Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Chihayafuru

This story is dedicated to my good friends Angie and Maria. Thank you so much for always talking about Chihaya and Arata with me!

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Starlight, Clear and Bright

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Arata was studying at his desk when his phone rang. He put his pencil down and stretched his arms above his head before getting up. *It must be Chihaya, he thought with a smile as he walked across the room to his bedside table. No one else would call me this late on a Sunday.* The Daddy Bear charm bounced against his hand as he picked up his phone. Chihaya had sent it in the mail for his birthday last week along with the message: 'I have a matching one. Now we'll always be connected!'

"Hey, Chihaya," he greeted, sitting down on his bed.

"Arata! Can you come to Tokyo for Christmas? I really want to see you!"

"Where would I stay?"

"Here of course!" she replied. "Chitose will be filming a drama so I can sleep in her room and you can take mine."

Arata leaned his back against the wall. "Your parents don't mind?"

"Not at all. They want to meet you. So will you come? Please!" Chihaya implored.

He chuckled quietly at her enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Oh good! I want you to come for Christmas Eve. They have some amazing light shows in Tokyo that we can see together at night. And then the Shiranami Society is having a party on Christmas day. We can play karuta and just have fun with everyone."

He smiled. "That sounds great."

"Doesn't it? I'm so excited! I've been wanting to spend Christmas with you for so long." She paused. "Oh but I forgot to ask about your parents! Do you think they'll let you?"

"Yeah. I'll pay for the train ticket myself so they can't object," he replied. "I really miss you, Chihaya."

"I miss you too." Arata could hear the smile in her voice. "I wish it was the 24th tomorrow."

"Yeah. Waiting two weeks is going to be hard."

*.*.*

Arata was too excited to sleep on the bullet train. He spent most of the time either trying to read his book or looking at the wrapped box inside his bag. Arata didn't know anything about buying gifts for girls, so he had asked his mom to go shopping with him.

"What about this one?" his mother asked, holding up a necklace with a pink heart pendant on it.

He shook his head. "Chihaya's not really the girly type."

"But you told me that she's beautiful."

"She is, but she doesn't seem to be aware of it."

In the end, they decided on a silver necklace with a small crystal star charm. It was understated, yet pretty.

"My little boy is so grown up now, buying jewelry for his girlfriend!" she told the cashier excitedly. "I always wanted a daughter to buy presents for and now I feel like I finally have one."

Arata blushed to the tips of his ears and stammered, "Mom, it's not like we're engaged!"

"Not yet, but hopefully someday," she said with a knowing smile and then proceeded to tell the lady how they met in 6th grade.

"Childhood loves are so sweet," the cashier said, handing Arata the bag with a smile. "Mine didn't work out, but I hope yours will."

"Thank you," Arata said, face still blazing.

But even though he had been embarrassed, hearing his mom say all of those things made him happy too. Arata closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to the high school tournament when he played against Chihaya in the final. It had been so much fun that he hardly minded when she beat him.

After thanking him for the match, Chihaya reached out and touched his arm. She had tears in her eyes and Arata instinctively pulled her into an embrace. Chihaya cried against his shoulder while he rubbed her back and whispered, "Congratulations, Chihaya. You played amazing." In that moment, it felt like just the two of them in that crowded room.

As soon as the awards ceremony was over, Chihaya grabbed his hand and led him outside. "I love you, Arata," she told him with a blush on her cheeks. "Lets always play karuta together."

Arata's phone chimed and interrupted his daydreams. It was a text from Chihaya: 'How much longer?' He smiled and typed: 'One more hour and I'll be in Tokyo.'

*.*.*

Chihaya hurried towards Arata and threw her arms around him. He staggered slightly, laughing, as he righted himself and returned her hug. They stayed like that for half a minute before she pulled back in order to look at him. Chihaya put her gloved hands on either side of his face and he smiled down at her. Arata's dark eyes lit up behind his glasses and Chihaya felt a surge of happiness.

"You're really here," she said softly.

"I'm really here," he repeated.

They gazed at each other a few moments longer until someone bumped into them.

"Chihaya, I think we're in the way."

"Oh. Right." She removed her hands from his face and slipped her arm through his as they began to walk through the crowded train station. "Are you hungry, Arata?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Okay. We can go somewhere for lunch before going back to my house. There's a Chinese place nearby. Are you in the mood for that? Or we can have some ramen."

"Chinese sounds good."

Chihaya suddenly realized that this would be their first date. *Even though we've been a couple for months, we've never been able to do things like this... there was always someone around every time we saw each other before. She looked sideways at him and watched his mouth moving as he told her about the train ride. We're not talking over the phone… he's actually here beside me.* His proximity gave her a warm, fluttery sensation and she smiled at him.

Arata glanced at her. "What is it?" he asked, touching the back of his hair in a self-conscious gesture. "Do I look funny?"

"No. I was just thinking that I love listening to you." His deep voice and Fukui accent had an almost musical quality to it. "Hey do you remember how I told the whole class that you delivered the newspaper? I thoughtlessly blurted it out because I was so excited when I recognized your voice." She bit her lip. "I still feel bad about getting you into trouble."

"You didn't do it on purpose though. Not like the other kids."

Chihaya frowned. "They were so mean to you, especially Taichi. I'm surprised you didn't end up hating him."

"How could I when you became my friend because of it?" He smiled. "You were so brave to stand up to them. Did I ever thank you for doing that?"

"I'm not sure," she replied.

"Well I'll say it again, just in case I forgot to before." He leaned close to her ear. "Thank you for your kindness to me."

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face was so gentle that Chihaya felt her eyes fill with tears. She looked down to blink them away and noticed that his hands were bare. Chihaya stopped walking and let go of his arm so that she could take off her right glove.

"Here, put this on. It should fit you because it's stretchy."

He took it from her and slipped his hand inside. Then Chihaya threaded her fingers with his to keep their gloveless hands warm.

"You're taking care of me again," he said in amusement.

"Well of course. I'll always take care of you."

He smiled. "As a man, shouldn't that be my line?"

She shook her head. "No, it's for both of us to say. That's what being in love is all about."

Arata bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Chihaya's stomach went all fluttery again.

*.*.*

"Please make yourself at home," Chihaya told him as she opened the door to her bedroom. "I cleaned everything and tried to make it neat for you."

Arata stepped inside and looked around. She had a small white Christmas tree on top of her dresser and he walked over to admire the ornaments. There was a Daddy Bear face, a lucky neko, a candy cane, a snowman wearing a hat, a karuta card, and a light blue snowflake.

When he turned his attention to her bed, he saw a rectangular box wrapped in striped paper.

"Oh that's your Christmas present. Come over here and open it now," she said, sitting down on the bed and patting the space beside her.

Arata's heart started to beat faster. "Let me get yours out then." He slipped the backpack off and kneeled down to unzip it. His hands were shaking slightly as he carried the small box over to her.

Chihaya put it on her lap and said, "You go first."

Arata sat down and reached for the package. He ripped the paper off. It was a department store box and inside was a royal blue scarf. It was very soft as he wrapped it around his neck. He turned to her, smiling. "Thank you, Chihaya! I don't have a scarf so I really needed this."

"Yes, your mother told me, but I chose the color myself. When I saw that shade of blue, I knew it would look good with your hair."

"You called my house?" he asked in surprise.

She laughed. "Yes. I didn't know what you needed. You don't have to worry, your mother was very friendly. We talked for a few minutes."

Arata's cheeks felt warm. "My mom helped me pick out your gift too. Please open it."

He watched as her eyes lit up when she lifted the lid of the box.

"It's so pretty! I love it!" she exclaimed as she held it up in front of her face. Chihaya undid the clasp and managed to secure it around her neck on the first try. "Thank you, Arata," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Arata turned his face and pressed his lips against hers. Within seconds, the kiss had deepened and their arms were around each other. They had kissed a few times before, but those kisses were nothing like these. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire.

*.*.*

Chihaya ran her hands across his broad back, feeling the muscles underneath his long sleeve t-shirt. She was filled with a desperate need to get closer to him. Her hand found the hem of his shirt and touched his bare skin. The contact made both of them gasp.

He broke away and said breathlessly, "Chihaya, we have to stop now."

"I don't want to," she said against his lips. "We never have this much privacy."

"I know, but I won't be able to look your parents in the eye tonight if we don't."

Chihaya regained her senses at the mention of 'parents.' His face was bright red, which made her blush too. "I'm so sorry, Arata! I think I temporarily lost my mind."

She pulled away and saw that she was kneeling in the space between his outstretched legs. Chihaya couldn't even remember how they ended up in that position. She hurriedly got down from the bed and straightened her dress; turning her back to him as she tried to regain some composure. *My heart is beating out of control.*

"Don't apologize," he said quietly. "I love that you're passionate, Chihaya."

When she turned back around, Arata was unwinding the scarf. He set it down on the bed. "Um, will you show me where the bathroom is?" he asked in embarrassment.

"Yeah," she replied, heading for the door. "Right this way."

While Arata was gone, Chihaya smoothed out the rumpled bed and folded the scarf. Then she went over to her mirror and admired the necklace Arata had given her. The crystal gems twinkled whenever she moved slightly. It reminded Chihaya of the star crossed lovers who could only meet once a year on Tanabata. Chihaya used to think that her and Arata were like Orihime and Hikoboshi because they met so rarely. *But we've managed to overcome the distance now… we've created our own magpie bridge that will always lead us to each other.*

*.*.*

They were playing karuta in the living room when Chihaya's mother arrived home from work. She paused the CD and they went over to welcome her.

"Mom, this is Arata," Chihaya said after her mother stepped into the room.

They exchanged polite greetings and Arata thanked her for inviting him into their home. He then presented her with a wrapped box of Habutae Mochi, a specialty from Fukui. "It's not much, but please accept this," he said, holding it out with both hands.

"Thank you, Arata-kun." She gave him a warm smile. "I've heard that these are delicious. I'll go and put them in the kitchen." When Mrs. Ayase returned, she said, "Chihaya, your father will be home just after six and then we'll have nabe for dinner."

"Alright, mom, sounds good."

Mrs. Ayase excused herself and disappeared into the back of the house. They continued their game. Arata had a 6 card lead, but Chihaya managed two consecutive captures. When the 'Chihayaburu' card was read, their hands touched it at the same time. *Just like when we were kids and I ended up crying because I was moving away,* he thought.

"It's on my side," Chihaya told him.

The intense look in her eyes made Arata smile. *Even in a practice game, she wants to win.* He had never encountered someone with so much competitive spirit before. It pushed him to try harder; it made him want to match her passion.

*.*.*

Arata took some noodles, tofu, vegetables, and chicken from the pot and put it into his bowl. "Itadakimasu," he said before eating. He finished chewing his first mouthful and then praised the food.

"So Arata-kun, Chihaya tells us that you're planning on attending a Tokyo college."

Arata looked across the table at Chihaya's father. "Yes, I'll be taking entrance exams for a few of them."

"But if he becomes meijin, he'll be able to get into a university easily on a recommendation," Chihaya broke in.

"Well it might not happen, Chihaya. I'll try my best, but Suo-san is going to be hard to beat."

She smiled at him. "I believe in you."

He felt himself blushing, but everyone's faces were slightly flushed from the heat of the food so he didn't think it was noticeable.

"It's quite something that both of you will be competing for the title together," Mrs. Ayase said.

"It's always been our dream to become the best in the world," Chihaya said proudly. "I think we can do it for sure."

"Well it's good that you're confident," her father said. He looked at Arata. "I can still remember how excited Chihaya was in 6th grade when she started to love karuta. I understand that we have you to thank for that."

"Oh, no, I didn't do much," he stammered.

"Of course you did!" Chihaya insisted. "I was amazed when I saw him play for the first time. I wanted to be able to take cards like that too."

They talked about karuta for a while longer before the subject switched to possible careers.

"I'm thinking about teaching math to grade schoolers," Arata told them.

"Chihaya wants to be a teacher too, but for high school." She looked at her daughter. "What subject was it again, Chihaya?"

"Classic literature. What I really want is to become a karuta mentor like Harada-sensei though."

"You were a part of the Shiranami Society too, weren't you, Arata-kun?"

"Yes. I plan on joining again when I move to Tokyo."

"Harada-sensei is excited that you'll be at the party tomorrow," Chihaya said. "He wants you to play some tough practice matches against us."

"Really? You didn't tell me that."

"Yeah he wants to get you warmed up for the meijin match in a few weeks. Taichi will want to play you, and me of course. I don't know about Tsuboguchi-san though. He's scared of you."

Arata almost choked on a noodle. "Why? He's beaten me before."

"Well he finds your style of play intimidating."

"That sounds like a great compliment," Mr. Ayase commented.

Chihaya nodded. "It is. Wait until you see him in action, dad. I'm sure you'll be impressed with him too."

*.*.*

They were in Tokyo Midtown at the Starlight Garden display. Chihaya and Arata watched entranced as two hundred thousand blue lights transformed the darkness into a magical world below them. Soft electronic sounding music was playing while the show was going on, adding to the atmosphere.

Chihaya touched Arata's arm, which was wrapped around her waist as he held her close from behind. "It's so beautiful! Those white lights look just like a meteor shower."

He leaned his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Maybe we should make a wish."

"Okay, lets do that." Chihaya's eyes followed one of the 'shooting stars' and she thought, *I wish that we'll always be happy like this.*

"What did you wish for, Arata?" she asked, turning her head. The lights were reflected in his glasses.

"I can't tell you or it won't come true," he replied with a little smile. "Chihaya, you're missing the show."

She faced forward and watched as the blue lights started to pulsate and swirl. Chihaya stared unblinkingly at them as she was drawn into another suddenly it went dark and the crowd exclaimed loudly as the lights came back on. Green ones were mixed in with the blue as they shot around the perimeter of the field. The lights spun out, forming geometric patterns. The show finished on a dramatic note as the color changed from blue to red.

"That's amazing!" Arata said in awe.

"It's like a bright red meteor shower now."

They watched the show two more times and Chihaya was able to record it on her phone. She took Arata's hand as they walked down Starlight Road. The trees were decorated with blue and white lights.

To get out of the cold, they went to the Roppongi Hills Christmas Market. Chihaya ended up buying a little nutcracker ornament at one of the craft stalls and Arata got a few souvenirs to take back home with him. They also ate a slice of 'Buche de Noel' cake.

Before they left the mall, Chihaya spotted a photo booth. "Arata! Lets take pictures together." They did a few different poses and chose the ones they liked the best for the sticker sheet. After exiting the booth, they each peeled one off and stuck it to the outside of their phones.

*.*.*

"So where are we going now?" Arata asked.

"There's a pedestrian bridge that has a great view of Tokyo Tower," she explained.

Arata took in Chihaya's appearance as they rode the escalators. Her straight brown hair cascaded halfway down her back. She was wearing a white coat and the hem of her red sweater dress peeked out from the bottom of it. Her black knee high boots made her legs look even longer.

He touched her shoulder to get her attention. "Chihaya, you look beautiful."

Her warm brown eyes sparkled playfully. "Are you trying to make me blush?"

"No. I just wanted to tell you," he said shyly.

Chihaya smiled at him and reached for his hand. "Thank you, Arata."

The view of the tower was stunning. They took some pictures of the scene below them and also posed for some face shots together.

"I feel like such a tourist," Arata joked.

"So do I. It's nice, isn't it?"

He nodded.

Chihaya wrapped her arms around him. There were other people on the bridge, but Arata didn't care. He buried his face in Chihaya's sweet smelling hair and closed his eyes. *I've imagined this so many times, but I'm finally here with her, in Tokyo.*

"I love you," he said softly.

This time, she kissed him.

"You taste like peppermint," he told her when they broke away. "My lips are tingling."

Chihaya smiled. "That's just my chap stick."

"I like it. More please," he requested, leaning in.

She laughed and kissed him again.

*.*.*

They arrived back home just after 10. Her parents were watching a Christmas special on TV. Chihaya showed them the photos and videos they took on the commercial breaks.

"Chihaya, I bought cookies and hot cocoa," her mother said.

"Oooh, lets get some!" Chihaya pulled Arata into the kitchen with her.

They sat at the small table, eating a few shortbread cookies while they waited for the water to boil. Chihaya added milk, marshmallows, and a candy cane to each of their cups before they joined her parents back in the living room.

The Christmas special was over at eleven and her parents said goodnight. When they were finished in the bathroom, Chihaya ran a bath for Arata. She plugged her tree in, put on some Christmas music, and read a book while she waited for him.

The door opened fifteen minutes later and Arata came in wearing blue plaid pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt. A towel was draped around his shoulders. Chihaya stood up and walked over to her dresser to get out the hair dyer.

She plugged it in and sat on the floor. "Come here," she said, patting the area rug in front of her. "Let me dry your hair."

"Oh you don't have to do that."

"I want to." Which was the truth; Chihaya had always wanted to touch his hair. She loved how untidy it was. "Plus I don't want you to wake up with a fever if you go to bed with wet hair," she added.

He gave in and sat down cross-legged on the floor. Chihaya rubbed his hair with the towel before turning on the dryer. She had to kneel in order to reach him. Chihaya switched the dryer off after a few minutes and ran her hands through his soft black hair, attempting to smooth it. Her fingertips lingered on Arata's neck and she noticed that his ears were red. She positioned herself in front of him, but she couldn't see his expression because he was looking down at his hands.

Chihaya brushed the fringe out of his eyes and then turned her head sideways, trying to see into his face. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy." He raised his head and smiled at her. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had."

Chihaya's heart skipped a beat. "Same here. I had so much fun."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Arata broke the spell when he said, "You should get in the bath before the water gets cold."

"Yeah good idea." Chihaya rose from the floor. "I'll say goodnight when I'm done."

*.*.*

Arata got under her white duvet and looked at the Christmas tree across the room. Seeing it lit up gave him a cozy feeling. He noticed that she had hung her new nutcracker ornament on one of the branches. Arata set his glasses down on the bedside table and closed his eyes as he reviewed the memories they made together that day. He must have drifted off, because he woke to a feather light kiss on his lips.

"Goodnight, Arata," she whispered. "Sweet dreams."

He opened his eyes and saw her face hovering inches from his own. "Chihaya," he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "Goodnight."

She kissed the palm of his hand before going over to the dresser to unplug the tree. He watched as her blurry form went into the hallway and closed the door softly behind her. The streetlight outside shone a little through the blinds and the bedside clock gave off a reassuring blue glow.

He licked his lips and tasted peppermint again. Arata burrowed down under the covers so that only the top of his head stuck out. *Chihaya sleeps in this bed every night. The realization made him blush. Just being there felt like a small miracle to him. He hugged her Daddy Bear pillow against his chest. I hope that she'll be laying beside me someday.* Arata closed his eyes and imagined their future together.

A/N: Chihaya is always thinking about Arata during Christmas, but she never gets to spend it with him… so I thought I'd change that!

I did a bit of research on Christmas attractions in Tokyo to make it as authentic as possible. I also watched some videos on youtube of the Starlight Garden light shows. My favorite scene is when they kiss on the bridge ;) I ended up listening to "Winter Romance" by Yuriko Nakamura on repeat while I was writing that particular moment.

If you enjoyed this story, please check out the now completed sequel "A Year of Memories" xD