Kiki smiled as she watched the sun set. It looked as though it was sinking into the ocean, where it would sleep until needed the next morning.
“The sun is so romantic...” she whispered to herself, shutting out the sound of young teens talking and yelling excitedly below her as they played a friendly game of tag. Kiki sighed. It was her birthday, and yet somehow she felt the need to escape from the others, and have some time to herself. So here she sat, up on the roof that blocked her small apartment from the sun, rain, and snow. Her mind wandered back to the gifts she had received; a new dress, a manga, a new kimono, and a few other small things that she hadn’t really taken time to remember.
“But, Tombo never gave me his gift...” she whispered to herself sadly. Even though she would never admit this to anyone, Kiki had a crush on the boy who had become her friend soon after her arrival to town. Every time she was around him, at least lately, her stomach knotted up, and her mouth went dry. How could someone make her feel this way simply by being around her? Kiki was extremely confused, she couldn’t understand all of what she was feeling.
“Kiki?” Came a soft voice. Startled, Kiki looked down to see Tombo climbing out of the window of her ‘apartment’, and joining her on the roof. Her heart did that little ‘flutter’ thing, and she forced her face into a smile.
“Hey, Tombo...” she replied, steadying her voice. Tombo smiled, then sat down beside her.
“So, whatcha doin’ way up here? Everyone’s been looking for you...” he told her with another goofy grin. Kiki smiled back, resisting the urge to laugh. He looked so cute when he did that! It just then occurred to her that the sounds of yelling and laughing had disappeared. Kiki sighed.
“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to worry everyone...” she whispered softly as she smoothed her purple dress out, and began to stand. “We better go and --” She was stopped in mid sentence by Tombo, who grabbed on to her wrist gently to keep her from leaving.
“Kiki, wait... I have just one question for you before we go...” he whispered, his voice showing just a hint of desperation. A confused look passed over her face, but she nodded and sat back down, giving the boy her full attention.
“I suppose...” he began with a smile, “that you have been wondering why you didn’t receive a gift from me... am I right, Kiki?” Kiki nodded again, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. Tombo smiled as this, watching as her head dropped slightly to allow her eyes to focus on her hands. Moving in closer to her smaller form, Tombo gently took her chin in his hand and tipped her face up so her eyes met his.
“It’s because I couldn’t put it in a package...” he whispered. “It’s too special.” With these words, Tombo leaned forward, and kissed Kiki softly upon the lips. Kiki’s eyes went wide. The moment that she had dreamed of for a long time... and it was here. What should she do?!
“Number one, don’t panic... number two, don’t panic... and number three, did I mention not to panic?!” Jiji’s words played in her mind.
‘I just have to go with it...’ she thought to herself. Very slowly, almost timidly, Kiki’s arms came up, and circled Tombo’s neck, as her mouth responded to his. Surprised and delighted by this sudden and bold movement, Tombo wound his arms around Kiki’s waist, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. Neither knew just how long the kiss lasted. At some point, Tombo had enough guts to slip his tongue into Kiki’s mouth, exploring the pockets of her cheeks, while his hands ran up and down her back gently. Kiki moaned and responded with her own tongue, body pressed against Tombo’s lovingly, fingers gliding through his soft, unruly hair. The only standing rule right now seemed to be that they couldn’t allow the kiss to end until absolutely necessary. The sun was well past setting when the two slowly broke away from each other, lips lingering, gentle, quick kisses of need still being exchanged. Finally they separated fully, looking into each other’s eyes. Kiki leaned forward and rested her head on Tombo’s chest, breathing in the scent of his jacket. Tombo held her tightly, stroking his fingers through her black tresses.
“Alright, TOMBO!!” came a sudden call. Startled, both Kiki and Tombo looked towards the source of the call. All of the party guests, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Osono, were gathered around the large window on the top floor of the bakery, and the couple noticed that a few people even had popcorn and soda.
“My God... how long were we kissing?” Kiki whispered as a blush spread across her cheeks. Tombo looked at his watch, then at the sky, then back at his watch.
“According to my timing...” he looked up at her, a blush on his own face, “Just shy of an hour...” Kiki’s eyes went wide.
“An... HOUR?!” she screamed. He nodded sheepishly. Kiki slumped against him, stunned. A small smile then crossed her face.
“Oh, well... at the very least, my guests were entertained...” she told him with a wild grin. Tombo laughed, and Kiki joined in. They then exchanged a quick kiss, and climbed back into Kiki’s apartment through the window. Hand in hand, they descended the wooden steps, and went to face their friends.

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