Disclaimer: I do not own Ojamajo Doremi or the characters in my story.

Hi guys! Chapter 4 is here. More reviews please. I'd be happier to write if I get more reviews. And I'm so sorry I haven't presented this chapter as I've said coz there are complications in my life that I had to deal with. Thanks for understanding.

Chapter 4. Rekindling and Knowing

"I'm glad that you're happy, Fujiwara" he said and fixed his eyes on hers. Heat crept its way to his tanned cheeks.

They stared at each other for more than 20 seconds and she gave away and looked back at her hands.

He thought that she might get shy and uneasy again.

"Masaru-kun…" she spoke. He listened intently to what she's going to say next. "I missed you."

Did he hear that right? His heart was beating so fast. He could see the light pink shade on her cheeks. He answered, "I missed you, too, Hazuki."

It was the first time she'd actually hear him say her name. It was music to her ears. He's definitely changed so much in the past years. Yet she hasn't.

She hesitated. Was she so bold into telling him she missed him? 'Oh God, what is he thinking of me now', she thought.

Silence crept up like a shadow. The orange sky was slowly darkening. Time seemed like eternity to her now. She had always wanted to talk to him, and he to her, and now, here they were.

He's eyes searched for her eyes but she was looking away, too embarrassed to look at him after what she said. Why was the question in his mind. 'Why is she looking away?' he thought.

The wind blew lightly. She could feel the cool air but she was too warm to shiver. She wanted to hear him more. She wanted them to be the same again. Friends once more, even best friends if possible. But she couldn't find the best words to tell him. She can solve and answer any math problem and science question, but her intangible feelings for him were just… unanswerable for her.

She straightened herself, gathered all her courage to look at him once more. He saw his sweet, angelic face. His tanned skin, emerald eyes and smiling expression. 'Yeah, he's changed so much' she thought to herself.

"Do you remember," he started, staring deeply into her eyes, "when we were in kindergarten?"

She just continued to look at him and nodded her head. Her tension was slowly dissipating.

"Remember when we first met?" he asked with wonder in his face.

She nodded again and said, "You offered your hand but I didn't take it. But you insisted on helping me and carried me on your back."

They both stopped and laughed. 'Times may change but memories stay', she thought.

"Yeah, you were in pain and it hurt me to see you hurt. It was the start," he smiled, "the start of our friendship," he continued.

He turned to look at the sky where stars started twinkling. She looked at him and stared at the stars as well.

"You know what, Masaru-kun?" she said not blushing anymore. He turned to her. She continued to looking at the sky. The sun was nearly set, only a hint of orange left. "You've changed." She smiled at him and added, "yet remain so the same as before."

He smiled at her. "Same to you, Hazuki".

"It's just like before, isn't it?" she said looking now at her hands on her lap.

He turned his head towards her direction. "What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled of her statement.

She clasped her hands together and answered, "I mean this. That we're being friends again."

He answered, "Well, I've been meaning to come up to you so many times. But, I just wasn't sure that you'll…" he stopped when she looked at him with tears nearly welling up on her eyes. "Hazuki." he's eyes fell silent and concerned. He took out his handkerchief and offered it to her.

"Thank you, Masaru-kun," she started as she took the offered handkerchief and gently wiped some of the tears that formed on her eyes. "I'm just really glad to be talking to you again."

He smiled to see her sad expression disappearing. "I've been always your friend from the beginning. And you, the best of all of mine, Hazuki." He said the last sentence like a gentle whisper but she still heard it.

She blushed and whispered, "I'm so happy that you're calling me by my first name, Masaru-kun."

He stared at her. Stunned by what she said. 'Yeah, I was calling her by her first name' he thought. He didn't even notice he was doing it so. It was too natural for him.

She looked up to him and smiled ever so sweetly. "I like it better that you're calling me by my first name, Masaru-kun."

He just smiled. "Me too, Hazuki."

He leaned back on the chair, looking at his gold trumpet.

She noticed this and said, "You're so good at playing your trumpet, Masaru-kun. What song were you playing? That was so nice."

"Thanks," he said looking at her. "I've been practicing really hard on my break times. It just evens me out when I play. And that song, ahm…" he hesitated a little.

She noticed his hesitation and quickly replied, "Oh. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I want to tell you." He held up his trumpet and began playing the song he played a while ago while closing his eyes.

It was a lovely song. She looked up to him and saw how well he handled his treasured trumpet. The air was filled with the song. Even the wind listened to it. She closed her eyes to enjoy it and to remember every note of it. She was going to play the song with her violin. She'll have to. The song was so distinct, so lovely… so full of melody. So much his own.

He let out the final note so beautiful that it etched into Hazuki's mind. A memory she will keep forever with her. Just like the time when she came up to him before when they were in middle school. They played a song together. Though it wasn't their composition, it was like their own. He played his trumpet while she played her violin and the melody matched in perfectly. One of her treasured moments that was.

The song was so familiar to her. It reminded her of something. It was just this morning. Then it struck her.

"That's the song in my dream," she said out softly. He looked at her with interest. 'Oh, no. I said it out loud' she thought. She protested and said, "I mean, it's… it's…" she can't say what it is. She can't lie, surely not to him.

He just smiled. "It's my own composition. My first song. I wrote it." He said proudly as he looked at his trumpet. "I called it 'Memory'," he continued.

"Memory," she repeated. "That was the loveliest song I've heard in my life, Masaru-kun," she added with a smile.

"Hazuki." he smiled back at her.

They just smiled at each other. They forgot that it was they're first time to talk to each other again after 4 years. They continued to talk about their times before. They're times in kindergarten and middle school. They rekindled their memories together like they were just yesterday. They even talked about their classmates in Misora Middle school. They also talked about each other.

"I heard from Doremi that you're into sports club, Masaru-kun." She stated keeping eye contact with him.

He reacted with a bit of shrug and closed eyes with a slight smirk on his face. "Well, yeah. I just thought I'd need some exercise, and Hasebe and Kotake forced me into it" he said.

'Now, that's a familiar expression on his face,' she thought. "That's great but you shouldn't let people push you if you don't want to, you know" she said sincerely.

"Ah… Well, I like being into all kinds of sports anyway. I lack that determination on Middle School so I kinda made up for it in high school." he said opening one eye to look at her.

"Oh…" was all she could say.

"So, how about you? I heard you're into all clubs but Sports," he said.

"Uh… well, I'm just enjoying my chances. I can't put Sports club into my schedule anymore coz it conflicts my Student council meetings. Although I really wanted to grab everything that I can be good at"

"That's good sometimes, though" he said closing his eyes again imagining her doing all the academic work and student council responsibilities while her other clubs call out for her to attend in their meetings. 'How does she manage to be in all of them' he thought. "But still, you have too much responsibility in your hands. How do you make time for all of them?" he asked in a concerned tone.

She smiled a little and thought hard. 'Yeah, how do I manage it' she wondrously asked herself. "Uhm… well, I don't really know too. I just love to be in all of them and I magically have time to be in all of the meetings. That's it, I guess," she wasn't so sure of her answer.

He smirked and asked, "Aren't you burdened by responsibilities, Hazuki?"

She tilted her head a little and smiled at him. "No. Not at all, Masaru-kun. I enjoy all my clubs and it keeps me busy. It also makes me feel like I'm doing something for others and for my self. It's fulfilling and I'm getting good at them."

He readjusted his imagination and saw her being looked up by everyone. 'Such prowess and humility in her statement and there was genuine authenticity and generosity in there as well' he thought. 'Hazuki, you're so… great and responsible. And…' he opened his eyes and laid his hands on his lap to look at her. She was looking out on the darkened skies with the stars slowly emerging and twinkling. Her eyes were shining like diamonds with a lovely smile plastered on her milky face. '…beautiful' his thoughts continued. His eyes glowed with such tenderness and admiration. He felt his heart beat in a fast and rhythmic concession reminding him of what to do next. They'd spent the past hour talking about each other again and they're past, getting rid of the silence of their atmosphere.

He had waited for this time. 'It's so much different to be here face-to-face with her than watching her from afar' he thought. Kotake called it 'stalking' but it didn't matter. He wasn't stalking her but watching out for her. His childhood best friend. The only girl who accepted him for who he was. She can bring out his softer side just by looking at him. The only one who could make him feel… so different inside.

He wasn't really sure yet of what these crazy stuff inside him were, but he wanted to find out. He will decipher it. After all, he knew a little of what she feels. He wasn't dumb to not notice it. And he had asked Doremi, or rather, Doremi had told him nearly everything about Hazuki's thought and feelings for him (although Doremi thought she was just giving out hints, she was never really good at giving hints in the first place).

Now, he wanted to let her know of what he feels for her. She was in his mind most of the time. His compositions, most of them, were inspired by her. He made paintings for her. He watched out for her. He finally had the courage to make this day especially for her.

"Hazuki, happy birthday." He said with a smile.

She looked at him a bit surprised still. And blushed. "Arigatou, Masaru-kun."

He stood up. And looked away, stumbling for words on his next step.

Hazuki was puzzled of what he was doing. She just looked at him.

"I have another surprise for you, Hazuki." he said. Then, he turned around and knelt in front of her.

She was so surprised. She gaped a little and blushed crimson red on her cheeks.

He held three petite, beautiful roses out for her. "It's Valentine's Day. I will make it special for you. I want to spend this time with someone so special to me since I've met her. And she is you." He smiled while looking straight into her chocolate brown eyes. "Will you be my Valentine?"

Heat rushed into both of their systems. The wind blew gently and his hair was swaying with it revealing the tenderness and handsomeness of his face.

She watched him carefully. 'This is a dream' she thought. She couldn't believe this was happening, him kneeling down in front of her and asking her to be his valentine, not because it's her birthday but coz it's Heart's day. He didn't have to say it but she understood it, implied in what he said.

He took her hands in his and held them with the roses.

She blushed even more, looking at their hands together with rose stems in between. Her heart beat in a fast, melodic rhythm and felt his pulse on her hands. "She nodded her head and said, "Yes, Masaru-kun. I'd be honored."

The silence of the night wandered around them as they sat side by side on the bench. She looked at the three roses she held in her left hand and smiled at them. 'So pretty,' she thought. She let her right hand fall on her side and rested it on the bench where she felt his hand softly lay on hers. Their hands clasped. Their pulse danced. She smiled at him and they continued to talk about each other with their hands together. Her feelings for him got stronger. Her childhood friend, her best friend and her special someone. The feeling of being so safe with him and so right to be hearing him say her name. This was the perfect gift. The greatest time in her life. Her heart sang merrily for her. She felt the tingle that her feelings for him tug. It was love. 'I have always been… in love with him', she admitted to herself.

He felt so happy with her. Her hand was so soft in his, so light and so smooth. This was a dream come true for both of them. This one night can change them both. She's all that he wants and needs, as a friend and something more. A stir in his heart let him decipher his feelings for her. It wasn't just care or friendship that was there. He knew what it was. It was love. 'No wonder I've been having you in mind all the time. I fell for you' he thought as he looked tenderly at the girl he's so attached with.

She smiled at him as he smiled back and they continued to talk about each other.

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