This guy is the absolute definition of difficult. I don't know why majority of you guys like him. HOW. WHYYYY *curls and rolls up in a ball of despair*

In the meantime, I'm playing catch with my six-year-old cousin. I'm trying hard not to scream profanities. Actually, I'm just really trying not to scream. It's failing. :D

Disclaimer: No, I don't even want this guy, take him.

5: A Fourth Meeting

Of course nobody knows that the fourth time is a special plus.

"Ne, Sokudone-chan," I cooed on my phone one certain winter day, "have you tried setting up dates before?"

"What – with the sparkles and tables and fireworks?" She stammered, unsure about what she just heard. The self-proclaimed goddess of love: unsure about setting up dates. What a sight. "Yes, with the flowers and the movies and the courtship."

The blackette gasped. "Am I hearing something from Aphrodi – nicknamed after my Greek counterpart?"

"This is amazing, seeing you with your face as red as your pretty eyes," she mused the moment I joined her on the table at Sherry's Sundae Shoppe. I mustered up what could probably be called a smile and gave my greetings. Now, the little Kageyama wasn't as terrifying as her father, but she was terrifying nonetheless, and thinking of you calmed me down in an instant, and the smile I had forced turned out more relaxed. "We can't all be like the Japanese goddess of love who blushes at every little thing a certain boy does."

"Try again in ten years," she stuck her tongue out at me, showing no signs whatsoever of a stammered delivery. Sadly for whoever crushed on this violet-eyed cutie, Sokudone-chan wasn't easy to read nor was she quick to fall for someone. "Or on you-know-who." She grinned suggestively at me, and seeing your face in my mind caught me off guard. I blushed.

"So at least you now know why I've come to you," I sighed, defeated by Kazemaru-kun's cousin. She nodded serenely. "Setting up dates is beyond me, though."

"What?" I choked on my sundae. "But—"

"I only make people realize their feelings," She said, offering me an apology with her eyes. "I can do sponsorships too, actually."

"I don't want sponsorships," I sighed. You never liked big celebrations. You avoided the spotlight when you could. It was only by some stroke of luck and a lot of special appearances from Endou-kun that you came to acquaint yourself with me, the exact favorite of the cameras. "Plan date ideas with me, please?" Our friend's grin wasn't very helpful.

"On the fourth day of Christmas, Aphrodi gave to—"

"Don't sing her name!"

"Love way too early for February!"

"Happy birthday!" I sang to you with a cupcake in hand, a lit candle held in the middle. "Afuro…" You trailed off, still not feeling the energy after my endless door knocking. You blew the small flame anyway, and smiled.

I didn't understand then how someone who'd just been rudely awakened could smile so charmingly like that. It was worse when I couldn't understand how someone who'd – again, as per usual – stayed up all night reading stories, wore mismatched pajamas, and had a tragic case of the bedhead could look, could be the perfect sight in the morning.

"Thank you."

"Alright, lover boy, here's the plan." Immediately, Sokudone-chan's voice got me into high alert. She'd said the cue was your thanks. "Ask her if she wants company for her day. She'll obviously say no, meaning yes, but if she directly says yes—"

"Still sleepy?" I cocked my head to the side, my golden locks trailing after. You eyed them with such a stare that made me envious of my own hair. "Yeah," you grinned, no signs of guilt in your radiant face. "Come in, though. Make yourself at home."

"You sure about that?" You stepped back to let me in, but a sleepy you meant an unguarded you, and I didn't want to take advantage of that. You should've seen my struggle with my self-control. "I, a male, will be in your private residence while you, a female, is asleep, unguarded."

"Control yourself, Aphrodi. It doesn't matter how unguarded you think women are, they have memories and nails sharper than any man's conniving acts."

"Yes, I'm sure," your grin never left your face. "I trust you, and that's a heavier responsibility than anything you'll ever go through." We entered your living room, and you hurried to your kitchen and back to me with a mug in your hands. You looked me in the eyes as you passed the little container to me. "I trust you."

"Does it make me really girly for internally screaming because she said she trusts me?"

"Well, no; guys have it hard on the trust factor—"

"She said she trusts me, twice. Twice." Sokudone-chan laughed on her end of the call. "I heard you the first six times you said it. This is like repeating a scene."

For a boy, I blushed involuntarily often. "I'm sorry; it just makes me really happy. She makes me really happy."

"There is nothing to be sorry for," my black-haired friend mused, "Happiness and love are nothing to apologize for."

When you woke up a little after lunch, I treated you to a homecooked meal, something you always preferred over fancy dining places, and we went to Ohisama En, the only place where you liked getting attention.

"Nice seeing you two here," Hitomiko-san smiled at you, but you were too busy playing with twins to greet back. "Hello, Hitomiko-san," I nodded to her. "Where are the others?"

"Hiroto and the rest are having a soccer game at the back. You could join or watch 'em, if you'd like."

You declined Hitomiko-san, and in your arms was a two-year-old. "Thanks, Hitomiko-san, but I'll stay with the kids." You turned to me expectantly as the adult excused herself. "Don't be silly, I intend to accompany you on this wonderful day."

Your face was dusted with pink. "It's just my birthday – go play with them if you want to…"

"The day is wonderful because it's your birthday." I smiled at you. Could I kiss you?

"No spontaneity unless she plans it." Sokudone-chan, please get out of my head.

The biggest test was Valentine's Day.

You disliked what everyone did. You defied the status quo. In doing so, you'd also somehow hurt me. I only wanted to give you the best you deserved, but – "Valentine's is for people with lovers. I'm just here for the chocolate sale discounts." You had said with a straight face.

"Then let's go shop for chocolates to our wallets' capabilities?" I offered. You grinned and took out your phone. "What's the call for?" I straightened, my head tilting to one side. Again, your eyes followed them with interest. "If we're going to be making a chocolate mountain in my house, we're going to need some sappy chick flicks to get us in the cocoa yeti mood." You answered, signaling me to walk to the nearest shop while you waited for the person to pick up. "Hey! It's Valentine's today – yeah, I'm with him," you pressed the phone to my cheek, mouthing Sokudone-chan's name. "What exactly is happening?"

"We're buying chocolates to eat later." I blinked.

"So I've figured," the Kageyama chibi's voice deadpanned. "You two are a very weird couple."

"We aren't—"

"Yet. Hopes up, Aphrodi! The goddess has you covered."

"Good," you interrupted, hearing the last few words, sounding impatient. "You mind bringing over some chick flicks? I can't eat V-Day chocolates without watching V-Day movies. You can leave 'em outside. Thanks!"

"I have to be honest with you," I gulped, Sokudone-chan, no, the Matchmaker's advice ringing in my ear. "Don't listen to what others say – Valentine's is the best date to confess. The confessee would assume it's the drift of the event that gets the confessor to do it, but it's that same intensity of the day that makes the confession serious and meaningful. Take the leap." You, with your lips starting to smear with brown and red, with your beautiful inquisitive eyes prodding me to continue, with your whole being pulsating with perfection, looked to me with interest and expectation. "I like you, and I want to date you."

I enjoyed celebrating my birthday, and our friends did too.

Sokudone-chan sidled beside me once I was alone, taking dessert from the buffet table. "I take it that you two aren't on speaking terms?" I looked at her and back on my plate. "Does the dessert overdose give it away?"

"What exactly happened on Valentine's?" She pressed, grabbing twice as much sweets as I did. I sighed, glancing at an unaware you chatting with Fubuki-kun about something. "Exactly what you'd predicted. She brushed me off—"

"But she looked unnerved, right?"

"…Yes."

"There you have it," the blackette relaxed. "She's thinking about it, about you – she's thinking, and that's enough."

I turned to the little Kageyama. "It's not enough," I said, "I want her too much, it's not enough."

You never spoke to me at all during that day, and as I retired to bed, my phone let out a buzz that only meant you were the disturbance. "M-moshi moshi?"

"A-ah…hi there."

"Hello." I missed you. I missed hearing your voice. "So, um, whatcha up to?" I smiled to myself. "I'm about to sleep. Not everyone is a night owl like you."

"True, but I just wanted to talk."

I propped up on my elbows. Did I hear you right? "T-talk?" I cleared my throat. "Sure. From ghouls to alternate universes to cooking recipes, I got you covered." Your reply came a little late as I waited. "Haha, yeah. You have everything down…I meant talk about what happened on Valentine's." I collapsed on my bed, my heart suddenly picking up speed as it beat. "I can't answer you immediately, but I'm not trying to give you hope. So…please give me time, and in that time period where I'm thinking about it, I want us to treat each other like we usually do. Is…is that okay?"

Even if you'd said you wanted me to stay as far away from you, to never look at the ground your feet just stepped on, anything would be okay. I just wanted to make you happy.

"Definitely."

"Great," I felt your smile brightening up the darkness of our rooms. "Oh, and Afuro?"

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

Exactly eight months had passed since we talked about the incident. It was December 24th, Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Japan's Christmas Party.

"You look very adorable in those red jumpers, Sokudone-chan," I greeted the little Kageyama as soon as we sat at the back like flies on the wall, waiting for you to come through the door. "Thanks, Aphrodi. You'd look very adorable with her in your arms too." I laughed wistfully. "If only."

Then you entered, together with Fubuki-kun and Kazemaru-kun, but the spotlight was on you. I could only see you among the mess of junior high students flooding with red, white and green. "You're not just going to stare at her, are you?" The little blackette asked me, sipping at her drink gingerly. "You enjoy watching me blush, is that it?" She hadn't even denied it. "Much as I do, I enjoy watching people's emotions escape through their actions. I like candid emotions."

It was that exact moment that you and I made eye contact, and you excused yourself from the conversation, as I had with my "strategy meeting".

"Hello," you greeted, never breaking eye contact with me. You looked serious, and still cute. "Hello."

"You know, I've always thought you were a promiscuous person," I laughed, but my eyes never let go of yours. "I also thought you were very easy on the eyes. Especially your hair. I like your hair the most."

You were straightforward. You were too much for my heart. You had the most alluring eyes. You would never know that – I would never let you know, because you probably would never say yes to me.

"I thought…I thought I liked just your hair. I thought it was normal to stare at pretty people." Suddenly, all I saw was you and me, and the only voice I heard was yours. "It's not…and I like you. It's not just your hair, or your face, but you." I stood in silent shock. Was I hearing you right? Did you just reciprocate these heavy, genuine feelings?

"Say something," you begged, cheeks beginning to match the holiday motif.

"I can't." I whined, as if I'd lost my voice. "Too happy for words."

You blushed harder, until your eyes picked up on something foreign on the side of my face. "What's that hanging in your hair? Is that a clip?" I tried to comb through my locks but found nothing. "No, there's nothing."

"Yes, there is," you pressed, your hand grabbing the object to show me what you'd spotted. "It's good that it didn't mess your ha—"

It was mistletoe.

I thought I went overboard with the word count. But Hiroto's is still the longest. And ugh, this took me days. But I'm very proud of this. I like him now. Hahahaha! Don't forget to leave a comment. :3

OH MY KYOUSUKE. HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN TO POST THIS. SHAME ON ME.

-wanonymous