Honmei Choco

[Only by the most subtle strategy could she confess her feelings to him. MikuruxItsuki one-shot]

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya

Not for the first time, Mikuru reached down to touch the handle of the plastic bag she was using. It was Valentines' day, and like many girls and women in Japan, the time traveler was following the tradition of giving Valentine's Day chocolates—mostly of the Giri Choco variety—to her friends. Her hand touched the cold surface of a metal box inside the bag and she sighed in relief. Anxiously, she waited for the bell to ring so she could leave for the clubroom. It was strange; Mikuru actually wanted to go there, instead of dreading what she would have to go through once the time traveler stepped beyond the clubroom door.

Knowing the right locations to acquire what she needed at reasonable prices, it did not take long for Mikuru to finish shopping and return home. Putting away anything she did not need, the time traveler also seized what she required for her enterprise and put her hair up in a bun and tied a kerchief over it, covering her hair. Finally, she put on an apron and rolled up her sleeves. Filling a pot with water, and setting it to boil, Mikuru glanced towards the mixing bowl, the light of determination in her eyes. "Well, let's get started."

The moment the bell rang, she was ready to run out of the room but instead, she kept a natural pace, forcing herself to walk calmly to the clubroom. Perhaps it was due to a number of factors, but time and distance seemed to stretch out before her with every step. All the same, she continued to walk. The worst that could happen… Mikuru didn't finish the thought, not wanting to contemplate on the outcome; otherwise, she'd lose all the courage she had mustered for this moment.

The Time Traveler slid the chocolate bar into the pot and focused once more on the cream she meant to use for the filling. As the recipe indicated, the color was pink, but perhaps because of the fruit used it was darker than most pinks she had seen. In all truth, Mikuru did not like the color that much, but this light reddish-mauve shade of pink was pleasant to look at. Maybe when the time traveler had some spare time, she could look for some cloth in that color and make a cute top or something. Shaking her head free of these thoughts, Mikuru went to check on the chocolate.

She was more than halfway there now, her mind bent on not letting anxiety work itself into her system. The time traveler also tried not to think of his reaction, but it was here that Mikuru failed, recalling the girls whom had been present at his class' representation of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on the day of the culture festival. I bet I won't be the only girl who gave him Honmei Choco… At this, tears threatened to form in her eyes and fall, so the time traveler quickly stomped down this idea, focusing more on the pain emitting from her lower lip.

Now she was at the hardest part of the dish: adding the layer of filling. As though her livelihood depended on it—never mind that she was always cautious about such procedures—Mikuru gently poured and spread the layer of creamy filling over the bottom layer of chocolate. Pausing to make sure there were no errors, the time traveler nodded in satisfaction before repeating the same step with another layer of chocolate. It took two more alternate layers of cream and chocolate before she was done with this step. All that was left now was to follow the last steps of the recipe which explained how to harden the chocolate. She quickly did so, and went off to prepare her Giri Choco for the next day.

Mikuru stopped in front of the clubroom's door, hesitating as she thought, not for the first time, about her foolish behavior. The time traveler knew it was not meant to happen, not only because of the paradoxes such an unprecedented development would cause, but also because they had so little in common except for one thing: they both concealed their real faces from the world. She closed her eyes, gripping the doorknob. After a few seconds, the time traveler felt her hand move in the natural rotation that one's hand did upon turning a doorknob. Opening her eyes, Mikuru pushed the door open and stepped inside the clubroom.

A/N: This is a two part series, the first being in Mikuru's POV and the second in Itsuki's. On Valentines day. girls give dark chocolate to boys. However there are two types: Giri Choco (Obligation chocolates, which you give to acquaintances, work friends, etc.) and Honmei Choco (True Love chocolates, which you give to lovers, intimate friends, etc)