"March 13th,

Dear Diary,

That dreaded day is growing ever closer and I don't know how I am to approach it. Could it really be only one day away? I fear that I cannot hide out in this room forever. I have duties that I must attend to as Captain, but at the same time, my reservations have been crippling my responsibilities. I can only hope that things will work themselves out without much trouble. Yes, I can only hope.

1st Grand Galactic General of the Bazue Empire,

Cassiel"

Cassiel had been despondent for most of the past month. The Valentine's Day fiasco had left him depressed and his activities were somewhat sluggish compared to the usual valor that he never failed to emanate. The regular workers of the crew were getting concerned about him, wondering if they had somehow upset him with some callous inaction or lack of praise.

Even Princess Velvet could twist no joints to get Cassiel back into fighting spirit. Of course, it was partially her fault that he had gotten like this in the first place. On that Valentine's Day, Velvet came back with a boatload of Valentine's cards and candy from random admirers she'd met on the street during her mission. It really was too much for poor Cassiel.

If there was one thing Cassiel still had energy for, it was avoiding Aster. He'd avoided Aster so much in fact that Aster hadn't even had the chance to brief Cassiel on what he'd learned about the holiday that would very quickly be approaching: White's Day, whatever that was. Apparently it was something Cassiel needed to know about, but he wasn't ever around, only sequestered in his room, working behind a locked door.

Aster and Velvet agreed it would do no one any good to mention this in their feedback reports to Bazue, but if Cassiel didn't shape up soon, they'd have no choice but to give in and ask for reinforcements in the form of other generals, even if they were glory-seeking pigs (a fact most of the crew wasn't keen on mentioning about one of their fellow generals).

When the week of White's Day came, Aster thought it absolutely necessary to bring up the topic, no matter what happened. Perhaps it would be of some use to Cassiel and by proxy bring some life back to the ship.

Late in the evening, Aster walked to the outside of Cassiel's door, waited for a moment and listened for the noise of typing and scribbling, signs that the top general would be inside. Aster heard the furious clacking and knocked.

"Cassiel?"

"Hm?"

"It's Aster."

"I'm aware."

"May I come in?"

"No."

This was typical routine for the past month. Aster usually just left though, suppressing a childish instinct to batter the door until it caved in. He leaned closer.

"But why?"

"I'm working."

"But I have some information that could be very important."

"I have no interest in your information."

Aster had even gone this far a few times in trying to get Cassiel to let him in. The other crew members had tried as well, receiving polite but firm responses from Cassiel to leave him alone. Even Punkin wasn't very successful (especially with his habit of showing up randomly just about anywhere). But none had gotten as far as Aster, who, for some reason, Cassiel treated far more casually.

But Aster hadn't gone any farther until now.

"Cassiel…"

"…"

Aster pressed himself to the door after looking around to make sure no one was in the hall with him.

"…Cassiel…?"

"…"

"Cassiel, please answer me."

"What is it? You know I'm working!"

"White's Day is tomorrow."

The keyboard clacking stopped. Aster closed his eyes and rolled his forehead around on the door.

"That lady in the store we visited told me to tell you about it. She said that if you liked me too, you'd give me something white tomorrow. …That's all I wanted to tell you."

Aster was about the remove his forehead from the door when it swished open, revealing Cassiel standing in uniform, looking livid. Unfortunately, the door went a bit too fast for Aster to retrieve his balance, and he predictably tumbled right into Cassiel, who caught him without thinking about it. Aster looked up from about Cassiel's mid-chest.

"Uh…hi."

"Aster!"

Cassiel half-hurled Aster into the hallway wall behind him. He took three steps and looked down at Aster from the several inches he had on him.

"What on earth do you think you're doing!"

Aster was just dense enough that it worked to his advantage.

"What? Leaning on the door?"

"No, what you were saying!"

Aster leaned up a little, making the inches shrink and Cassiel's threatening stance diminish.

"What are you talking about Cassiel? I just came to tell you about—"

"NO! Don't say it again!"

Cassiel looked around quickly, side to side and up (for Punkin) before grabbing Aster by the upper arms and pulling him backwards into his room. He shut the door, locked it and breathed out while Aster stood in the middle of the room regarding him with some confusion.

Cassiel strolled forward.

"Do you have any idea what you could have just done?"

Aster blinked.

"What?"

Cassiel hissed, glancing sideways towards the door.

"What you were saying outside!"

"What? About White's Day?"

"Yes!"

"What about Whi—"

"Stop."

Cassiel held up his hand and let his mania sink a little. He looked Aster over carefully, trying to sift out deception, malicious intention, or simple foul play. All of these things were thankfully foreign to Aster and Cassiel closed his one visible eye. He seemed very tired all of a sudden. He pointed in direction of his bed.

"Sit."

Aster sat, befuddled. Cassiel sat at his desk chair and turned to face his chamber-mate.

"Are you telling me that you seriously don't understand the gravity of the situation?"

Aster blinked and shook his head. Cassiel rubbed his knees nervously.

"Aster, tell me honestly, what did you intend with that Valentine?"

"What?"

"Your intention, what was it?"

"I don't understand."

Cassiel sighed.

"Like…when you gave it to me, what did you mean by it?"

"Oh…well…"

Cassiel was serious. Aster recollected.

"…when I got to that shop…that lady asked me if I had someone I liked that I could give a Valentine to…"

Aster paused, half-smiling, pulling at the lonely feeling he'd had since the month of isolation had begun.

"And I thought, of all the people I like, I thought you'd like it most! You like earth so much anyways…"

Cassiel tinted a bit, looking at his desk.

"Aster, do you know what Valentines mean?"

Aster scratched his face.

"What, just that you like someone, isn't it?"

"Yes, Aster. That you like someone."

"Yeah?"

"Like, Aster. Like as in a romantic relationship Aster."

All of a sudden it sort of made sense and a very big blush made its way across most of Aster's visible body.

"Ohh…"

"Now you know what I've been dealing with this whole time…"

Aster stood up suddenly.

"So that's why you've been in here!"

Cassiel nodded glumly.

"But…how did you find out about—"

Cassiel gestured to his research log.

"A month ago I wanted to see if what that woman said was true, so I began to look into it. Before I knew it, I'd found everything out…and I had no idea whether you…"

He stopped while Aster fidgeted.

"So you've been in here because you thought I… oh…"

Aster looked crestfallen.

"…I'm sorry Cassiel…I didn't know that you'd been in here because of me…"

"Well…not just you."

"Eh?"

Cassiel stood up and walked to an earth-themed chest of drawers at the other side of the small room. He opened the top drawer and began to remove a few things, clothes mostly and the odd plastic action figure, before bringing a small object into view. He brought it over and handed it to Aster. It was a small pristine white box with white bows.

Aster stared at it.

"Cassiel…it's really pretty…"

"I got Punkin to tie the bows…"

Aster looked up and noticed a very familiar type of blush now encompassing the majority of Cassiel. He took off the lid and stared down at a small white metal pendant. Aster picked it up and noticed it was connected to a silver chain.

"What is it?"

"It's like the string of communicators I wear, but this one is specifically for you."

Aster held up the tear-drop shaped device, letting it swirl and spin in the air before placing it around his neck. He rolled it around his fingers. Cassiel watched him with a small embarrassed smile.

"I got Princess Velvet to order one for me…they're hard to get on short notice…"

As Aster was playing with it he realized its significance and dropped it where it laid on his chest. He suddenly felt as though he'd been let in on a tremendous secret.

"Cassiel."

"What?"

"This is white."

"…Ah…yes."

Aster looked at a nearby earth-shaped clock. It was after earthly midnight.

"Today is White's Day."

"Mm-hm…"

"You even got Punkin to tie the bows."

Aster stared at him, waiting for the other man to confirm, to make sure that this was all real. He couldn't react until he knew for sure what was going on. Cassiel turned around and faced his bedroom door, not wanting to endure Aster's stare.

"…I've thought about this whole thing for the past month…and I guess I was a little more than flattered when I got your Valentine…"

"Cassiel."

He bristled, the voice surprising him. Aster sounded serious, deadly serious.

"Cassiel. Look at me."

Cassiel clenched his gut, preparing for what he'd expected to happen, predicting that Aster probably wouldn't want the necklace when he figured out what it was for. "I shouldn't be surprised" he thought. He turned resignedly, expecting a broody, displeased Aster.

He was not expecting it when Aster launched himself forwards, knocking them both into the door, which malfunctioned and opened, leaving them both sprawled half way past Cassiel's doorframe and half way on the hallway floor. Aster's pendant swung forwards and hit Cassiel on the nose. Aster began laughing.

"I knew there was a reason I gave you that Valentine!"

Cassiel leaned up in shock.

"What? But I thought you—"

Aster lay on Cassiel's chest, happily grinning in a head propped on hands way.

"What? Didn't know about Valentine's Day? No, I didn't. Doesn't mean I still didn't like you though."

Cassiel regarded Aster with disbelief before he laid his head back on the floor and closed his eye. Aster leaned forward, the pendant resting just below Cassiel's chin. He looked contentedly thoughtful.

"Thank you Cassiel…I guess we're both clear now?"

"Clear?"

"About…you and I…and Valentine's and White's Day and everything else?"

"I guess so."

Aster thrummed his fingers on Cassiel's chest.

"…Do you think we could go on earthly date then?"

Cassiel's head snapped back up.

"What?"

"I heard some younger couples talking about it…on the last mission…"

Cassiel let his head fall hard again to the floor.

"…I'm going to get a headache if I keep getting surpr—"

He would have finished that sentence too had he not opened his eye and noticed General Punkin standing upside down and watching them from the ceiling. Aster followed Cassiel's gaze. Velvet thought she heard screams down the hall. She assumed that Cassiel would finally be out of his room now.

A/N:

Yay! Another chapter. And the last to my knowledge. It was meant as a two-shot anyway.

It makes me happy that I've actually finished a holiday related story and posted it on time.

Also, something I noticed…I don't know where Aster's conscience is during all of this. I assume he couldn't take it with him on his earth-based missions due to the fact it's a floating, talking puffer-fish, but in the ship, I can't speak for its whereabouts. Let's say it was watching old reruns of Gundam with Velvet. We all know that's what she was doing.

Valentines are apparently far more serious in outer space than they are here on earth. They're a big deal.

I love Punkin. He makes me so happy. Please read Heroes Are Extinct! Most of this won't make much sense unless you do. Anyway.

Thank you for reading and please review! PLEASE review! Reviews make my day better.