Chocolate Lament by xxHanabi

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"Valentine?!" Hihara-senpai cried, "F-F-For me?!"

His entire face was beet red, and I thought it was incredibly cute as I said, "Of course silly! You didn't know it was Valentine's Day?"

He laughed and said, "Of course I knew! It's just, I didn't expect to get a Valentine's from Kaho-chan!" I smiled and handed him the small box that was wrapped in bright yellow paper and yellow-green ribbons. Hihara-senpai ran off to Yunoki-senpai just as he got out of his car, waving the box around in front of the Local Prince's face.

I color coordinated each box, and as a little personal joke, and put only dark chocolate in Tsukimori-kun's box. I thought it was a funny little implication, and I couldn't resist adding it.

Speak of the devil! Tsukimori-kun!

I froze and saw that he'd just turned away a box of chocolate's from another girl, who looked as if she'd cry when she walked away at top speed. I wondered what he would do when I gave him his. I slid the blue box back into my bag and decided to wait for the heat of Valentine's to wear off, and see if he'd be a little more generous in accepting gifts later on in the day.

I turned around and sweatdropped to see Yunoki-senpai being swarmed by a wave of girls, all of them holding things like roses, huge boxes of chocolates, and stuffed animals, screaming, "YUNOKI-SAMA!!"

I slid the purple box back into my bag as well. I tried to scope out for Tsuchiura-kun, but I couldn't find him anywhere in the courtyard at all. I suspected he must've been at soccer, so I decided that I'd give it to him later in the day.

I opened up my bag and counted, "Two for Mio and Nao- I'll give that to them in class, one for Tsukimori-kun- Later. One for Yunoki-senpai..." I looked up and still saw only the girls trying to reach Yunoki-senpai first and shook my head, "Later. One for Fuyuumi-chan, and one for Shimizu-kun. Ah, and one for Kanazawa-sensei!"

I sat down on a bench and watched Valentine's being exchanged and people walking around discussing what they were getting for Yunoki-senpai. I wondered what Yunoki-senpai did with all the chocolate's he got! I smiled to myself as I let my imagination roam, before a sharp voice cut through my thoughts.

"You look pleased." A voice that certainly didn't sound pleased muttered.

I looked up and saw a disgruntled Tsukimori-kun, who sat down beside me. He seemed to have left his violin in the practice room, saving it from the rush of girls.

"You don't." I replied with a giggle, and his glare only intensified.

"Happy Valentine's day, Tsukimori-san!" A girl with short brown hair presented Tsukimori-kun a small heart-shaped box.

"No thank you."

One could practically hear the lone wind howling, blowing cold snow all around the three of us, his voice was so cold.

"Tsukimori-kun, you can't decline a gift!" I berated, moving the blue box further to the bottom of my bag.

"Where would I put 20-odd boxes of sweets I haven't the time to eat?"

I sighed and put my hand to my forehead. It was a lost cause.

"Ah, Tsuchiura-kun!" You could practically see Tsukimori-kun's dark aura triple in range when I uttered the word. He seemed to really despise Valentine's Day, but even more, Tsuchiura-kun!

I dug through my bag and held out a light green box with forest green ribbons, grinning as I said, "It matches!"

Tsuchiura-kun ran a hand through his dark green hair and laughed, "I guess so! Thanks for the Valentine, this is the first one I've gotten all day!"

"Ehhh?? That's surprising! I'm sure you'll get lot's more, just a little patience, huh?" We laughed but Tsuchiura-kun stopped short, glancing at Tsukimori-kun.

"How about you?" He asked, almost as if competing, "Any valentines for you?"

I answered for Tsukimori-kun, who looked positively vengeful, saying, "He's declined most of his gifts."

Tsuchiura-kun looked as surprised as I'd been when I saw it, "That's cold, even if you don't like chocolate, you should still accept them. I'd expected better from a bocchama like you." The word 'bocchama' came our sarcasticly, "You even declined Hino-san's valentine? Or," He smirked, "Did you not get one?"

Tsukimori-kun's glare tripled in intensity, the dark aura around him now flaming as if black flames were reaching out to strangle the life out of Tsuchiura-kun.

"Valentine's Day is a pointless holiday."

That settled it. Tsukimori-kun was a demon on Valentine's Day.

"So, who else are you giving valentines to?" Tsuchiura-kun began his streak of ignoring the blue haired monster, "Me, and?"

"Hihara-senpai, Yunoki-senpai, Shimizu-kun, Fuyuumi-chan, Mio, and Nao." I listed.

The warning bell rang and a wave, much like the girls who had surrounded Yunoki-senpai earlier, of students flooded into the halls to reach their classrooms, including me and Tsuchiura-kun, Tsukimori-kun walking over to the other side of Seiso Academy.

After a few minutes without the creepy frustration that radiated off of Tsukimori-kun, my mood couldn't be dampened, as I presented a sleepy Shimizu-kun with his yellow wrapped box, tied together with white ribbon.

"Thank...you." He said with a smile, accepting the box before I hurried back into my classroom, where Mio and Nao were already munching on the chocolate wafer's that rested in the two boxes I'd given them the minute I'd saw them. The day seemed to be practically rushing by me, and I felt as if I hadn't frowned at all for the entire day!

All through class, not a single student seemed to be paying attention, and even I wasn't, simply daydreaming about a story that had popped up in my head. But the romance story that was unlike me, and more like Mio in all aspects. I was interrupted however, when the PA system called, "Would the participants of the intra-school concours please report to the faculty room?"

I blinked and stood up, looking to my teacher who nodded. Gathering my things, I hurried out of the room and very quickly found myself standing with now familiar faces.

"Okay then..." Kanazawa-sensei was saying as he tapped his chin with a long finger, "Everyone's here? Well, all I've really got to tell you is that the next selection is going to be delayed a week because it seems as if a skunk made it's home on the stage, so it doesn't smell all too pleasant. They need some time to clear out the smell, so the next selection will be pushed 'til later in the month."

Nod's all around the room.

"And that's it." Kanazawa-sensei said.

"If that was it, then why the need to pull us out of class?" Tsuchiura-kun asked with a sigh.

"Most kids like missing class." Kanazawa-sensei raised an eyebrow, but continued nonetheless, "But what I really needed to call you in for was..." He turned around and dug around his bag, "It seems as if I've gotten at least 30 girls come up to me today asking 'Will you give this to so-and-so' for me?"

He returned with a pile of chocolates and scattered them on the table. At least half of them were addressed to Tsukimori-kun.

"I don't want them." Tsukimori-kun stated blandly.

Kanazawa-sensei didn't seem to care quite as much as me and Tsuchiura-kun had, shrugging and saying, "Well, I guess I'll set 'em off one week at a time. Yunoki, you've got a few from some shyer girls too. So basically, pick out the one's that are yours and leave."

~ + ~

I pulled the bow taut against the D-string, making sure the last note rang out clear and clean. It was a soft and quiet piece, simpler then simple, and composed by some no-name modern day composer. The perfect etude for a warm-up, as the notes danced from low to high, long to short, loud to soft.

Even though it had already been a stressful day, I still played as well as ever. If I let something like stress get to me like Hino-san, then I wouldn't be as great a violinist as I was. Lowering the bow, I sighed and shook my head. It's not like I had left this morning to be swamped by chocolates. So why did I even care?

I clenched my frail wood in my fist and grit my teeth. I knew for sure that I didn't like Hino-san like that. But it still bothered me that she'd given a valentine to everyone in the concours but me. I set my violin back in its case, reasoning that I was the person she knew the least who was participating in the concours, and, I was her direct rival.

Wait. No! I shouldn't have even had to reason with myself on this! I don't even like chocolate!!

I slapped my forehead in frustration, snapping the violin case shut and pulling it off the desk to leave. I wasn't about to stick around to watch ten girls peering through the window in the door across from my practice room, trying to get a glimpse of Yunoki-senpai practicing.

I wrenched the door open, and righted my posture and expression, at once, so that nobody- not even those girls that could never mean more to me then Tsuchiura. And that was an insult. When I felt as if most of the heat in my face had disappeared, I proceeded to leave.

I stopped short, however, and realized that Hino-san was standing there, watching the girls crawl all over the door that looked just about ready to cave in.

"Hino-san?" I addressed her in a calm, even voice that I was amazed I could muster. But she seemed to be a little more embarrassed then I was, as she jumped sky high in surprise.

"Tsu-Tsu-Tsukimori-kun!!" She stammered incredibly fast.

"What are you doing?" I asked, following her gaze to the door that was creaking against the weight of at least a dozen girls.

Hino-san sighed and said, "I was hoping I could give Yunoki-senpai his valentine before I went home, but every time I see him... well, I don't really see him, more like a big dog-pile of girls. You'd think they'd have all given him their valentines by now."

It was silent for a long time, before I said coldly, "You're in the way." To the girls who turned around with annoyed glare's on their face.

Naturally, not a single glare could match the intensity of mine, and they reluctantly moved. Slowly. And very hesitantly. She thanked me and asked me if I would wait for just a second. I was surprised- and, I'm ashamed to say, hopeful, but I agreed to wait as she presently Yunoki-senpai with her valentine.

If I hadn't been standing there, I was positive those freakish fangirls would've eaten Hino-san alive because Yunoki-senpai accepted her gift with such a bishounen smile that even someone like myself could see the sparkles floating about his head.

"Thank you for the chocolates, Hino-san!" He called after her as she left. The door barely missed her when the demon girls slammed it shut again, as if she'd suddenly turn around and give Yunoki-senpai another gift.

"Sorry for the wait!" She apologized upon her return, even though she'd only been gone for about three minutes, held up only by Yunoki-senpai's excessive gratitude. I ended up walking her to the statue of whatever-that-was outside in the school courtyard, where the scene seemed exactly the same as in the morning- though, thankfully, Tsuchiura-free.

"I know you don't really like valentines," Hino-san started, and I glanced at her, keeping my face indifferent and my gaze the usual expressionless stare.

"I did get you a valentine... B-But if you don't want it that's okay too!!" Hino-san added quickly.

I sighed, "It makes no difference."

Hino-san looked taken aback, and paused for a full minute, thinking about what that meant. She handed me the box I'd been thinking about since the start of practice, wrapped in light blue paper with dark blue polka dot's. The black ribbon that held the lid tight to the contents was done in a neat bow, and I sweatdropped at how positively girly it looked.

"...Thanks." I managed to spit out without sounding too cold, and without killing my expression.

Hino-san smiled, "You're welcome!"

And so I left her there, walking home and wondering what I would do with the contents. I hadn't lied earlier, I truly disliked sweets, and chocolate was the candy amongst candy. And I wasn't so cold hearted that I'd throw away a gift I've accepted, even if I was willing to reject a gift. I shook my head with a sigh, but stopped short.

Wait. Did this mean I had to give Hino-san a gift on White Day?

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• Layout © Kaitou Icery
• Maintained by Kaitou Icery
• La Corda D'Oro characters and series © Yuki Kure, Koei, and Lala
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