that she was mere centimeters away from his face. "Well, if this blind date doesn't turn out well, I'll let you know, and we'll see about that." She winked at him, and quickly gathered her things. She stood up and extended her hand for him to shake. "Thank you very much for the cider and the company, Houji-san. Perhaps we'll see each other again?"

He took her hand, shaking it formally. "Hopefully sooner than you think, Kino-san."

She laughed and strode out of the café and into the crisp, winter air. She tucked her scarf around her and walked down the sidewalk.

Toro, from inside the café, grabbed the mug to take it to the kitchen, and watched as she walked by the window. "Much sooner than you think, Makato."

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Snapping a crystal-beaded hairclip in her hair, Makato stared at her reflection in the mirror. She dabbed more powder over the scrape on her forehead, and inspected it closely. "Well, it doesn't look too bad." She said aloud, brushing down a lock of hair on top of it. "Ah, much better."

Twisting around, she sprung up from her vanity and went to her wardrobe, where she pulled out a knee-length dress. It was white, with a fringed bottom border, and no straps. She slipped it on, and went to her jewelry box, where she grabbed a pair of diamond studs that had been her mothers'. She glanced at them, remembering all the times she had watched her mother slip them on before going out with her father. She smiled sadly, and clipped them on. 'I wonder what Mother would think about Toro… would she have liked him?"

She mentally slapped herself. 'Baka! Stop thinking about Toro!'

The doorbell rang, and she jumped at the loud noise. Taking a deep breath and straightening her dress, she left her bedroom and went into her living room, where she gathered her purse and white drape. She went into her small foyer and unlatched her door.

Gathering her wits about her and taking one more deep breath, she opened the door.

"Hey, pretty lady!"

Blinking, she nearly fell back, but she grasped onto her door. "What are YOU doing here?"

Toro, dressed in a suit, was leaning against the doorframe with one hand, the other hand holding a bouquet of bright pink roses. "I'm taking you on a date."

Makato shook her head frantically and poked her head out of the door, looking down the corridor. "Toro, I thought you said you had a blind date, too. Now you need to leave before my date shows up." She put one hand on her hip and sighed. "Don't stand up some poor girl on Valentine's Day."

"But I'm not standing anybody up." He argued.

"So you lied to me about having a date!"

"No, I didn't."

"I'm not your date, though, Toro! I have to go out with my blind date!"

"But you are my date!"

"You wish I was your date, but I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Toro, you're being infuriating!"

"No, MAKO, you're being infuriating!" He reached out and grabbed her around the waist, kissing her.

She gasped, and melted into his embrace. Groaning inwardly at her lack of resistance, she found herself immensely enjoying his kiss.

He pulled back and chuckled, handing her the roses. "Now go put these in water so we can go out. Isn't that what girls always do when they get roses? Put them in water while saying how gorgeous they are? Well, the roses, not themselves. Though you do look gorgeous, Makato."

Blinking, she numbly took the bouquet and went inside to her kitchen. Toro followed, taking a tour of her apartment on his own.

"I thought you said you were in high school?" He called to her from the living room.

"I am." She walked in, noticing how he was looking around.

"You live alone?"

She nodded, knotting her fingers in front of her waist. "Well, yes… my parents are dead. They died about a year ago. I know it seems that I'm too young to live on my own, but I'm nearly seventeen, and I think I'm doing just fine. My uncle takes care of my financial needs and my parents' accounts, but he lives far away, in Germany. I didn't want to have to leave Japan. It's… home." She shrugged. "So I stay here, he pays the bills, and I get an allowance to live on. I'll be given free reign once I'm eighteen, though."

Toro looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Mako. I shouldn't have asked."

She shrugged again, running a hand through the ringlets in her hair that had taken her nearly an hour to create. "Don't worry about it. Now could you please explain to me what you're doing here?"

He grinned and walked over to her, taking her by the elbow. "Come on, let's go."

"But what about my date?"

"I am your date. Jeez, I thought we already went over this?"

They left the apartment, and Makato turned and locked her door. They walked down the corridor and entered the elevator. It was quiet for a moment as they rode down.

Makato, though, was chewing on her lip. She was ecstatic about being with Toro, but still worried about her other date.

"But what if he shows up at my door and I'm not there?"

"Who?"

"My date!"

Toro rolled his eyes. The elevator doors opened and he grabbed her around the waist, leading her out into the parking deck where he had left his car. Walking up to a dark blue sports car, he opened the door for her, and she slid inside. She looked around, trying to figure out what kind of car it was. Being clueless about cars, she shrugged and settled back into the seat. Toro got in on the driver's side and started the engine.

"What is it with you college guys and your sports cars?" She pondered.

He laughed. "Us 'college guys'?"

"Well, yeah. My best friend Usagi's boyfriend, Mamoru, has like two or three. Usagi said she was really shocked when she first found out how obsessed he is with them."

"Chiba Mamoru? Yeah, he has a few nice cars. Personally, I like his Ferrari. How he affords them, I'll never know." He ran his hands along the steering wheel lovingly. "It took me forever to earn enough money for this car. I love it, though."

Makato smiled. "You know Mamoru?"

"Yeah. We go to the same school."

"Oh." She sat quietly for a minute. "So what did you do to my date?"

He choked, laughing. He stopped the car at the exit of the parking deck, and glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"Is he stuffed in the back of your car, gagged and tied? Or did you murder him? I'm serious, what did you do to the guy?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I did a lot of things to him. For one, I made him leave work early so he could get ready in time. I made him buy roses for you, and I made him put on a suit. Which was a pain, it really was." He gave her a grin. "I prefer jeans." He turned out onto the road and kept driving, grinning from ear to ear.

She rolled her eyes. "The other guy! What about the other guy!"

"What other guy?"

"Quit playing dumb! You know what I mean!"

He laughed, and they pulled up to a stoplight. "Alright, alright. I've teased you long enough." He dug into his pocket and pulled out the picture of her, handing it to her.

She took it and gasped. "What the…!"

He laughed and pulled into a parking lot. "I knew you were my Valentine's date the first time we met." He put the car in park and switched it off, turning to her with a wide grin.

"No wonder you always had that smile! And…and…" She gave him a cross-eyed look. "Why, you sneaky, sneaky boy."

"Yes, my dear, I am." He winked at her and kissed her cheek. "Hungry?"

She blinked. "That was a short drive." She looked out the window and noticed they were parked across the street from the Moon Beam. "Wait… what?"

He laughed. "Come on. I have something special planned." He got out, and went around to her side of the car, opening the door and taking her hand. "I may be sneaky, but I'm a sneaky gentleman."

She laughed and got out, and tied her arm with his, and they walked across the street to the Moon Beam, which hung a "Closed" sign.

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Your boss let you use the Moon Beam tonight?"

"Well, yeah. He was happy with it, actually."

"How come?"

"He's my father."

Makato laughed. "Oh."

Toro grinned back and opened the door, standing back to let her enter. She walked in and noticed that in the center of the café, a tale sat with pink roses as a centerpiece. Candles were covering the bar, and the edges of the booth tables. She twirled around and gave Toro and sweet smile. "This is wonderful."

He laughed. "You haven't seen the half of it, my dear." He pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down, draping her shawl over the back of the chair, and dropping her purse beside her.

He went to the back, where she knew was the kitchen. She waited for him to return by unfolding and refolding the napkin she had placed in her lap. She heard a clatter in the kitchen and giggled to herself.

He returned and placed two plates on their table. She giggled up at him. "Everything okay in the kitchen?"

He grinned. "Just fine, pretty lady. Now I worked hard on this, so I hope you like it."

She looked down and grinned. Filet mignon with steamed vegetable skewers. A dish she prepared all the time.

"You cook, then?"

"Yeah, I do. It's a hobby." He smiled and took a seat across from her. Rolling his eyes, he removed the centerpiece. "Sheesh… my father must have put that there."

She laughed. "Oh? You didn't personalize this?"

"Hey! I did, too! I lit all the candles and everything! He must have put that there when I left." He rolled his eyes, grinning, and took a bite of his vegetables.

She giggled and turned to her meal as well. After eating for a few minutes, she looked up and noticed he was watching her.

"Well?"

She giggled. "It's fabulous. You're a good cook."

He smiled widely. "Thanks… I hoped you would have liked it."

"Mmm, yeah. Usually I'm very picky with what I eat." She grinned. "I love to cook, too. It's actually my dream to own my own restaurant one day."

His eyes widened. "Really? Wow." He grinned. "I guess we have something in common."

She laughed. "I guess we do!"

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Toro locked the door to the café and turned to his date, who was looking up at the moon. She turned and looked at him, and smiled. "No wonder you call it the Moon Beam. It's like the moon is shining especially on this place."

He nodded, smiling. "Yeah. It was an abandoned corner, an old hardware store. This was where my father proposed to my mother, actually. They were on their way back from a movie when he suddenly asked her." He took her hand, and they walked across the street to his car. "The moon was really shining that night, and, they both just loved this place ever since. My mother first had the idea of the café… she loves coffee, tea, ciders, pastries, cakes…" He laughed. "Basically anything that has anything to do with cafés. So she talked my father into opening the Moon Beam. And, they've owned it and ran it together ever since."

Makato laid her head on his shoulder. "It's sort of like a fairy tale… with cafés."

He laughed. "I guess you could say that."

Leaning against the car door, her hands entwined with his, she smiled softly. "I'd like to meet your parents."

He blinked. "Huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He laughed. "Our first date, and you want to meet my parents?"

She shrugged. "Hmm… perhaps you're right. Our second date, perhaps?"

He laughed. "So you'd like a second date, then, huh? Given up hope on that poor blind date you abandoned?"

She pursed her lips together, sticking her tongue out slightly. "Well, you know… he was a weird guy."

"Oh? How's that?" His eyes were twinkling.

"Well, see, he works in this place called the Sun Ray, for one thing. Which is just SO weird." She grinned. "Okay, okay, enough joking… yes, I would very much like a second date." She opened the car door. "I liked you very much the first time we met. And oddly…" She folded her arms over the top of the open door. "I kept thinking about you this morning, instead of my date tonight." She shrugged. "Weird thing to admit on a first date, huh?"

He grinned. "Are you kidding me? I haven't been able to keep you off my mind since our first meeting!"

She laughed. "I'm glad my feeling are returned." She got into the car, and he shut the door.

He got in on the other side, and revved up the engine.

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Toro and Makato walked slowly down the corridor leading to Makato's apartment door, their hands entwined.

"I had a… really wonderful time." Makato whispered, squeezing his hand.

They reached her door, and she leaned up against it while looking down at the toes of her shoes.

"Me, too." He kissed the top of her head. "So this second date… next Friday good for you?"

She looked up at him and smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Sounds great."

He smiled back. "Great."

It was quiet for a few moments. They both chuckled softly at the awkward moment… the only awkward moment of the entire night.

Toro ran a hand through his brown hair. "Well… this is weird. Seeing as, usually, at the end of a date, you share a first kiss or something like that." He grinned. "But we did that at the beginning of the date."

She laughed. "And throughout the date, if you really think about it."

"So I guess we can share a… fourth? Fifth kiss?"

She grinned. "Sounds good to me."

"Me, too." He grinned back and leaned down, kissing her softly on the lips. "Goodnight, Mako."

"G'night." She whispered back, smiling.

He turned to walk down the hallway, and she unlocked her door. She opened the door, looking at him one last time as she walked inside.

He turned his head briefly, grinning to himself as he watched her slim figure slip inside her door. Reaching the elevator, he pressed the button to take him down.

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End Chapter Eight

Wow! Been such a while since I've updated this! Now I have to say… I really, really loved writing this chapter. My favorite chapter overall. I loved Ami's date, too… but I really love Mako. I even have an odd idea for a Mako story… you all would be so surprised. So check back with me, cause you never know what story might pop up! Lol

I can't wait to start on the Usagi date… since they're already a couple, this is just going to be fun. lol