Disclaimer: Characters belong to Sunrise.

Happy Valentine's Day! Don't make the same mistake my friends and I did yesterday and watch the craptastic Valentine's Day movie. It's no Love Actually.

Today is also very special for us Asian folks because it marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger! Rawr! Happy Lunar New Year! Gong xi fa cai! Kung hei fat choi! Cung hỷ phát tài! If you understood any of the greetings, I would like my red envelope with money, please. Ha ha ha!

Another short story because I'm dragging my feet on FLT, and I had some time to kill before partaking in the New Year festivities. The inspiration for this one was Alanis Morissette - Everything. I highly recommend giving the song a listen on youtube when you're bored!

"Natsuki, do you know what today is?" Shizuru asked from her spot beside her girlfriend on the couch. It was Sunday afternoon, and the two were watching a random TV show.

Natsuki responded as if on autopilot without taking her eyes from the screen, "February 14th."

Shizuru thought she shouldn't have expected Natsuki to have a clue. The girl was too much of a bad ass to remember such a sappy holiday. In previous years, Natsuki would freak out after Shizuru told her the date's significance and would take the girl on a crazy joy ride since Shizuru loved holding onto her when she cruised at top speed. When they return home, Natsuki would thoroughly apologize with her kisses and caresses. Shizuru sighed at Natsuki's absentmindedness, but she tried again anyways like she always did. "Do you know what that means?"

Shizuru was in for one heck of a surprise. Natsuki casually turned off the TV and suddenly straddled Shizuru's lap, circling her arms around the girl's neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, Shizuru," she whispered softly into her stunned girlfriend's ear. "This time it's going to be unforgettable to make up for my past forgetfulness." She made sure of it.

She wasn't the type of girl who demanded grand gestures of love, but Natsuki took Shizuru by complete surprise with her words and actions. Shizuru reacted the only way she knew how: she leaned in and captured her lips in a dizzying kiss. Sly hands dipped underneath the hem of Natsuki's shirt but Natsuki stopped their advance and laced their fingers together. She teasingly bit Shizuru's bottom lip before pulling away, smirking at the dazed expression her girlfriend was sporting.

"We'll definitely get to that, but first—"

She untangled herself from Shizuru and lifted the stack of magazines on the coffee table, pulling out her handmade Valentine's Day card. Natsuki tried really hard not to blush as she gave Shizuru the token of her affection but failed miserably. Shizuru looked down at the card and smiled goofily at the super cute cover. Natsuki had cut out pictures of their shy, smiling faces when they became an official couple and pasted them on top of two stick figures that she drew holding hands. The heads were vastly disproportionate to the bodies, resembling Precious Moments characters' oversized noggin and petite frame. The Natsuki stick figure had a thought bubble that said Shizuru was better than mayo while the Shizuru figure was thinking Natsuki was better than tea. Underneath the drawings was a wish for a happy Valentine's Day.

Shizuru gave the flushed Natsuki a peck on the lips and settled into the girl's arms. Natsuki placed her chin on Shizuru's shoulder, reading the humorous yet heartfelt card along with her girlfriend.

Dear Crankiest Girl Ever Without Her Morning Cup of Tea,

I think there has to be a screw loose somewhere in that pretty little head of yours to put up with my constant crap. Only a nut job would stick around for this long and still be up for more of the same every day. As a fellow psycho, I salute you. I salute you, give you a standing ovation, and worship the ground you walk on for dragging me kicking and screaming out of the darkness and into the light, specifically your light. This is a good time to tell you my theory of why you're sort of loony. See, you must have hit your head pretty hard when you fell from heaven. The fall must have erased all memories of your ethereal origins. That's why whenever we're out on a sunny day and the rays hit you at the right angle, I swear you can see a faint halo above that crop of honey hair. No joke.

You know I suck at the lovey-dovey stuff, but I know you live for the sappiness, so I'm going to try harder to be a big cheese ball for you, starting today with the game I invented after you finish reading this. See how contagious your craziness is?! Gah! It's so potent that I have these grand delusions of you and me as that crazy old couple on the first floor—you know the ones who scare all the kids away?! Those two are a hoot! But yeah, I secretly want that to happen—not the part about us scaring the kids away, well…. But a definite HELL YES to us growing old and senile together. Gee, doesn't that sound exciting?! But regardless of what happens, I'm not going anywhere. Shizuru Fujino, you're it for me, wrinkles and all.

Peace out my one and only angel,

Girl Who Is Completely Head Over Heels for Crankiest Girl Ever Without Her Morning Cup of Tea

Natsuki held a trembling Shizuru as happy tears flowed down her cheeks. She closed the card and held it to her chest. It was clearly written in Natsuki's style: a little twisted but rich in layered meaning. Shizuru loved every word of it. The blue-haired girl had come a long way from the initial awkwardness in their relationship to being able to show her affections physically. But she occasionally struggled with expressing her emotions verbally. Natsuki turned red as a tomato when she first uttered those three magical words to Shizuru and still does, albeit not as dramatically anymore. Natsuki was a staunch believer of "actions speak louder than words", so she preferred to show Shizuru how much she adored her in their lovemaking.

Shizuru wiped her eyes and placed the treasured card on the table. She repositioned herself to face her lover. "You're it for me too, Natsuki Kuga," she said hoarsely and pressed her forehead against her girlfriend's. She loved the fact that Natsuki turned into a giant softie when it came to her and was elated that Natsuki was taking the effort to be more romantic. All for her.

"I lo—"

A finger to her lips silenced her. Shizuru pulled back with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Save that for the game," Natsuki said huskily, tracing the contours of Shizuru's soft lips. Natsuki snatched her finger away before Shizuru's tongue could worship the digit.

"Ikezu!" She smacked Natsuki's upper arm.

Natsuki chuckled at her pouting lover. "All in good time, impatient one." She patted the girl's head like a child. Shizuru hmphed and looked away.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that." Shizuru still did not face her. "What if I told you we have to strip for this game?" Shizuru heard the keyword, "strip", and was instantly interested.

"Do elaborate on this intriguing game some more." She flashed her a toothy grin.

"Yeah, somehow I knew that was going to get your attention," Natsuki said, poking Shizuru's shoulder. "You have a libido of a teenager boy."

"And I have you to thank for it. So if you want it toned down, stop being so sexy!" the chestnut-haired girl replied jokingly.

"I can't help it. I was born hot," she said with ease, causing both of them to burst out laughing. Natsuki recovered first and whispered into Shizuru's ears, "We're going to play a game called I Love You Around the World."

Last week, Natsuki wracked her brain to come up with something to wow Shizuru on the day for lovers. She went on the internet for help, but the ideas were so lame or overdone. One of the search results sent her to a website with translations of "I love you" in virtually every language. Unfortunately, they only had sound files for a limited number of languages. The idea for the game came to her to out of the blue, so Natsuki spent a good chunk of time replaying the available translations to surprise Shizuru on Valentine's Day. She also tried her best to pronounce the ones without an audio guide.

Shizuru felt tingly sensations all over her body when Natsuki spoke those affectionate words. Though she knew Natsuki loved her without saying so, it was always nice to hear her say it every now and then. She grinned at the faint blush coloring Natsuki's cheeks. Her girlfriend was just too cute!

"What are the rules?"

"I'm going to say the equivalent of those three words in a foreign language, and if you can guess the name of that language, you get to strip one article of clothing from me. But if you get it wrong, I get to take something off of you. Simple, yes?"

Natsuki couldn't believe she thought of an X-rated game. She could still remember how nervous she was in their first time together. It took a while for her to relax and go with the flow. She was lucky Shizuru was a patient lover and never rushed her. Shizuru held her in her arms and whispered sweet nothings in her ear until she was comfortable with the situation. Ironically, it was Natsuki who bravely suggested they take their relationship to the next level. Yet, she was the one who was apprehensive about taking the plunge. When Shizuru moved on top of her, she saw an outpouring of love from those crimson eyes and felt every lingering nerve disappear. As they say, the rest is history.

"This doesn't sound very fair. I'm going to be naked way before you! I want to see my Natsuki in the buff too!" Shizuru whined, chewing on her lower lip.

"Alright, alright. I'll amend the rules just for you. I'll give you a clue about the country where the language is spoken if you get it wrong on the first try. Happy?" Natsuki never stood a chance against Shizuru's adorable pouting face.

Shizuru nodded gleefully, playing with the strings from Natsuki's hooded sweatshirt. Her heart swelled with exultation at the lengths Natsuki went to create a memorable Valentine's Day for her. In all seriousness, she cherished every Valentine's Day she got to spend with Natsuki. Each year had its own nuances that made it special. Last year, Natsuki made the executive decision to spend the day in bed, and Shizuru didn't complain at all.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, I'm going start off with something easy." She trailed a finger down Shizuru's cheek and said softly, "Aishiteru."

Shizuru gave her a lopsided smile and returned the gesture. "Japanese!"

Natsuki rolled her eyes at her snickering girlfriend. "Way to ruin the moment," she deadpanned.

"Ha ha ha! Your rules, not mine. Now, say goodbye to your sweatshirt!" Natsuki chuckled and dutifully raised her arms for Shizuru to pull the green sweatshirt off. The action messed up her hair, so Shizuru moved the out of place strands back to their proper positions. "There. You're all pretty again." The sweatshirt was deposited onto the floor.

Natsuki smiled sweetly at her. "Wo ai ni."

Shizuru repeated the phrase out loud and then mouthed the words, recalling that "love" was written in Kanji, meaning it had Chinese origins. "It's Chinese!"

"Yes! Technically, it's called Mandarin. But more importantly, what do you want to take off?" Natsuki had on a black long sleeved shirt and gray lounge pants. She also wore white socks.

"I'll play nice and take off your socks."

"You mean a sock," Natsuki evilly corrected her.

"What! Socks come in pairs! You don't just wear one! They both should go!"

"Nope. My game, my rules!" Natsuki leaned back into the couch and crossed her arms smugly.

"Ugh! Watch out, Kuga! Just for that, your pants are next!" Shizuru grumpily tore off her girlfriend's left sock and petulantly flung it somewhere in the living room.

"Sure Fujino. You can have your way if you get this next one right, which I doubt. Mahal Kita."

Shizuru was in trouble. She really did not know the answer, but she did recognize the first word as part of the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum that an emperor constructed in memory of his wife. Perhaps it was Hindi, India's most widely spoken language. "Is it Hindi?"

"Not even close. Here's your clue. It's from a chain of islands."

"Hawaiian!" It was the first archipelago that popped into her mind. She really should have given it more thought.

Natsuki imitated the sound that game shows played when a contestant gave a wrong answer. "Incorrect! You forgot about the Philippines. It's Tagalog."

Shizuru scowled at her impulsive answer.

"Hands up, please." Shizuru did as she was told, and Natsuki discarded her maroon sweatshirt onto the floor, next to her own green one.

"Next one is a personal favorite of mine." Ruby eyes fluttered closed as Natsuki kissed her forehead, nose, and ended with a searing French kiss. Natsuki raked her fingers into Shizuru's silky hair while Shizuru circled her hands around Natsuki's neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. They broke apart thirty seconds later, gasping for air. Natsuki clasped her hands with Shizuru's and said, "Je t'aime, ma chérie."

Shizuru unveiled a brilliant smile. "Oh god, I love the French language! It sounds so romantic!" she gushed. Lady Luck was on her side since the two had just watched a French movie last night called Paris, Je T'aime, which she loved, and surprisingly, Natsuki did too.

"Oui!" Natsuki giggled along with Shizuru. "Are you really going to take off my pants?"

"I was, but since you gave me such a wonderful kiss, I'll let it slide," she said airily. "Your feet look weird with one sock on." She remedied the problem by casting it aside. Now, both of Natsuki's feet were bare. "Next, please."

"Ich liebe dich."

Shizuru's gut instincts shouted that it was from a country from Europe, but which one, she had no clue. And she didn't question why her gut pointed to that continent. She blindly guessed Swedish and was told that many luxury car brands like Mercedes and BMW were engineered in the country.

"That is an unfair hint. You know I'm not a car aficionado!"

"You have to deal with it. I can't think of anything else right now!"

Natsuki might as well take off her shirt or pants since she was drawing a blank. She mentally cursed herself for not wearing socks like Natsuki did. She quickly ran through a list of European countries in her head and eliminated the ones that weren't a major economic powerhouse. The list was narrowed down to one country. She really hoped that her list was complete to begin with.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say German. Final answer."

"Wow! I really thought you weren't going to get it, but you did!" Natsuki gave her a big bear hug.

"You weren't the only one. But I'm glad I did because your shirt is coming off this time!" Shizuru clapped her hands like an eager child ready to unwrap her presents on Christmas morning.

Natsuki laughed at her enthusiasm. "What happen to my pants?"

"After shirt." Shizuru smoothly slid her hands underneath Natsuki's black shirt and glided her fingers up her sides. Her girlfriend shivered at the pleasing feathered touches. Hands found the hem and pulled it over Natsuki's head with ease, tossing it to growing pile on the floor. She feasted her eyes on a black satin bra that was partially covering up two very appealing globes. Tiny goose bumps popped up en masse on Natsuki's arms and upper body, reacting to the cold air's assault. She ran a finger across the exposed flesh, receiving a pleasurable moan from Natsuki.

"I'm going to go turn up the heater. I want you hot and bothered," she murmured seductively into Natsuki's ear and nipped a lobe. Shizuru extracted herself from a wide-eyed Natsuki and traversed the short distance to the thermostat. When she turned around, she came face-to-face with her girlfriend.

Natsuki placed her hands between Shizuru's head, trapping her there. "Yêu em."

Shizuru was at a loss for words when jade eyes seemed to peer into her soul. "Uh… uh… Thai?"

"Ooh. The language is spoken in a country that's very close to Thailand though." Natsuki left a trail of gentle kisses on her cheek and neck.

She had the hardest time thinking clearly with the way things were going. She managed to conjure up a vague map of Southeast Asia to the forefront of her mind. Cambodia or Laos? At this point, she really didn't care anymore.

"Lao."

"Nope. The correct answer is Vietnamese." Natsuki discarded Shizuru's gray thermal shirt in one fell swoop. She was eager to indulge in the sight of her girlfriend's slightly more endowed mounds. She was not disappointed one bit. Shizuru had on a wine red bra that she bought her two weeks ago. Natsuki used to dislike any shade of red, but she suddenly had a change of heart when Shizuru entered her life. "Oh my god. Tell me you're wearing the matching panties too."

"I don't know, I don't know," Shizuru replied coyly.

"We'll see about that," Natsuki said, sliding a finger from Shizuru's neck to the waistband of her black lounge pants.

Shizuru squirmed from the ticklish feelings as Natsuki traced the letter "I" and slowly drew a heart across her flat tummy. "Ahhh, that tickles!"

"Want me to stop?" Natsuki paused midway.

"No way! You better finish that!"

Natsuki chuckled at Shizuru's insistence. She completed the heart and imprinted the letter "U" to conclude the abbreviated confession. "And an equivalent of that is ngo oi nei."

Shizuru was once again clueless, but in large part because she spent the bulk of the time imagining Natsuki half-naked. "Just give me the hint," she said, molding her hands over Natsuki's covered chest.

"It's pr–prevalent in Hong Kong," Natsuki gasped as Shizuru fondled the sensitive flesh.

"I have no idea." The game could end now, and she'd be perfectly okay.

"It's Cantonese." Natsuki lowered herself to Shizuru's navel and placed a soft kiss under her belly button before grabbing the girl's waistband and sliding her pants down. Hands moved at a painstakingly slow pace up her legs, feeling every inch of the alabaster skin. Watching the sensual act parched Shizuru's throat and left her slightly dazed. Green eyes ogled the red lacy underwear that matched the bra.

Holding onto Shizuru's waist, Natsuki pressed a cheek against her abdomen and groaned, "God, I could eat you up right now."

"Y–you should," Shizuru suggested breathlessly.

Natsuki chortled as she rose to her full height. "I will if you catch me," she said quickly and dashed to the kitchen. She could not have picked a worst place to seek refuge. The compact area made it easy for Shizuru to corner the girl between a wall and the refrigerator.

"Well, well. Looks like the predator just turned into the prey," Shizuru teased.

"Wait!" The trapped girl held up her hands to halt her advance. "Let me give you one you just recently learned as a peace offering."

"You mean—"

"Saranghae, Shizuru," she said sweetly.

She pounced on her and squealed in Korean, "Saranghae, Natsuki!" After watching three subtitled episodes of Coffee Prince, Shizuru was hooked onto the Korean drama. She learned the passionate declaration from the show.

"I'm so glad we were stuck at home three weeks ago because of the heavy rain!"

"Me too. That show was better than I thought it would be. Granted, I had really low expectations," she admitted.

Shizuru thanked Natsuki for watching the show with her and rewarded her with a peck on the lips. "But I'm afraid I have to strip you of your pants now, my dear." She toyed with the drawstrings from Natsuki's lounge pants.

"Be my guest." Natsuki smirked.

Hands snaked to the back of her pants and dived inside, giving both round cheeks a frisky squeeze.

"Ehh!" Natsuki yelped.

The groper grinned wolfishly and slinked to the floor, pulling the black pants with her. Shizuru sat cross-legged and marveled Natsuki's almost nude body. Her girlfriend could really pass as a lingerie model. Natsuki thought the same for her.

"Ara, a black bra and black boy shorts. You know what they say about a girl who wears black underwear?"

"What do they say?" she asked, feigning ignorance but made no attempt to conceal her growing grin.

Shizuru began kissing her way up Natsuki's inner legs, eliciting low whimpers from the girl as she got closer to the inner thighs. "She's planning for a romp between the sheets. Seeing as how you planned this all out, I have to agree."

"Ye–yeah. You caught me." Natsuki gripped the refrigerator handle for support because her legs were buckling from the intimate caresses.

Shizuru planted a one final kiss above her hip bone and resumed her standing position. "God, you look so sexy in black," she moaned while sly fingers snuck to Natsuki's bra clasp.

Unfortunately, they weren't stealthy enough. Natsuki reached behind and grabbed her wrist, grinning. "Think you're slick, eh?"

"Clothes are not coming off fast enough for me!" Shizuru pouted, pushing her legs together to assuage the growing ache at the apex of her thighs.

"I know another game you'll love." Natsuki moved forward, backing Shizuru to the counter and lifted her onto the countertop. She started nibbling on her neck.

"Oh?" Shizuru tilted her head to give Natsuki better access. Her hands roamed over Natsuki's sides, drawing circles with her thumb while her legs wrapped around the girl's waist.

"Uhhh huh. It's called Too Hot," she spoke between kisses. "We kiss and don't stop kissing."

"Mmmm... I like this game already," she moaned into the steamy lip lock.

"But we also can't touch each other. So," Natsuki tapped Shizuru's legs for her to move them and intertwined their hands, raising them above their head, "if you touch me, you lose."

"What if you touch me first?"

"Then I lose. Loser has to do whatever the winner wants," she emphasized. "Are you game?"

"Game on," she breathed huskily.

"Let the battle of wills begin."

They untangled their hands, and Natsuki commenced the assault on Shizuru's rosy red lips. Shizuru balled her hands into fists, so she wouldn't be tempted while Natsuki clasped her hands behind her back. Tongues clashed, acting as proxies in the war for dominance in the bedroom. Ragged moans escaped from their throat, humming the tunes of wanton lust. Natsuki's fingers clamped down on the outer surface of her palms with the tips turning white from the intense pressure. Shizuru's nails dug into her palms, engraving crescent-shaped moons into the skin. Both vigorously vied for the top position.

Natsuki knew she had to up the ante or else they'd continue this stalemate. She inched backwards from her spot between Shizuru's dangling legs, forcing her girlfriend to follow her. Her girlfriend blindly moved with her, too engrossed in the kiss to notice anything else. Shizuru was unaware that she was moving farther away from the counter and one more scoot...

"Mmmm... ahh!" Shizuru's eyes popped open and legs reflexively latched around Natsuki's waist while arms looped around her neck. Natsuki supported her weight and took two steps forward to maneuver her girlfriend back onto the counter.

"I win," Natsuki gloated, massaging Shizuru's bare thighs.

Shizuru leaned forward and asked in a voice thick with desire, "What does my mistress want to do?"

"You. Me. Bedroom. Now."

I chose languages my best friends and I speak or took in college. Anyone want to hazard a guess on my native language?

Too Hot is a game played by Carmen and Shane on The L Word. This show was a hot mess.

Final part hopefully up by the end of the week. I'm slowwwwww now! :(

Thanks for reading!