Hanasen was frozen.

She felt her head vibrating and her heart pounding like a bongo drum. It began to hurt.

She gulped when she heard footsteps walking fast towards her.

"MOVE!" Her mind yelled.

She dropped the chair and sprinted to the end of the hallway and down to the stairs. She ran as fast as she could not looking back lest she would be recognized.

"OI!!! MATTE!!!! MATTE!!!! STOP!!!! STOP!!!!"

Hanasen kept running and running. She was approaching the back of the school gym building when she heard,

"OI! HANASEN!! MATTE!!!!"

She stopped. Oh god! This is even worse...I've been identified!" She continued to run behind the building and jumped behind a very large trash bin and crouched herself.

She sat behind the bin and silently prayed, "I'm not here. I'm not here. I'm not here."

"AHA!!!! THERE YOU ARE!!!!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

They both screamed.

"NORIKO?!!!" Hanasen pointed.

"HANASEN???!!!" Noriko pointed.

Hanasen stood up from the ground and proceeded to shake her friend.

"WHY YOU LITTLE.....YOU SCARED ME TO DEATH!!! DO YOU REALIZE YOU GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK HERE??? DO YOU???"

"DO YOU ALSO REALIZE HOW DIZZY I AM RIGHT NOW? YOU MADE ME RUN AFTER YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!!" Noriko looked at her shocked.

"YOU COULD HAVE SAID YOUR NAME!!!" Hanasen pointed at her.

"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD SAY THAT AT SUCH A SITUATION?" Noriko gawked at her unbelievingly.

'WELL YOU COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING ELSE!!!" Hanasen made a fist.

"I SAID YOUR NAME, DUMMY AND YOU STILL KEPT RUNNING LIKE A CHEETAH, YOU TWIT!!!!" Noriko looked at her accusingly.

"TWIT AND A HALF!" Hanasen answered back.

"TWIT AND THREE QUARTERS!!!" Noriko stuck out her tongue.

Both girls were huffing and panting and gasping after all the yelling and running activities they just did.

"Oh....kay.....so what the hell were you doing back there this early?" Noriko frowned.

"I ah.....was......" Hanasen began to fidget for an explanation. Then she shot a glance at Noriko who was taken aback.

"NANI?"

"And may I ask what are YOU doing here also at this time? If I may recall, you're never early for school much less THIS EARLY TOO!"

"Anou.....I was ah......I had to.....ahm......OKAY!!! YOU GOT ME!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?"

"Yeah?" Hanasen raised a brow.

"THAT'S YOUR EXPLANATION!" Noriko nodded and crossed her arms to her chest.

"Ahm.....okay...." Hanasen bowed her head in agreement and.....surrender.

"Okay....your turn." Noriko raised an eyebrow.

"Wha.....??!!" Hanasen jerked her head back.

"So what brings you so early today?" Noriko grinned.

"Same reason." She gulped and replied in a small voice almost a whisper and resumed to bow her head in defeat.

Noriko pulled her hand and moved towards a bench and they sat down.

"So....what did you put there?"

"You mean.....?" Hanasen looked at her incredulously.

"What do you mean....YOU MEAN?"

"Well.....it's a....ahm.....A SECRET!!!"

"A secret?" Noriko gawked.

"Yep!"

"What is it?"

"Nah-uh."

"Yes-ah."

"Nope."

"Yes!"

"Yadda!"

Noriko pinched her. "YOU MEANIE!!!! TELL ME!! It's the least thing you could do after making me chase after you like that!"

"Well....it's also the least you could do for scaring me to death like that!"

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" Noriko was actually tugging her arm repeatedly.

"Alright.....alright....I'll tell you. Geez!"

"Well.....?"

"Only after you tell me what you put in Rukawa's locker too." Hanasen grinned evilly.

Noriko pouted. "It was chocolate."

"And....go on." Hanasen nodded.

"It was a large chocolate egg wrapped in gold wrapping paper encased in a see-through plastic case with his name and my name on it."

"Wow!" Hanasen was amazed.

"Now your turn..."

"Well...okay....but don't laugh okay? It's corny. BUT I MEANT EVERYTHING TO BE SPECIAL, OKAY? SO NO LAUGHING!" Hanasen pouted and pointed.

"Fine...I promise!" Noriko smiled.

And so Hanasen gave the description of her gift as well as their corresponding significance.

"AW!!! THAT IS SOOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!" Noriko glomped her.

"Do you think it would be a dead give-away?"

"No! Of course not! Well....unless he'd put two and two together....maybe.....but THAT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!"

"Now, you're making me nervous..." Hanasen frowned.

"Oh stop it! You can just imagine the look on his face when he sees your adorable gift. Priceless! An absolute KODAK moment!!" Noriko gestured dramatically.

"Yeah...." Hanasen mused and her eyes began to turn glassy. Yeah, if I could only see his reaction.

Noriko looked at her watch.

"Okay...it's beginning to get noisy around here. We better head back to the classroom."

"Hai!"

As they headed back the school building Hanasen nudged Noriko's shoulder.

"Oi! Nani?"

"What guarantee do you have that Rukawa will even notice your present considering the number of rivals you got over him?"

"Well...." Noriko winked. "As you have diligently studied the exact location of Sakuragi's locker...I did some research myself."

"Yeah..."

"The timing of his arrival. I came just early enough to put my gift in his locker so he has no choice but to see mine. The locker was REALLY CROWDED when I opened it. Looks like the girls have placed theirs since yesterday after school."

"Okay...I got that part but HOW EXACTLY SURE are you he will even notice yours first?" Hanasen insisted.

Noriko inhaled and looking proud all of a sudden.

"THAT! My dear Hana-chan is what an extra bag is all about!"

"You don't mean....." Hanasen looked at her shocked and covered her mouth.

"Oh yes!" Noriko winked.

"But where?"

"In Tanaka-sensei's locker, of course." She winked.

"But...."

"Daijobu....I know those rabid girls will be checking out other girls' lockers too and so I hid my extra bag at Tanaka-sensei's since that old fart NEVER checks his locker since he ALWAYS bring everything in that leather bag of his. And NO ONE will check a teacher's locker."

"But he has a key!"

"Nope...it's broken."

"You're shameless! But I must admit you're a freaking genius!" Hanasen shook her head in amazement.

"You're so right, my friend."

"Gyahahahahahahahah! All those delicious goodies in my possession!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!" Noriko cackled evilly which made several students wince and scamper.

"Shaddap, will you?" Hanasen poked her in the back.

"Whoooo-hooo!!!" Noriko gave her a look like she was drunk or something.

"Aren't you even the least bit afraid some of them contain an aphrodisiac?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Well, first....those things are SPECIFICALLY made for HIM...not a HER. It won't work on girls for fear they'd backfire. I've seen that happen last year, so don't worry. Later tonight, we're gonna have a little chocolate party, heheheheh...." Noriko grinned and rubbed her palms together.

"You're the CRAZIEST friend I ever have, Noriko-chan." Hanasen shook her head as they walked back to the classroom.