Title: A Fruity Summer Delight!

Theme: 'Beat the Heat – Challenge'

Author: Rena404

Summary: You know what they say, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade so what do you do when life throws in alot of fruit your way on a hot summer day?

Genre: Friendship/General

Rating: K

Characters: Hino, Amou and Fuyuumi

Hino and Amou had decided to visit Fuyuumi's villa on the weekend. The day in question was a really hot day and they couldn't wait to get to Fuyuumi's place. The heat was scorching!

"Soooo HOT!" Amou grumbled.

"We're almost there, don't worry, Amou chan!" Hino reassured her, though she felt the same. Sure enough, Fuyuumi's villa came in sight a couple of minutes after, breathing a sigh of relief and with a new spring in their step they hurried forward. They were starting to get too sweaty and that was enough to make them irritable. Hino couldn't help but fervently wish for something that would cool them down.

Fuyuumi answered the door quickly, almost as if she was standing near it but who was complaining? Just seeing their beloved kouhai had lifted their moods already. But they weren't prepared for the sight that greeted them when they entered the place. They stood dumbfounded as Fuyuumi stammered in her hastiness and embarrassment to explain the sight before them. There were half a dozen big baskets decorated elegantly with ribbons in the entrance hall and all of them were filled to the brim with fruit!

"I... I'm so sorry you had to see this, senpai. My parents are away on a trip right now and just a few minutes ago some business associates of my father's sent all these as a gift to the family. I was just about to ask the head keeper to store them away but..."

"But what? What is it, Fuyuumi chan?" Hino asked kindly since Fuyuumi seemed a little lost and confused.

"Th.. There's too much! I don't know what to do with all of it! It can't all fit in the refrigrators even if we have more than one. Keeping it outside will make it go bad due to the heat!" Fuyuumi seemed somewhat distressed. "A...Any ideas, senpai?" She looked at them hopefully. Hino and Amou stood speechless for a moment thinking. Amou gazed at the fruit baskets and then...

"I GOT IT!" She suddenly shouted making them jump, "This'll be sooo much fun!" She squealed gleefully.

Ten minutes later they were all chatting excitedly, with sparkling eyes and enthusiastically cutting and chopping the fruit from one of the baskets.

"This was an excellent idea, Amou chan! Making fruit salad! It'll use up A LOT of the fruit if we make lots of it and we can even try making something else! We can even put fruit pieces in icecream to make ice cream sundaes!" Hino exclaimed happily.

"Ohhh! Good idea! Putting mangoes in vanilla icecream sounds good! How about you, Fuyuumi chan? A cherry and chocolate combination doesn't sound bad either!" Amou said excitedly.

"It tastes absolutely delicious!" Hino exclaimed after some hours as the cold, sweet taste of fruit and ice cream melted in her mouth.

"Everything's cold and it feels so good to eat! This is the way to enjoy summer!" Amou shouted in delight as Hino and Fuyuumi laughed, heartily agreeing.