Sakura Trick and all it's characters are the property of Tachi and Studio Deen. Holding the show in highest regard, I hope to show one AU future that would prove a fitting happily-ever-after. I hope you enjoy.

Any and all constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated.

Sakura Trick: The Girl with the Puppydog Eyes

By RedDawnRocker

"We need to do something special that only the two of us can do"

Those were the words young Yuu Sonoda heard her best friend, Haruka Takayama whisper shyly in her ear. At the time, she had no clue what her dear Haruka meant but the words that followed caused poor Yuu to choke on the chewing gum in her mouth.

'I couldn't have just heard what I thought I did', Yuu thought to herself repeatedly at a speed faster than the blink of an eye, 'There's no way she'd ask that. It's probably just my imagination...right?'.

"Well?", Haruka glared with those puppydog eyes that could make Yuu do whatever she asked whenever she asked without a moment's hesitation, "What do you think?".

"About what?" Yuu questioned while trying to contemplate what it was exactly her friend had asked. 'There's no way it could be what I thought I heard' she thought to herself.

"If you don't want to, it's okay..." Haruka responded with the disappointment of a child who woke Christmas Morning to find all the toys she wished for had been replaced by socks and underwear.

Yuu hated to see that look on her best friend's face. She never liked seeing Haruka disappointed in anything at all; she was very over-protective of her it seemed. She remembered once when a new manga came out. Despite the fact of being exhausted from mid-terms, she dropped everything to go with Haruka to the Manga Store over an hour away only to find they had sold out. She would accompany Haruka on a four-hour trek to find the manga she desired, all due to those puppydog eyes Haruka had a tendency to flash her way. At the end it was Haruka's smile that made it all worthwhile (Everything just seemed so perfect when she saw that smile).

'What was the name of that manga, again' Yuu tried hard to remember but no matter how hard she tried she hit a cerebral impasse that made the toughest police roadblock look pale in comparison. 'I'll remember later' she thought, knowing the odds were probably not in her favor considering the bad memory that made her an average student compared to that of her genius of a best friend. It wasn't the manga that really mattered that day anyway, just that smile and those puppydog eyes. 'Something Blue Flowers' Yuu tried to recall, only to once again get lost in those deep brown eyes.

"Of course I want to..." Yuu proudly bellowed, not quite knowing what she had just agreed to, but at the same time knowing all too well she didn't want to disappoint the girl with the puppydog eyes.

"Okay then..." Haruka responded with an air of nervousness that made the situation even more awkward than it already was. Haruka leaned in, her quivering lips just inches from Yuu's. Yuu began to realize that she had, in fact, heard Haruka right the first time. The words began to echo in her head as her mind grew blank and her body numb in anticipation ... "Let's share a kiss", She recalled at the exact moment Haruka's moist red lips touched hers.

The kiss was both ethereal and electric. Haruka took Yuu's hands into her own, fingers entwined as lovers often instinctively do. Yuu didn't fight the feeling and let her body, soul and heart melt into her best friend's kiss. What had been just an instant felt like an eternity to young Yuu, who never in her wildest dreams would've thought she'd freely give her first kiss to another girl. Her body began to quiver as she felt Haruka's firm young body pressed against her own. As if magic, a strong wind blew a small storm of Sakura leaves through the window of the empty classroom they had locked themselves in. Time would stand still as they would find themselves lost in each other's eyes, and lips, for a magical moment that seemed an eternity. It would be another long moment of contemplation over what had just happened before either girl would attempt to speak. Haruka would be first to break the wall of silence, returning to the reality of what they had just experienced.

"That was...nice" Haruka whispered with a somewhat satisfied smile wondering if it had meant as much to Yuu as it had herself. For the longest time she wanted to do it but was afraid to ask. 'Would Yuu hate me if I asked' was the thought that seldom appeared on her mind until this very day when she'd secure the courage to speak her mind. She didn't have to wait long for her answer.

"I...I guess.." Yuu blushed as she tried to regain use of her tongue which seemingly went numb sometime in the middle of the kiss.

"You didn't like it?" Haruka asked, flashing those same puppydog eyes Yuu had just now realized were something worth fearing. She knew not only could they get her to do things she didn't want to do but now, it seemed, they possessed the ability of sodium pentothol. She had often seen it used as truth serum in gangster films and spy movies but often scoffed at it being a load of malarkey. Now, seeing the effect Haruka's big brown eyes had on her, herself, she began to wonder how those spies ever fought the drug. She wanted to spill her most important secret of the moment without a moment's hesitation.

"I...I wouldn't mind trying it again...if you'd like" Yuu muttered in a quiet, shy tsundere sort of way.

Haruka couldn't help but giggle inside knowing fully well what the girl in front of her was actually thinking. Yuu was an open book to Haruka and on days like this Haruka was glad of that fact. 'She liked it, too' Haruka thought to herself as a big smile crept upon her lips.

'Here goes...' Haruka thought as she leaned in, closing the gap between her and the blonde blushing beauty before her. She was slightly surprised that Yuu was leaning in her direction as well. Her shallow breathing sent a nervous chill up Haruka's spine. As their lips met a second time, Yuu began to hear the ticking of the clock more clearly than ever. It'd be a moment before she'd realize what she was hearing was actually the doki doki of her own heart, not just some cheap second hand counting time. It was a comforting thing to hear since she was pretty sure at the moment their lips met that her heart must've stopped or at least skipped a beat. Neither girl wanted the kiss to ever end. In some ways it never did.

Yuu Sonoda couldn't help but reminisce about that special day. Six years had passed since that first kiss. A lot had changed in her life since then, but some things have remained the same, she thought to herself watching the row of jets lining up to take flight into the deep blue sky from the large panoramic window before her. The Heathrow airport lobby was crowded but for the young girl it was as if no one else was around but herself and her very, very pleasant memories of the past; soon she would find herself lost in a much more recent thought.

'From Japan all the way to the U.K.' Yuu thought to herself. 'Who would have ever believed that I could graduate from a U.K. University'. Her mind drifting back in time, she would soon find herself being brought back to reality by a pair of loving arms wrapping around her neck from behind. She instinctively turned into a soft, moist kiss that her lips and body knew so well. These days one might think she'd find it much more normal, but to Yuu it just never seemed to lose it's magic.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, darling", Haruka whispered in her Yuu's ear, "I called Kotone and she and Shizuku have everything arranged. Kotone said they'll meet us at L.A.X. when our plane arrives. They found us an apartment in their building so we'll always have friends close by."

"I hear Los Angeles can be a big place, easy to get lost in" Yuu more asked than commented off the cuff with an obvious nervousness. Haruka would hold her Yuu even tighter as she whispered comforting words into Yuu's ear. She could always put Yuu at ease in times of nervousness, whether it be tests in school or their move to the U.K. in the recent past.

"It's called L.A., Yuu", Haruka corrected her, "and it's big enough for us to get lost in together. Whenever we get lost, we will always find our way back home together" Haruka comforted the love of her life. Yuu couldn't help but confess her fears.

"It's gonna feel so strange" Yuu thought aloud "almost like a different world". "The U.K. was a major change, now we're going somewhere even more different than that".

"Not as different as you might think", Haruka giggled, "you do know what L.A. is famous for, right?".

"No...what?" Yuu wondered expecting some weird answer like gangland shootings and illegal gambling dens from Haruka.

"Anime, manga and comic book stores and conventions, Japanese Festivals, Seiyuu visits and J-Pop singers and bands coming on tour" Haruka smirked knowing full well that she most likely just made her lover's day.

"REALLY?!" Yuu exclaimed loud enough to turn the heads of most people in their vicinity in her direction before beginning to blush.

"Yes, really" Haruka whispered with a smile and a quick peck on the nose. 'I found us the perfect place with all the comforts of home' Haruka giggled, softly kissing her girlfriend's lips.

"I knew there was a reason I was marrying you. I love you, Mrs. Haruka Sonoda" Yuu announced, grinning widely in anticipation of their long future together.

"I thought you were gonna be Mrs. Yuu Takayama" Haruka asked in that way she knew she always could.

"I could never say no to those puppydog eyes" Yuu finally admitted after all these years.

"I know" Haruka finally confirmed with a loving kiss before taking her Yuu's hand and leading her to their next stage of life "now about that window seat...".