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Nanami climbed the steps to the shrine quietly, paper shopping bag in hand. She hoped Tomoe hadn't minded her 'going out for dinner' with friends, or that he wouldn't particularly notice how long she'd been out. She had friendship chocolates ready to go for the next day, and Kei had agreed to help her hide the one chocolate that had to stay hidden. Her plans for Valentine's Day were set. Now she just had to avoid seeming suspicious.
She slid the front door open and slipped off her shoes, quietly calling, "I'm home!"
Tomoe's ears sprang up and he paused his scrubbing as he wiped down the counters for what had to have been the fifth time that evening. Unfortunately, it hadn't stopped him from fretting over Nanami and whatever she was up to. After all, she'd been so vague about her plans, and she and her friends had been giggling all day, huddled together in a corner and whispering.
Dropping the rag, he tried not to rush into the adjacent room, but no matter how calm he behaved, there was an air of urgency to his movements. "I had begun to wonder if I ought to look for you," he droned, masking his anxiety with his ever-present rudeness.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Tomoe." She smiled sweetly to him, lifting her shopping bag by way of explanation. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so I had to get chocolates for everyone. Of course, everyone else left it until the last minute too, so the shops were all pretty busy!"
His ears twitched. He'd heard their fellow students discussing this Valentine's Day, but he hadn't cared enough to pay attention to the details. Humming, he asked, "What is this Valentine's Day? And what do chocolates have to do with it?"
"Oh! Um..." She avoided eye contact, heading to the kitchen to slide the bag of chocolates into the fridge. "Well, it's a day that women and girls give out chocolates to their coworkers, friends, family, and, um, especially to the ones they like."
Tomoe watched her, brow creasing in confusion as she scuttled into the kitchen and kept her back to him. "Why?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "And why is it only the women?"
"Oh, there's White Day; that comes later!" she chirped. "The men give return gifts then. So it all evens out before long." She shut the fridge and turned to him with a smile, then found she still couldn't hold his eye and quickly moved to get herself a glass of water instead. "So you don't have anything to worry about. Just keep track of who gives you chocolate tomorrow so you can give return gifts later, okay?"
At this, he scowled. "Why would I give gifts to random people? It makes no sense unless that person means something to you." Here, he crossed his arms over his chest, annoyance tightening his throat, though he wasn't yet sure why.
"Oh, it's just sort of a politeness thing, really..." She hummed. "Although of course, sometimes it's about genuine connection."
She thought of the chocolates she'd bought for Mizuki and the shrine spirits and wondered about the timing of gifting them. It would probably lead to an awkward moment if she gave them out before Tomoe's, but if she waited until after, it might place more importance on their gifts than intended. She wasn't sure how that night would go.
Blushing, she suddenly said, "I'd better go wash up. Sorry I was late!" With that, she dashed off towards her room to get her things and take a bath.
Tomoe watched her rush off, finding her behavior more than odd. For some reason, she seemed nervous, on edge, like there was something she wasn't telling him. What that could be, he couldn't quite say. All he knew was that somehow, through all the centuries, gift-giving had shifted from a proposal to one's intended to being this chaotic free-for-all. He shuddered.
Unfortunately, he couldn't gain any more perspective that evening. Because after she'd showered, Nanami had holed up in her room, laying low. And Mizuki? Well, the snake was so sheltered he didn't even know what chocolate was. By the next morning, Tomoe was still puzzling over it, significantly grumpier than he'd been the night before.
Walking into the classroom that morning, he could tell the vibe was off. An excited energy zinged through the room, centering around a certain tengu's desk. The crowd of girls was thicker than ever, and Tomoe could see the mountain of presents even from where he stood. His jaw unhinged, his brows knitting together.
Marching up, he asked Kurama, "What is this?"
"Don't you know?" Kurama was in his element, basking in the attention of approximately half the school. "It's Valentine's Day. All the girls are confessing to the one they like." Kurama stood, leaning over piles of chocolates to speak to Tomoe in a low voice. "I guess that means no chocolate from Nanami for you, huh? Maybe next year... If she didn't set her eyes on someone else first!"
Tomoe's eyebrows shot up, his mouth opening and closing. "Nanami said everyone was given gifts," he replied, his eyebrow twitching. "You mean to tell me it is exactly as it was in the old days? That it is a way to state one's intentions?"
"Oh, there are levels of chocolates," Kurama purred. "You go to the store and buy some cheap ones for acquaintances — politeness chocolates. You get some for your friends, maybe they're a bit nicer or more aligned to their tastes. But there's one kind of chocolate that's just like what you're thinking of." He shot Tomoe a cocky grin. "She told me she'd give me my chocolate after school today. But it seems like you don't have plans like that with her, do you?"
Tomoe's gaping stare morphed into a deep scowl. That foul bird! Heat rushed to his head along with all the blood in his body and he couldn't help the small growl that rumbled in the back of his throat. "She has promised chocolates to you? Why would she do such a thing for such a pathetic tengu when I am the one by her side?"
"Heh. Seems like she sees you as more of a servant than anything else," Kurama jeered, reveling in Tomoe's obvious jealousy. "Too bad for you!"
Of course this wretched tengu would take every opportunity to insert himself. And if Tomoe's tail had been showing, it would've been thrashing about in great displeasure. Before he could drag Kurama off to properly squabble, however, the door slid open and Nanami stepped into the room. Tomoe couldn’t help but notice that she looked extra radiant, and he was caught between admiring her and bristling at the thought of her canoodling with Kurama.
"Good morning!" Nanami cheerfully greeted her friends by the door.
Ami squeaked and pulled Nanami closer to her, her eyes wide. “Nanami! I’m so glad you’re here!” Worry etched over her face, and she dropped her voice, whispering frantically. “Should I give Kurama the chocolate now? There are a lot of girls… Maybe it’d be better to wait until later?”
“Ah…” Nanami glanced over at the throng of girls swarming around Kurama’s desk, all while he basked in the attention, glowing. Before she could give a proper answer, though, Ami started talking rapidly, debating with herself whether or not she should try now or if she’d lose her nerve.
Annoyance flared within Tomoe as Nanami’s attention was diverted. Of course, her pink-haired friend had to take this opportunity to babble about how wonderful Kurama was, and it only served to sharpen the edge inside of him. He huffed, glowering at Kurama a moment longer before his gaze shifted to Nanami. A pout pursed on his lips.
"What is so great about that bird?" he grumbled under his breath.
Kurama didn’t so much as blink at this comment. Instead, he laughed again and looked away from Tomoe, grinning at the rest of the girls. Suddenly, they had all of his attention.
Nanami caught Tomoe's eye very briefly and quickly averted her gaze, going pink. Ami's nervous chatter was so bubbly and sweet, but the look Tomoe was giving her made her want to hide. Instead, she turned and whispered to Ami, “I think you should do it. You really want to, yeah?”
A sigh left Kei. “Yeah, Ami,” she encouraged, “if you have to wait all day you’ll only get more nervous.” Here, she frowned lightly. “Just don’t give your heart away too easy! It’s tough being with such a popular guy. Momozono would know.” She gave Nanami a pointed look.
At Kei’s comment, Nanami glanced at Tomoe’s desk, where a mountain of presents were stacked. Well, he was a good looking guy, she thought with a little sigh. Unlike Kurama, it didn’t seem like he was that interested in them — that was, if he’d even noticed.
“Never mind, I don’t think that should stop you!” Nanami said cheerily, doing her best to build Ami up. “Kurama can act like that sometimes, but he’s pretty nice, right? It’s just a stage persona.”
Ami’s eyes enlarged. “He is really nice! He’s always been so kind to me!” Here, she darted a nervous glance towards Kurama and his adoring fans. “I think…maybe I should wait. He’s really busy…”
There they all went, chattering incessantly about Kurama, just like the rest of the class, Tomoe thought, his heart sinking like a stone. Feeling like his soul had died, he slunk to his desk. Since there was clutter obstructing him, he swept it clean before he sat at his desk, propping his cheek in a hand, mouth open and eyes blank. What a rotten day this was. Apparently, it was important to the humans to give chocolates to their lovers, and yet here he was, not getting any attention at all while the tengu was fawned all over — and by Nanami too!
It made no sense, he thought, staring straight through Nanami, her blushing cheeks and glowing smile making his stomach sour. She had saved his life, she had kissed him, she had promised herself to him. And now she completely ignored him! He huffed and turned his gaze to the side, unable to watch any longer.
It was clear to Nanami that Tomoe was irate, but there was no time to correct misunderstandings, because the teacher called attention and everyone took their seats. Nanami slid into her desk next to Tomoe’s, but he refused to look at her, instead glaring at the wall. Great, Kurama’s usual drama had gotten to him. The tense atmosphere was almost suffocating, but there was nothing she could do while the teacher took attendance.
Nanami sighed through her nose. It looked like it’d have to wait until after school. She could only hope that Tomoe’s bad mood would evaporate by the end of the day.
—
The rest of the day went by in a blur, and Nanami’s nerves built every time she glanced at Tomoe. They had come so far together, and just a week ago she'd felt a little silly even planning this whole thing, but now it felt so important. Especially since he didn’t shake his funk, not even a little. He kept glancing at Kurama, stabbing him with his eyes, scarcely talking unless he was spoken to.
When the bell finally rang and everyone got up to chat or catch someone in the halls or leave, Nanami tossed her obligatory chocolates onto Kurama's desk, deciding that was safer than giving them to him privately. "Sorry, I'm in a rush!" she called to him, smiling. Kurama just sighed and waved, turning away from her as the girls who hadn't gotten a chance before rushed forward to hand him their chocolates.
Kei pulled Nanami and Ami over to her desk and pulled out the boxes they'd decorated together the night before. "Here's yours, and here's yours, Ami. Are you ready? Now or never."
"I know." Ami's lips trembled. "I – I have to just do it! Right?"
"Whether you manage or not, let's celebrate tomorrow, okay?" Nanami patted her back. "If Kurama isn't right for you, then you'll find someone else someday."
Ami smiled warmly. "Thank you. And good luck with yours, too!"
"Thanks." Nanami grinned and stepped back, hiding her chocolate behind her back while she searched the classroom for Tomoe.
As usual, Tomoe's gaze had never left Nanami. His eyes followed her as she flitted about the classroom, first dumping a box on Kurama's desk and then congregating with her friends. But his mind wouldn't let go of that one detail — that Nanami had given Kurama chocolates. It seemed like Kurama hadn’t been bluffing after all. And that? It made him burn from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
That was it, he decided, his jaw flexing. He wouldn't give the tengu a chance to woo Nanami. He grabbed his bag and stomped up the row to where Nanami was standing. Glowering, he reached for her arm and said in sharp tones, "Let's go."
Nanami let him grab her wrist and followed him easily, but she knew that tone wasn't a happy one. She was sure if his tail was out, it would be lashing behind him. Had giving Kurama even just an obligatory chocolate in front of him been a bad idea after all?
"Tomoe?" she asked gently. "What's bothering you?"
A punctuated huff left him, and he flicked an aggravated glance in her direction. "You told me what this gesture means to humans, but Kurama said it is an expression of love." He exhaled in a rush again, a painful twinge tugging at his heart. "You have given the tengu chocolates right in front of my nose. And yet not that long ago, you were telling me how much you loved me."
She pouted a little, staring up at him. She couldn't help being just a little annoyed that Tomoe would just believe Kurama over her, especially since he knew Kurama was going to goad him at any given opportunity. But then, understanding what he was feeling made her want to throw her arms around him instead.
How could someone like Tomoe ever doubt what she felt?
"It's like I said. You give chocolates to people you work with and friends, and whatever you think of him, Kurama has been a friend. Even if he still takes the opportunity to tease you when he gets it. So I wasn't confessing to him. Those are different than the chocolates that girls give the ones they like."
A tiny growl rumbled in Tomoe's throat. Her story had been consistent, and deep down he knew she cared for him; after all, who else would've risked her life to go back into the past to save him? And yet to think of someone else getting attention from her, no matter how small, rubbed him the wrong way. It hadn't been that long since he'd realized his own love for her, and now he only wanted to make up for that lost time.
"It still irritates me," he grumbled, descending the final flight of stairs with her. If his ears had been showing, they would've been pinned back. "I could get chocolates from every girl in this school, and it would mean nothing to me. I do not even care about this holiday. But that tengu is getting your attention!"
All at once, the mood shifted, and Nanami forced herself not to giggle. Did Tomoe even realize he was being romantic? Either way, he was definitely sincere, and it warmed her heart. "Did you think I forgot about you? I was hoping to catch you after school.” Here, her smile softened, her eyes shining. “Do you mind taking a different route home with me?"
At this, Tomoe blinked, staring down at her with a slack jaw. "Well..." He coughed once and averted his gaze. "You have to admit that when one does not receive the gift first, it does not look promising." Here, he dared to meet her eyes again, his face a little pink. With a sigh, he nodded. "I suppose a different route is fine. You are with me anyway, so you will be safe."
Nanami gave him a tender smile. She offered him the hand not occupied with hiding chocolates. "Great! Then let's go!"
Dazed, he took her hand, no longer leading but following her. He had no idea where they were going or what she had in mind, but he had to admit he was a little curious. Her hand felt so warm in his, and her sunny smile only made him feel lighter, the softness easing his earlier heartache.
"Where are we going?" he asked. "Not to the aquarium, I hope?" A half smile twitched at the corner of his mouth and he quickly tried to stifle it.
"Not the aquarium," she giggled, squeezing his hand gently. "It's not much. But there is a place I wanted to show you. I'm glad it's not too cold today."
Tomoe hummed questioningly. Either the place she was taking him to was outside or it had ice cream. He wasn't sure what she had in mind — after all, he'd already accompanied her all throughout Kawagoe. "As long as it does not involve the snake or the tengu," he said with a tiny pout. "I very much so want you all to myself."
"I wanted someplace private too," she admitted, "No interruptions, just us two."
From there, the walk wasn't too long, and the wind was still. It had been almost unseasonably warm, much to her delight. Some plants had begun to spout and bud and bloom. She would've liked cherry blossoms, something to mirror exactly that night she'd told him she was his, but it wasn’t the season for them.
She led him down a small street to an even smaller park. What the park lacked in size, however, it made up for in an abundance of plum blossoms. She pulled him in and they were surrounded in pink branches, nestled into a quiet space. She looked at Tomoe, heart beating faster, and revealed the small brown box she'd tied with a pink ribbon. "Yesterday, I didn't just go shopping for chocolates. I also made one especially for you."
As soon as Tomoe had seen the park, a very old memory resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. Him and Nanami, in the cherry blossom grove, her sweet lips promising him that the day would come where she would be his. All at once, he was very glad that she'd waited until now to show her affection for him, because this sort of thing wouldn't do at school.
His excitement spiked as she held out the box to him, already anticipating what might be inside. She'd said it was just chocolate, but it didn't feel like that was all there was to it. Wordlessly, he accepted the box and undid the ribbon. And when he saw what was inside, his heart soared.
Be mine. It echoed the same sentiment he'd told her from back in those days, when he'd wanted to take her as his bride. Now she reciprocated, and he couldn't have been happier. Right away, he pulled her into his arms.
"Of course I will be yours, dear Nanami," he said, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Did I not already make that clear? That I would wait to take you as my bride when the time came?"
Nanami hadn't expected him to sweep her into his arms, but she was happy to return his embrace and lean in close. Whatever she'd been worried about, she hadn't expected such a strongly positive reaction. Her heart fluttered at his answer and she laughed in pure delight.
"Yes. I remember it too!" She closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest, blushing at the reminder of his promise. If a simple Valentine's chocolate brought them this much joy, she couldn't wait for the day their proposal came. "I love you, Tomoe."
"And I love you." A golden glow filled him from head to toe, and he couldn't help but grin, squeezing her a little tighter. It felt so good to hold her, to feel her close, to know that she was his — and he was hers too. Overcome by emotion, he said, "I am overjoyed that the waiting is over and that you feel the same as I do. I will be glad to marry you."
Nanami's eyes snapped open. Marry...?
She hugged Tomoe a little more tightly as her heart raced. So he'd misunderstood. But it wasn't as if her love for him was uncertain, and she knew now that he loved her and had always loved her. It was still a bit early for a wedding, but for a proposal... Why not?
Overwhelmed with good feelings and a wave of other emotions, Nanami relaxed her hold on him and let a few tears fall past a smile so strong it almost hurt. "...We should wait until we've graduated for the ceremony, but I'm so happy, Tomoe... I'm so happy..."
After five hundred years, Tomoe had to admit he was fairly impatient to start the rest of their lives. But what was another year in the grand scheme of things? Their bond was the same, and she'd shown him today how deeply her love for him ran.
"Of course — anything you want," he replied. "I will love you until you are sick of me." Here, his smile wavered slightly as he recalled the events of that day, how he'd even worried for one second about Kurama. It couldn't have felt good for her either, so he dropped his voice, speaking lowly in her ear. "I am sorry for my outburst earlier. I was worried when Kurama said those things about you..."
Nanami giggled. That moment felt so far away now, and so small in comparison to what had just happened, but Tomoe had given her a real apology for it, and she was delighted. He'd come so far. They had come so far together.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, gently tugging him a little closer. "Thank you, Tomoe. I hope you don't worry what anyone says anymore, now that you know I'll always be yours."
His smile flickered over his mouth anew, lighting from an ember to a radiant glow. "I will do my best, even if I want to keep you all to myself." He pulled back enough to look at her, to gaze into her eyes. "I will be forever yours as well."
With that, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to Nanami's, the contact gentle and sweet. Valentine's Day might not be his favorite holiday, but having the love of his life by his side made this particular one the best day ever.