Gintama fan-fiction. 3Z
Main character: Kurimoto Hina (surname comes first in Japanese)
I would like to start this today3
It's not as long as my other fan-fiction 'The Trip'!
It's rather quite short actually...?

I got the name 'Hina' from the top rank of the 2009 naming list. ^-^ **
The other is the ranked top character from my survey, Okita Sougo!

I'm hoping I can make this story much sweeter and romantic than
the previous 'The Trip' fan-fic. ^v^
I suck at writing, but please read it! Please!

So here it is: -Hirari

Language of Flowers

Chapter 1: Sunflower～I only have my eyes on you～

Chestnut coloured hair...
Cold, emotionless face...
Always so easygoing and I can't understand him at all.
This is the description of him, the person on the other side of my one-sided love.
His name is Okita Sougo-kun.

Even as I say 'one-sided', what I do is only look at him from afar.
I have never had the nerve to talk to him since he is so popular among girls for his looks.
So I had been satisfied with just being able to look at him from afar.
I had been so ful-filled with just that.

But those days are over when today, everything changes 180 degrees.

"Marron! We're sitting close to each other again!" Kagura-chan cheerfully says as she drags her desk in front of mine.

This is Gintama High School, 3rd year (final year), class Z.
We are currently moving around the classroom accordingly to the new seating arrangement which changes once each term.

"Yes indeed," I reply and smile, receiving a bright smile back from Kagura-chan.
I had originally been a transfer student and Kagura-chan had become my very first friend here.
She calls me 'Marron', from my name being 'Kurimoto Hina', where 'Kuri' of my surname means marron.

The classroom is noisy with people chattering about.
I am seated at the very back of the classroom.

I wonder where he's at... I blindly look around while thinking such thoughts...
...but really, there hadn't been any need to.

"Sh*t! Damn Sadist!"
I react to Kagura-chan's distastefully said words.

"You again..."
The voice I hear beside me...

...belongs to no one but Okita-kun.

Okita-kun lazily sets his desk beside me and slumps down onto his seat.
Kagura –who had been seated next to Okita-kun previously- knits her brows.

"Watch out Marron. If you talk to this guy, you'll get affected by his infectious sadism!"
So don't talk to him is what she says, warning me.
But my inner self is in such a panic mode that Kagura-chan's words barely reach my ears.

Okita-kun, who had been so far away, is suddenly right beside me.
Being too nervous and too shocked, I can't even bring myself to look at him.

"What's wrong? Your face is red," Kagura stares into my face while my inner self is in utter chaos.

"...W-wha!"
Just when I come to...

"Do you have a fever?"
Like Kagura-chan, Okita-kun also stares into my face.
I feel myself burning up further.

"Eh? No... um..."
The first time I have eye contact with Okita-kun.
Not being able to stand his straight stare that bore into mine, I can't seem to form words from my mouth any longer.

Kagura-chan stares at me very curiously.
And then, there is Okita-kun who is still staring at me as well, until suddenly, Okita-kun speaks up.

"Hey, China. Tell Ginpachi that I'm going to the infirmary," he says and then grabs a hold of my arm.

"No, you tell him that! Iwill take Marron to the infirmary!" Kagura-chan refuses and tries to grab my arm.
But at the same timing, Okita-kun pulls my arm, making Kagura-chan miss.

"Um, Okita-kun?"

I really don't have a fever...

But having Okita-kun holding my arm, I feel myself burn up even more.
Okita-kun doesn't seem to mind -or rather not notice- my feelings at all and just quickly strides out of the classroom, taking me with him.
I hear Kagura-chan screaming to wait, but my arm is held tightly and there's nothing I can do.

"Okita-kun? Um... I'm okay... I don't have a fever..."

I'm really happy that he's trying to take me to the infirmary, but really, I am absolutely fine.

"I know that," Okita-kun replies smoothly and when I get confused, Okita-kun turns his head around, facing me.

"We're just going to flag class!"
He says it as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
And with that, we don't go to the infirmary, but head off to the roof of the school building.

I'm currently in shock.
I had known he is a person I can't quite understand... but really...

I really can't understand him!

Had his intentions been to use me to seem like we're going to the infirmary from the start just so he can flag class?

If that's so... that means he should be done using me... so...

"U-um... well then, I think I'll start heading back to class..." I nervously state this at Okita-kun who is just sitting on the roof of the school building.

I'm getting real nervous...

Right now, we are alone... just the two of us...and especially because Okita-kun is my one-sided love.

Exactly opposite to my racing heart beat that is about to explode any second, the fluffy white clouds are ever so slowly and smoothly gliding amongst the sky.

"Why?"
Okita-kun looks upwards towards me where I currently still stand, and asks simply.

"Well.. Um... I thought that maybe you might be better off... without me here... "
Okita-kun's upward stare is too cute to bear that I slightly avert my eyes away from his gaze.

"...If I thought that I'd be better off without you here, then I wouldn't have brought you here with me," Okita-kun mutters after a short moment of silence.
Our eyes come into contact but he quickly averts them.

I'm not really understanding him... but nevertheless, he doesn't seem to mind me here...

I feel a little relaxed from knowing that.

"Oh... okay."
Well, I guess it's sort of awkward to stay standing I mumble out and take a seat beside Okita-kun.
A warm, welcoming breeze blows against the two of us.

"...can you stop with the 'Okita-kun'?"
After some moments of silence, Okita-kun suddenly says that out of the blue, and I accidentally produce a weird 'Eh?' sound in reply.

"Not 'Okita' but 'Sougo'," he says and stares at me hard, but the face expression definitely has some mocking expressed across it and he is evidently enjoying this.
I don't know what to do and I become really rigid, when he continues with what he had to say.

"Next time you say 'Okita-kun', there will be punishment for you."

...He's definitely enjoying this! He's mocking me!

But really, saying 'Sougo' even just in my heart is so embarrassing.
So if I say his name out loud, my face will probably burn furiously up to beyond repair.

Okita-kun looks as if he's enjoying observing me.
But really... the 'Sougo' I try it out in my heart, never comes out of my mouth.

"O-Okita-kun, that's imposs..."

Saying 'Sougo' is definitely impossible. That's what I had thought and just when I had looked towards him to say that, I find Okita-kun's face in an extreme close up.
By the time my eyes widen in shock, our lips had already pressed together.

"...you said 'Okita-kun' just now," Okita-kun whispers while he slowly parts his lips from mine. He stares at me from a distance where our nose is so close that it's almost touching.

"As long as you don't keep saying 'Sougo', the punishment continues, okay?"

"S-SSougo!...kun..." I stammer in panic, looking at the grinning Okita-kun in shock.

My heads start spinning in confusion.
My body feels so hot that I think I am blushing like I have never ever before, because...
because to me... it isn't a punishment...

I can't believe what Okita-kun did to me and just... just stare at him.

"Oh, it's time," he says when the school chime rings whether it is fortunately or unfortunately.
Exactly opposite to me who is still too much in shock to move, Okita-kun jumps up to start heading back to next class.

"If you say 'Okita-kun' again, I will do thatagain whenever and wherever we are," Okita-kun says grinning, and then walks back into the building which I am only just able to stare.

"Me... and Okita-kun... just..."
Just remembering it makes my face blaze on fire.
To Okita-kun, it may have just been a game he's playing at...
But to me... it had been a one big step forward towards him... one that is too big for me to handle...

The one-sided love that had no direction suddenly had started moving towards another page, of a love story...

Hmmm... Sougo is difficult!
It took me hours to even write just this, lol.
Thank you very much to those who read this!
I'm really sorry that I suck;;
I need to try practice more!
I am thinking of writing this story as I update oneshots every now and then as well.
So if you're interested, please have a read of those too!

By the way, the title for this chapter 'Himawari' (Sunflower) has a floral meaning of 'I only have my eyes on you' in the Japanese flower language.
It's my favourite flower ^v＾
It's because sunflowers grow by constantly looking and following the sun.
In this story, the sunflower is Hina, and the sun is Okita