Author's Note: Thank you for stepping into this story~ I want to just clarify a few things. ^-^ This story takes place after the anime, but not following how far the manga has come. So in other words, they have not kissed, and no after-anime plot lines have been visited. I wanted to make a story that takes place right after the anime, following after my particular desire for how their first kiss should go. In any case, I do hope you will enjoy~

Kimi Ni Todoke :: The First Kiss

Kazehaya had been oddly quiet.

He told me to follow him, and so I followed him, beneath the cherry blossom trees which brought back to me memories of our first meeting. The trees were on either side, enclosing us, their tender branches swinging with the pull of the wind. The petals were a bright and whimsical pink, and as we walked, they fell in-between us, like flakes of snow in spring. The air was cool as the wind blew, a breeze that made my abrupt-cut bangs swing into my eyes.

As I followed him, I was a step or two behind him. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts, not realizing the pace he was walking. I slid my hair out of my eyes and watched him, observing how the wind made his short hair move, watching in detail as it grazed the back of his neck, the length of his hair shortening as it went down. I had realized that, as I looked at him more and more each day, I would notice meticulous details. My eyes fell from his head to his shoulders, which were broad yet boyish, and then to his loosed hands. Something in me wanted to take hold of one of them, but I felt my cheeks flush as I realized what I was thinking.

We continued walking in silence. I was starting to realize he was beginning to get a bit too far away. I quickened my pace; and then, hesitating at first, unsure how he would take it, though eventually feeling resolve in me, I reached forward towards his blue-vested back, grabbing hold of the edge of the fabric. He jumped slightly, then looked back at me, at my face which was probably strewn with confusion, as well as a tinge of embarrassment. At the sight of me, his eyes softened instantly. Then, they widened soon afterward as he realized what he had been doing.

"Ah…! I'm sorry, Kuronuma." He grinned, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "I don't know what I was thinking! Here, come walk beside me."

"Uhn!" I nodded, smiling at him. "And it's okay." Then, I took up position next to him. A weight was lifted from me and I laughed inwardly, realizing I should not have been afraid to touch his back. He was my...boyfriend, after all.

The thought made me smile. We had been together for a month now, and there were still many things I still was not familiar with being in a relationship. However, Kazehaya would often help me during those times, telling me how he felt and making me feel comfortable. There were still many things I needed to learn, and to do. We had hugged several times, even holding hands occasionally, and that was the extent of how we showed affection for each other. It was such an exciting thing, being with someone you feel strongly for, having new experiences. The thought made me happy.

We walked a little longer. The enclosure of trees opened up, and we entered a park. The sky was clearer now, and the evening hue of the sun made the semi-puffy clouds look rosy red, orange, and pink. They were strewn across the sky in disarray, though faint lines guided them.

"Here we are," Kazehaya finally said. He led me to a bench on the side of the park, and we took a seat. I smiled as I watched children in the distance playing on the playground. Small groups of people passed by on the path, though not many. He fumbled around in his pocket for something, his hands trembling slightly more than normal, then held it out to me, grinning. It looked like a present, wrapped with white and tied prettily with a red ribbon. "I wanted to give you this."

"Oh! Th-Thank you!" I said. I took it in my hands. It felt light. Part of me did not want to ruin such a pretty present.

"I know it's not your birthday, but… I wanted to give you something to show….." He paused, then stammered a bit, seemingly embarrassed. "Y-You know. How much I care for you. I hope you like it."

I untied the bow, pulling the lace as gently as I could to keep from tearing it too much. Then, I folded down the wrapping to reveal a white box. As I opened the box, Kazehaya seemed to be watching nervously. His foot tapped against the ground, a nervous habit of his that I had noticed. I opened the box and gasped as I saw a shiny silver necklace with a yellow and white daisy hanging in the center. It glimmered brightly in the sunlight.

"Oh, Kazehaya! Thank you!" I was overwhelmed with happiness. "It is so pretty!"

"I...It's nothing!" He grinned. I saw faint pink on his cheeks as he smiled. "Go on. Try it on."

I undid the tight twists that held the necklace to the box and placed it around my neck, clasping it closed. "D-Does it look pretty?" I asked.

"It does," he said, his eyes softening. "You look...beautiful."

I blushed at his words. Upon saying them, he seemed to become visibly flustered too. But he didn't look away. His eyes seemed to have a strange resolve in them, though I did not know what. He had seemed to have a strange resolve the entire day; it was just a feeling I had. His gaze lingered on mine, as if he were thinking about something, though he seemed nervous about something as well.

My heart went a little faster at his gaze. I started to say something—say anything—to perhaps break the "thickness" of the emotional air between us, not knowing what it meant, but without warning, I felt his arms wrap around me. He pulled me forward suddenly, tightly guiding me into his chest. My face flushed as my cheeks were pressed against his warm shirt, up close to the beating of his heart. His body felt warm.

"Sorry. Just...for a little while," he said softly.

I breathed in deeply, startled, flustered, all at once. We had hugged a few times before, but the tightness with which he held me now... My nose took in the scent of his body, his natural scent, and I felt the heat rise to my face. The scent was...nice. I closed my eyes without realizing, leaning into him subconsciously. I felt my fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt, pushing into his skin. I heard him gasp softly under his breath.

"...Kuronuma…."

The way Kazehaya said my name, it was as though it were a flower on the tip of his tongue, with such gentleness, as if the very breath of his mouth would cause the kanji to blow away. I looked up from his warm chest into his brown eyes. They looked at mine and lingered. For a moment, he looked as though he would say something, because his mouth hung slightly open, as if stammering silently. His face was flushed red. I could almost feel its heat. I felt the arm under mine tense up and his eyes widen slightly, with startling drive, as he continued to look into my eyes.

Had we been this close the whole time? It felt as though his face were getting closer to my own. His eyes seemed to be pulling me in, as if wanting something. I closed my eyes without realizing. My heart was beginning to beat so fast, I could hardly keep up with it. My hands trembled as they clutched his shirt tighter.

Something pressed against my forehead, and I realized it was his own. Everything in Kazehaya seemed to be crying out for more closeness, but he seemed to be trying to hold back. I opened my eyes briefly, and the heat on my face rose as I realized just how close we were. He brushed my hair back from my face tenderly with his fingers.

"K...Kaze...haya...?" I breathed.

"Kuronuma….close your eyes."

I could almost feel the vibrations of my heart pounding in my ears. I closed my eyes. I could now feel his warm breath against my face as he moved closer. His hands squeezed my shoulders tightly, as if he were trying not to lose control of himself. In the next moment, something soft and warm grazed my lips, then pushed into it, and lingered. My mind swirled as I realized what was happening. I was unable to think. My hands trembled against his shirt, tightening, but the action only seemed to make him kiss me with more yearning.

He kissed me for a long time. My mind raced as the heat in my cheeks slowly rose to every part of my face. Then, he pulled away slightly, his lips still brushing mine, before locking them together with mine again. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. Everything had become null and void to me, except for the feeling of his closeness and the warmth of his kiss. He kissed me for a longer time than before, then he pulled away slightly again, brushing the edge of our lips, as if savoring it, before placing his lips back on mine. He did this three more times, each time seeming to be more passionate and longer than the last. I lost myself in the feeling, overwhelmed. Inside, I was crying out with emotions that I did not quite understand yet, though it felt wonderful to me.

When he pulled away for the last time, his lips brushed mine gently before they hit the cool air again. I was left speechless. I opened my eyes slowly. His eyes were still closed, but he pressed his forehead against mine again. His face was as red as mine felt.

"I am so...in love with you Kuronuma….." Kazehaya almost seemed to whisper. "I have been wanting to do that ever since I fell in love with you. I wanted to kiss you really badly...especially today... I had been trying to figure out how to do it..."

I had never heard him sound like this before. My heart fluttered as I tried to find the right words to express how I felt. So that was why he had looked so distressed the whole day. "I was surprised…. But…." I smiled. "I liked it."

He smiled, seeming to be relieved. "I'm happy…."

We looked away from each other, suddenly embarrassed from remembering what just happened. I looked up into the sky, at the beautiful sunset which seemed to be even more beautiful now after the kiss had brightened up my day. Kazehaya's hand on my shoulder tightened.

We watched the sunset and the playground together. There was a peaceful air between us, and now a somewhat embarrassed feeling too, though not in a bad way. I placed a hand on my necklace, absentmindedly playing with the flower. In the back of my mind, I realized, yet again, that Kazehaya had given me many firsts, and this kiss was no different. Through everything, he had been kind, supportive, and outgoing. He truly had been the greatest gift to me.

I looked at him, and seeing his smile, the words came out of me without me trying. "Kazehaya?"

"Hmm?"

I smiled, the biggest grin I think I had ever smiled since meeting him, since even our first meeting at the school. "I love you."

He blushed at my words, his mouth dropping slightly. Then, he smiled, his smile slowly forming a grin which seemed just as big, if not bigger, than mine.

"I love you too, Sawako."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the story! I was considering making this into a chapter-by-chapter story, but I feel it ends nicely here~