Valentine's Day

Kazama scowls as he watches yet another girl confess loudly to a boy, holding back the urge to tell the girl to please be quiet, he can hear you just fine and so can we.

He is at this point, extremely irritated with the color pink.

He blames this on the fact that pink glitter still remains in his hair from the bucket that had been poured on him earlier that morning.

Curse your evil, devilish soul to the pits of hell, Kako.

Sinking into his chair, he pulls a stack of paperwork closer to him, only to realize that a dark blue rose rests on top of the pile, deep sapphire petals obscuring a note underneath.

On the verge of tossing the flower in an attempt to assuage his mood, momentary curiosity wins over and he picks up the not, absently fingering the silky petals as he reads:

Check the fridge.

Hm. A strange message. The fridge…?

He turns to open the mini fridge in his squad room, only to find a strawberries and cream frappuccino inside, alongside a small slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

How thoughtful.

Picking up the coffee, Kazama discovers another dark blue rose tucked behind the cup, accompanied by another note. It reads:

Training rooms.

Another obscure note.

Sipping the cold drink, he walks out of his squad room with a slightly happier disposition.

Upon his arrival to the rooms, he finds Konami impatiently tapping her foot on the ground, a blue rose twirling between her fingers and a small box of chocolates in her hand. Seeing Kazama, she hurries over and presses the two items into his hands, passing him a tiny envelope before leaving quickly, giving Kazama no time to ask questions.

Bemused, Kazama stares at the chocolate for a moment before realizing that it's his favorite brand, a super expensive high quality chocolate that he only can afford maybe once a year.

Curiosity peaked, he opens the envelope to read the third message.

This time, there is an address written on the sheaf of paper.

Kazama hurries outside, three roses, drink, and chocolate in hand, and wanders the streets before walking into a quaint café. A waiter inside looks up, checks a photo in his hand, and pokes a busboy to give Kazama a small wooden box.

Inside rests a high quality thin leather band, the smooth surface pliable but strong. On the band, a tiny silver charm with the characters for Kazama's name carved into the surface is strung.

Placing the band around his wrist, more confused than ever, Kazama grabs the slip of paper and blue rose next to the box, reading:

Curious? Meet me on the roof at 12:30.

Checking a clock, the time reads 12:15.

On the walk back to Border, Kazama wonders who it was. Someone who cared enough to know Kazama's preferences, and understood his personality.

There weren't many like that.

Standing in front of the door to the roof, Kazama stares at the handle, not sure if he wants this to end.

The mystical idea of having a secret admirer hinges on the idea that the admirer is secret.

Sighing lightly, he turns the knob before stepping out into the light spring breeze.

For a February day, it is remarkably nice out, blue skies dotted with pale clouds. The sweet smelling sakura are beginning to bloom, and petals drift through the air.

He sees a figure standing near the edge of the roof, a basket next to him.

"I should have known." Kazama's tone warms almost instantly.

"Soya."

"Reiji."

"I made lunch?" Reiji spreads out a checkered blanket, patting the spot by his side as he pulls out small dishes of food and rice to share. Kazama can see the katsu-don curry from where he stands and he smiles.

Reiji looks up to see the radiant smile softening the angular elegance of Kazama's face, and gently tugs on his wrist to pull him to the floor.

Reiji hands Kazama the last rose, and Kazama completes his set of five roses the same color as his squad uniform.

The lunch is shared over the course of the afternoon, the two boys staying on the roof long past sunset to watch the stars of a Valentine's day eve rise above the horizon. When Kazama falls asleep, Reiji is the faithful pillow.

His jacket serves as a warm blanket for the two of them.

OMAKE:

The next morning, Jin is the one to wake them up after an entire night spent on the roof.

"Rise and shine, lovebirds~ Hope you didn't catch a cold, staying out all night."

Reiji cracks open one eye, sees Jin, then closes it again.

Jin sweatdrops.

Ignored.

"Pfft you were just ignoreddddd!"

Konami is delighted with this development.

"My side-effect tells me so."

"What does that have to do with this situation?!"