Valentines Day. One of the worst days of the year, or at least in Gokudera Hanabi's opinion. At this time of year, everything and everybody would always seem to become obsessed with hearts, candies, flowers, for some reason the color red, and, worst of all, chocolates. That's right; apparently in Japan it was tradition for girls to give chocolates to guys they like in the hopes that the recipient would feel the same way on Valentines Day. Megumi had explained most of this to Hanabi and Anna, who both didn't know the Japanese traditions.
Megumi had also asked the two girls if they would like to make chocolates with her as they sat with their desks crowded together for lunch.
"You can make chocolate?" Anna asked with mild surprise, the idea of making chocolate from hand had never occurred to her before.
"Um, yes," the red-head nodded uneasily before adding, "I can teach you guys how, if you want that is."
"I usually buy chocolate from the grocery store in bars," the blonde muttered thoughtfully.
"Those are candy bars, Anna-chan," Megumi sighed helplessly and quickly changed to a bright and sunny attitude, "But there is a way to make those at home, we could give them to people on Valentines Day!"
"Valentines Day?" Hanabi asked cautiously.
"Yeah, it's tomorrow! I was going to make chocolates for all my friends, you guys should join me! It'll be so much fun!"
"Learn how to make chocolate, huh…?" Anna began thoughtfully, "Sure, I'm interested in how that process works out."
"What about you, Hanabi-chan?"
"I don't know…" she said uncertainly.
"We could ask Hide-kun's mom to help us make them!" Megumi said cheerily, "I'm sure Hide-kun would love chocolates for Valentines Day!"
"I'll do it!"
~8~
The next day, after many long hours that were spent in the Sawada residence's kitchen, Hanabi came to school with a box full of chocolates.
"Hmph, I made these last night for the Twelfth," she said to herself triumphantly while staring intently at her package, "I can't wait until he eats them!"
"Those look good," Hanabi nearly jumped/punched Morita in the face when she heard his voice right behind her.
"Don't scare me like that, idiot-giant!" she yelled.
"Are those the chocolates you made with Megumi yesterday?" Morita asked.
"None of your business!" she immediately turned around and began walking at a super fast pace towards the classroom, it wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized Morita was still behind her, "Quit following me!"
"But we're in the same class," he pointed out.
"Then go a different way! I'm busy looking for the Twelfth!" she hissed.
"But there's only one way," he argued, "Geez, it's just going to class, don't make such a fuss about it."
"Shut up, I feel like my IQ is dropping the longer we're together."
"That's mean," he sighed before asking, "What kind of chocolates did you make?"
"None of your business," she repeated before seeming to think about it and saying, "But if you must know, I made dark chocolate truffles for the Twelfth."
"Oh, I didn't know you liked Hide," Morita said as he stared at the box of chocolates she was putting away.
Hanabi gave him a strange look and stated, "Of course I like the Boss, who wouldn't?"
"I think you misunderstood me…" he said slightly worriedly as they reached their classroom entrance.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, you give chocolates to the person you really like, right?" Hanabi's face paled as slow realization dawned on her.
"Oh shit…"
"You just realized this! ?" Morita's mouth hung wide open.
"Stupid Japanese-culture!" she hissed, "Megumi told me that you could give chocolates to people on Valentines Day, not to a specific person!"
"Well that's Megumi's idea of what Valentines Day is!" he pointed out, "Valentines day is when you give chocolates to the person you like-like!"
"So she thinks I like the Twelfth! ?" Hanabi yelped.
"I don't know! Probably! ?"
"Why are you both yelling?" they both turned around and saw Hide and Megumi standing besides each other and watching the other two curiously.
"N-No reason," Hanabi stammered in a really quite voice.
"Yeah, no reason," Morita repeated also in a small voice.
"Well, can we get into the classroom now?" Hide asked.
"Huh?" the two realized they were standing in front of the door and quickly moved aside, "Oh, right."
"Alright-y then," Hide walked slowly past them.
"Hanabi-chan, did you give you-know-what to you-know-who yet?" Megumi whispered to the silver-haired girl as she walked past.
"A-About that…I think we have to talk about something," Hanabi whispered back nervously.
"Get in class you guys," they both scurried into the classroom after the assistant teacher, Kurokawa, spotted them. He soon came after with a large binder under his arm and said, "Alright guys, since your homeroom teacher is sick today because of…" he took out a note in his pocket and read aloud uneasily, "'Broken Heart Disease'…okay? Look-point is, your teacher's not here so I'll be taking attendance."
"Okay," the class echoed in sing-song voices.
"Hey, Gokudera!" Hanabi heard the annoying voice of Suzuki Kouhei behind her, the baseball player continued to whisper to her throughout the whole class, "What's that you got in your bag? It smells pretty good!"
"Shut up, pretty boy!" she hissed back at him.
"Fine," Suzuki shrugged as he sat back in his desk, after a few seconds he leaned forwards and whispered to the girl, "Hey, hey! I think I know what's in your bag! It's choco-!"
In one swift movement, Hanabi launched herself over the desk and flew a hand over the baseball player's mouth; she growled threateningly, "Shut up! Shut up unless you want your desk to become a crater."
"Gokudera-san, what are you doing?" Hide wondered with a look of horror on his face as he sat in the desk besides Suzuki's and watched all this happen.
"Er…playing tag?" she faltered, becoming increasingly embarrassed as she realized the whole class was now watching.
"Hey, Gokudera-san, get back in your seat!" Kurokawa yelled at her, "How many times have I told you that you can't kill Suzukiin the middle of class?"
"Twenty-seven including now," Hanabi sighed and slowly got back into her seat.
"Or Morita?"
"Thirty-six then," she shrugged.
"And Grandhart-san?"
"Forty-nine."
"And everyone else?"
"Fine!" she threw her hand up in the air, "Seventy-two, happy now?"
"Not really," Kurokawa grumbled before resuming role call.
"Psst! Gokudera!" Suzuki continued to pester her, even after the threats, "Who are the chocolates for? Or are you giving them to everyone?"
Hanabi then froze up in her seat and subtly turned around to whisper, "Everyone?"
"Yeah, 'Obligatory Chocolates' are chocolates you give to friends on Valentines Day," he explained before asking with a mused expression, "Did you not know that?"
She turned around stiffly and blushed, "O-Of course I knew that!"
Thank god, I'm saved! Hanabi thought happily, I'll just give these chocolates to anyone! That way the Twelfth won't think that I like-like him!
~8~
As soon as study hall came along, Hanabi immediately dug through her bag before finally procuring the box of chocolates she had made.
"Here!" she handed a few truffles to Suzuki and ordered, "Take them!"
"Eh? I didn't know you like-liked me, Gokudera!" he joked as he remembered their previous conversation.
"Don't be an idiot, pretty boy," Hanabi remarked in a stuck up tone, "These are, what you Japanese call, 'Obligatory Chocolates' I am obligated to give them to you!"
"Hahah! You're really funny today, Gokudera!" the baseball player laughed, "Sure, I'll take them!"
"Heh, one down the whole school to go…" she smirked to herself before brightening and saying aloud, "Oh right, I should give some to Nagi as well!"
"Don't forget Morita and Adam!" Suzuki chimed.
"No one's talking to you anymore, baseball idiot!" she yelled before running out of the classroom.
"What just happened?" Hide questioned from besides him.
"Hahaha, I don't really know but it's pretty funny!" the other boy laughed.
~8~
"Nagi! Take these chocolates!" Hanabi ordered her brother, who was currently doing a part-time job as the school's janitor.
"What?" he asked in his usual spaced-out tone of voice.
"Just take them! They're a Valentines Day gift!" she yelled.
"Right, right," he nodded and took a few truffles, "Oh yeah, Hanabi?"
"What is it?"
"Is it safe for me to be eating these when I'm so close to a bunch of cleaning chemicals?" he questioned.
"That's your own problem," she pointed out, "And you're eighteen, aren't you supposed to be in school?"
"School is stupid."
"Then why are you working in one! ?"
"You should give some of these chocolates to the young Twelfth," Nagi suggested while chewing on a truffle, "I'm sure he would very much like these."
"I know, I know!" she rolled her eyes before leaving her brother to mop the hallways.
~8~
"Twelfth!" Hanabi called out cheerfully as she ran up to her beloved Twelfth, she noticed Adam and Anna were with him, "Perfect! The two Americans are here also!"
"Do you call anyone by their real name?" Hide muttered to himself before saying aloud, "Hi, Gokudera-san."
"Twelfth! I made chocolates for you for Valentines Day!" Hanabi announced proudly and then gave a disgusted look at the other two, "I guess you guys can have some also…"
"That's unusually nice of you, Gokudera-san," Hide noticed much to her joy, "I don't normally get Valentines Day presents from anyone."
"Not even the ones you get that passed out to the whole class?" Adam wondered.
"No, I blended in too much and everyone forgot about me," he said with a hint of pride.
"Is that really something to be proud of…?"
"I already gave the Twelfth the chocolate bars I made, Smoking Bomb," said Anna as she had her own box of chocolates in front of her, "You can have one too."
"Heh, thought the same thing, right?" Hanabi winked at her knowingly, the blonde girl was completely confused by this gesture as the bomber reached into her box of chocolates and grabbed a bar.
"I think they're pretty good," the brother pointed out while devouring the rest of his chocolate bar, "It was Anna's first time in front of a stove too!"
"Right," the bomber nodded as she reluctantly remembered how the former assassin had kept trying to put in, for some reason, oregano into her chocolates. Luckily, Megumi was the one that stopped her from doing so. Hanabi bit out of the bar and two seconds later grabbed the bottle of water straight out of Hide's hands, "It's spicy as hell!" she yelled.
"I put chili powder in the chocolate while Megumi wasn't looking," Anna explained.
"Why would you do that! ?" she yelled.
"Because brother likes spicy stuff, and I read somewhere that spicy stuff and chocolate goes well together," the blonde girl shrugged.
"How much did you put in?" Hanabi questioned suspiciously.
Anna showed her thumb and forefinger, they were a considerable distance from each other, and stated "About this much."
"Are you trying to burn off everyone's taste buds! ?"
"I like them," Anna's brother defended her, "It cleared my sinuses right up and it's so good it's making me cry."
"It's alright in small pieces," Hide suggested quietly as he nibbled the ends of the chocolate.
"Thank you very much, Boss," Anna thanked politely.
"You're lucky that the Twelfth is so kind, blondie," Hanabi scoffed as she present her box of chocolates to him, "Here Twelfth, I made some chocolates for you!"
"Eh? More?" he paled a little before asking cautiously, "W-What kind are they?"
"They're dark chocolate truffles!" she exclaimed, "I rolled them in cocoa powder also!"
"Okay," Hide nodded and silently took a truffle from the box, he stared at them for a while before asking, "Why are they the size of baseballs?"
"I didn't know how big they should be," she shrugged in her defense.
"Right, well…here goes nothing," he took a bit out of the baseball-sized chocolate ball and after a few seconds affirmed, "Wow, this is pretty good."
"I win! In your face, blondie!" Hanabi thrust a fist into the air triumphantly.
"I don't get it, was there some sort of competition?" Anna asked with a confused look on her face.
"I want one too!" Adam grabbed a truffle from the box and offered half of the chocolate to his sister. After the two took one bite, they both spat it out and ran out of the room.
"What was that about?" Hide wondered he then froze up and paled, a hand flew to his mouth as he moaned, "I think I'm going to be sick…"
"Huh?" the bomber's face went blank as she watched her beloved Boss run out of the room, seconds later there was horrible puking sounds that could be heard from outside the classroom.
The school's intercom came on and a voice announced throughout the school, "Students, please avoid the third hallway in first-year's floor, the janitor has collapsed for unknown reasons."
Hanabi's mouth was hanging wide open throughout the announcement.
~8~
"How'd the whole chocolate thing go over?" Morita asked when he found Hanabi sitting outside the school gate alone.
"Horrible, Twelfth got sick and so did the Grandhart twins, and apparently the stupid baseball idiot had to be hospitalized," she grumbled and stared at the box of chocolates that were at her feet.
She heard him sit down next to her and was surprised that he didn't speak for quite a while. The silence made her feel embarrassed until he finally spoke.
"I don't think Hide hated it though...you made it with sincere intentions, even I could see that."
Hanabi looked up at him suspiciously. Morita was being oddly thoughtful about her feelings, when she had fully expected him to laugh at her and make fun of the situation.
"I know that!" she replied with a scoff, "The Twelfth wouldn't think badly of anyone...he's amazing like that. But...I hurt him. I just wanted to show my appreciation to the Twelfth, and failed."
"Appreciation? Did he do something recently?" Morita asked.
"Recently? More like all the time. The Twelfth is amazing."
Morita looked at the chocolates and then back to her and asked, "You're always going on and on about how great Hide is, but why? It's not like you really like him, right?"
Hanabi curled her legs into herself and took a deep sigh.
"I used to go to an all girls school," she began, "I didn't have any friends there, though. Girls would call me stuck up, teachers didn't like the way I looked, I was isolated and alone . I would skip classes and read in the library instead because I hated the noises others would make. With all that going on, I didn't see the point in being around others. But then I met the Twelfth. He places his Family ahead of himself, he worries about our well being before his own. And he thinks of me as a friend."
Morita smiled brightly and then, half-jokingly, said, "So you just want to be friends with him, right?"
He was shocked to see her suddenly blush and become flustered, making him feel oddly embarrassed as well. She didn't refute or shout him down like he was expecting. Instead, she was acting very uncharacteristically, but Morita couldn't quite place how until finally:
"You're acting like a girl!" he blurted out. Hanabi immediately shot him a glare but he laughed it off and gestured towards the ominous chocolate box at her feet, "Were your chocolates seriously that bad?"
"I think one of the ingredients I used were rotten," she sighed.
"Let me have one," Morita held out an open hand.
Hanabi raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Why would I let you have one?"
"We're friends, aren't we?" he pointed out, "And today's the day girls give gifts to friends. It's a Japanese tradition!...At least let me try."
"Um…" she began hesitantly, "I guess so…"
"Then let me have one.".
"I…I don't know," she began but before she knew it, Morita's bandaged covered hands grabbed her box of chocolates and she watched him shovel them into his mouth.
"D-Delicious," he stammered while holding back the urge to throw up.
"You know you can spit it out…" she said, after noticing the look of pain on his face she couldn't help but smile a bit, "Really, you can spit it out. You look like you're about to crap your pants."
"Thank you…" he coughed after spitting out what was left in his mouth, "My insides felt like they were on fire."
"You didn't need to say that though."
"Sorry," he apologized before asking, "Are you feeling better now?"
Hanabi rolled her eyes and stood up, she smiled at him, "Whoever said that I was feeling bad?"
~8~
Meanwhile, a few feet away and watching from behind a corner of a wall, Megumi smiled to herself as she watched Hanabi and Morita talking.
"Looks like Hanabi-chan finally gave those chocolates to him," she said with an amused expression on her face.
Many things can be born out of Valentines Day. Including food poisoning.
~8~
EXTRA! Here's a little extra that I hope you enjoy!
The day started out the same as most others, except this morning Hide happened to be walking with Megumi instead of his usual group for some reason. Not only that, but it was also Valentines Day and she had given him chocolate! Granted, it was obligatory chocolate but it was still chocolate on Valentines Day.
And now they had walked to school together and were even being seen walking to class together! Hide couldn't believe what a great today had been so far! If only Reborn hadn't woken him up by flipping his mattress over completely, it would have been a great morning.
"Hide-kun, what kind of girl do you like?" Megumi asked him as they walked to class.
"What kind of girl?" he wondered and immediately thought, Megumi-chan is asking me what my type is! Is she interested in me? Maybe if I just go right ahead and tell her, she'll realize that I'm talking about her!
"Well?" she stared at him with interest.
"I actually have a girl that I like right now," he began slowly while watching her facing for any reaction, "She's the most popular girl in school and I've liked her for a while now, but she didn't even know that I existed until last spring. I used to like her because she was really pretty, but since I've gotten to know her I've realized that she can be a little oblivious to her surroundings and she jumps to conclusions at times too. But I still like her…"
"What's so great about this girl?" Megumi asked him cluelessly.
I just described you! Hide paled.
The red-head then brightened her expression suddenly and asked, "Do you like Hanabi-chan?"
"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed.
"Is that so? Then who could you be describing?" she wondered with a perplexed look on her face.
It's you! I'm talking about you!
"Oh well," she shrugged and smiled at Hide, "Happy Valentines Day, Hide-kun!"
"Yeah, Happy Valentines Day," he responded slightly dejected before noticing Hanabi and Morita shouting at each other for some reason…