A/N: This will probably be my last HS story, my final gift to this fandom. I had so many ideas of what I was going to do in my head, but in the end, I decided on something like this. This story is just a little bit odd, especially the beginning, which I'm sure will be delightful to the readers .. Anyway, thanks for reading my other stories, and goodnight.

- Kode-Dekka

A nervousness spread through me as I reached the foot of the hill. It was a large mound that towered behind the school that I attended; and at the top of the hill, there was a lone sakura tree. Because it was so pretty during the spring, the tree became a popular spot for young students to confess their love.

But now it was the winter, and I wasn't there to confess. Actually, I'm not sure why I was here. My best friend Miyako called me out, saying she wanted to talk about something. I couldn't fathom what she needed from me, but if it was under the sakura tree, it must have been truly important.

When I reached the top of the hill, she was waiting for me. Her long golden hair glittered as the sun started to set. Her pretty eyes spotted me, and she waved me down.

I hurried over to her, she was leaning against the tree. She smiled weakly as I approached, but it soon turned into a frown, which alerted me that something wasn't right.

"Yuno," She said my name softly, and averted her eyes. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course I would." I replied, and smiled. "So, what's going on, you seem down."

She pressed herself even more against the tree, so hard that it looked like it hurt.

"Yuno, I . . . ." She hesitated, but then drew in a deep breath. "Please listen to what I have to say." I nodded, becoming a little anxious, since this was the first time that I've seen her like this. "I . . . no matter what, please promise that you'll always be my friend."

"Eh . . . ." I didn't quite understand what she was so worried about, but I nodded again anyway.

"I don't know what's going on, but you don't have to worry, because I'll always be your friend, Miya-chan." Again I smiled, and she returned it, but still seemed unsure.

"Thank you." Her cheeks then turned red, scarlet, which was a rare sight. "Yuno, I . . . ." She took in another deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, opening them and looking at me with both determination and fear.

"I love you, Yuno!"

Everything froze all at once. Time slowed, and the air turned to ice.

" . . . eh? Say that again, Miya-chan." She gripped the fabrics of her shirt, and looked like she was in intense pain.

"I like you, I love you! Even though you trusted me, and stayed by my side, I betrayed you by having indecent thoughts. I'm sorry; I wanted to keep them inside forever, these feelings – but I can't anymore, its too painful. I love you Yuno, I love you so much!"

My heart started to thump quickly, reacting to her pained confession. With each second the beat got faster, as I processed everything that she'd had said to me. It all sunk in slowly, but I finally understood it. When I did, tears slowly came to my eyes.

" . . . me too . . . ." I whispered something, and she couldn't hear me, and waited in silent anticipation for me to repeat it. So I did. "I love you too, Miya-chan!"

I dove into her chest, hugging her with my small arms.

"Yu . . . no . . . ." At first she was stunned; however, soon enough, she wrapped her arms around me, and returned my embrace. "I was so scared! I thought, I thought . . . that you'd hate me!"

I shook my head furiously as I buried my face in her chest.

"I could never hate you, not when you're my best friend, when you're everything to me. How could I hate you, when I love you so much!"

And then she pulled me away from her, looking directly into my eyes. Both of us were crying, but that was okay, since they were tears of joy.

And slowly, gently, we moved into one another. Without any hesitation, with no more worries, the two of us kissed for the first time; there, under the sakura tree . . .

The Love Born Between The Two On that Day Under The Great Sakura Tree

Hidamari Sketch

Kode-Dekka

"Ah! This wont do, this absolutely wont do at allll!" Yuno tossed her notebook against the wall in anger. "What was I thinking? I'm such a idiot!"

She was now reeling on the floor, chastising herself. What she had thrown away was a part of a story that she was writing. In the first place, she wasn't really serious about, but thought it would be nice to try something new, getting inspiration from the resident author, Sae.

Somehow, she found all kinds of faults with her work of fiction. First of all, the title was way too long. She wanted to make it shorter, but had no idea what to put, so she wrote down the first thing she could think of.

The second problem was the story itself. She wanted to write a nice, gentle and touching love story; somehow she ended writing a confession scene between herself and her best friend, Miyako.

"No good, definitely no good!"

She didn't know why, but her mind went blank when writing, and when she was was finished, the result was a little surprising to say the least. The quality of the writing was also pretty bad, which only added to her misery.

"Yunochii!" A knock came at the door, and it was the worst possible person too. Miyako came in on her own, and found Yuno on the ground, fuming about something. "What's wrong?"

"A-Ah, nothing Miya-chan, really!" Yuno frantically waved her arms around, blushing like mad. Miyako thought it was entertaining, so naturally, she got even more curious. It was in that moment that she spotted the notebook Yuno had been writing in; it was splattered against the wall, near her feet, half open.

"What's this?" She reached for it, but stopped when her short friend suddenly let out a urgent cry.

"Don't touch that, Miya-chan!" Yuno scrambled for it, dashing across the room, and reaching for it. She was too late, and Miyako scooped it up, taking a good look at the contents. "Ah, I'm so embarrassed!" Yuno's face became even redder, and her ears were even starting to steam.

Miyako looked through the notebook carefully, and when she was done, closed it.

"That was pretty interesting, Yunochii, good job!" She handed the notebook back to Yuno, who was both surprised, and relieved.

"T-Thank you, even though its kinda . . . ." The blond laughed and patted her on the back.

"If you ask Sae-san for advice, I'm sure she'll help you." That didn't make the smaller girl feel any better at all, since she had no intention of showing anyone, and simply did it on a whim.

Regardless, it looked like Miyako didn't really care about the fact that it was a love story featuring them. And after a meal, she left and went back to her own room.

When Yuno was alone, she looked at the writing again, becoming embarrassed once more. Not wanting to deal with it anymore, she decided to take a bath.

"Ah~." After dunking herself in the warm water, she felt all her worries melt away. For a moment the story came to mind again, but she quickly brushed it away; however it was replaced with other thoughts.

"Why was it Miya-chan?" If it had just been some random people, then it'd be fine, but that wasn't the case. It wasn't just Miyako, but her as well, the two of them, together. Yuno had never thought about such possibilities before, so it was certainly awkward for her. Its not that she hadn't noticed Miyako's appearance, she thought the other girl was beautiful; but it was the first time she imagined something like that.

"Hmm, why . . . ? Am I . . . like that, perhaps?"

She lowered herself into the water even more, covering a good portion of her face.

"Am I a-"

"Yunochii!"

Miyako suddenly knocked on the bathroom door, and came in. She was carrying bathing supplies. "Can I take a bath with you?" So she said, even though she was already naked – except for a towel – and ready to go.

"M-Miya-chan, um . . . ." Yuno's face suddenly flushed red, and it wasn't from the hot water. "Okay." She said, allowing it, since there was nothing she could do now.

"Thanks." Miyako got in on the opposite end. It was a bit of a tight fit, but the two managed, even though Yuno was more than a little nervous. In fact, her heart had begun beating rather quickly as a result of her friend's intrusion.

"Oh God, it wont calm don't, she's going to notice!"

But somehow, Miyako didn't notice the blush on Yuno's cheeks. It was also quiet, except for Miyako's singing, which Yuno found to be very soothing. Her blush soon subsided, but her thoughts didn't.

"Why am I thinking about this?"

She wanted to know the answer, but at the same time, she was fearful of the truth.

Did she like Miyako, is that why she wrote such a story? Is that why she was so nervous right now? If so, when did it start, and what could she do about it?

It was things like that which kept Yuno from saying a word.

Luckily for her, Miyako finished soon, and rose out of the bath Yuno didn't miss a chance to catch a glimpse at her friend's body, which was far more developed.

Just before the blond left, Yuno felt a sharp rush of anxiety.

"Miya-chan, wait!"

"Hm? What is it, Yunochii?" Her face started to burn even more now.

"A-About that story, what do you think, about . . . the . . . well . . . ." She couldn't get it out. However Miyako smiled, and it looked like she understood what Yuno wanted to say.

"If Yunochii likes that kind of thing, then I support her all the way!" And she gave the small girl a thumbs up. And then she was gone.

"That wasn't what I meant . . . ." Yuno said quietly, submerging herself again. Miyako's smile flashed through her mind, causing her to create one of her own. "Oh well." She stretched her arms out, relaxing once more.

Yuno still didn't know what to think about the story, or its contents, or even her own feelings about Miyako, but she wasn't going to worry about it anymore.

She thought about the story again, for just a moment this time, and it was nothing unpleasant. For that moment, she thought she might give it another shot, her story, her "Cherry Blossom Love".