Nathalia Tanaka was so happy, ecstatic actually. Her mama, Maria, had agreed to let her skip her cram school session tonight so that they could make Valentine’s Day chocolate. This would be her first attempt and she was very nervous about it.  However, her mother assured her that with all the women of the Tanaka family to help her it wouldn’t be a problem.   When the last bell rung announcing the end of the normal school day, Nathalia, nicknamed Lia by family and close friends, rushed to exit the school followed close behind by her best friend, Risa Akanishi .

“Could you slow down, ONEGASMASU!” Risa called after Lia, her short legs finding it hard to keep up. 

At the plea, Lia quickly stopped and moved out of the fast flowing traffic in the school hallway and waited for Risa to catch up.

“Gomen,” Lia said as she touched Risa’s arm when she was standing next to her.

“What’s the big rush? Your home is still going to be there right?”  Now they are walking in step with each other.

“Hey! Lia! Wait Up!!!” At the sound of Lia’s oldest brother's voice, Osvaldo, 18,  she turned towards him. She saw him, as well as her twin brother Mauricio, 16, and the son of her father’s best friend, Yukio Akanishi who is also 18 and Risa’s older brother, walking towards them.  As the boys make their way to where Risa and Lia are most of the female and male student body watched them. As if by magic a pathway opened up for the young men to walk down the hall unhindered.

The guys were known as Fuka sawa, which means Untouchables in English. The name may sound like a Yakuza name but the connotation didn’t really mean that, although in Risa’s opinion she sometimes felt like it did. Osvaldo, Yukio and Maurico were called the “Untouchables” because they were the elite of the elite of the school and it had nothing to do with the fact that they came from enormously wealthy families but had to do with the perfection that they emitted, whether it was Osvaldo and Yukio being number 1 and 2 respectively every semester as was Maurico for the Freshmen class; Top athletes in every sport that they played; Osvaldo in Judo, Yukio and Maurico in soccer, like their fathers.  And they were THE MOST GOURGEOUS GUYS at Tokyo International High School, thus they were the Untouchables.

 “Lia, could you tell mom that I’m going by Ryoda’s house before I come home.” Osvaldo said.

“Yeah, sure. Does Tio Ryo know you’re stopping by?” Lia asked with a raised eyebrow. Risa snickered at the question. Ryoda, whose really name is Tatsuko, is the daughter of Ryo and Tatsuya Nishikido, another one of their father’s friend’s offspring and the current girlfriend of her brother.

“Yes, MOM, he knows.” Osvaldo smirked. It was no secret that Ryo Nishikido is very protective of his daughters.  “Just remind Mom okay. Come on Yukio we have cram school.  Rico, have a good practice.”  Rico nodded in thanks and they guys scattered in their various directions, although for a moment Yukio looked like he wanted to stay and chat for a while.

“Bye guys! “ The girls called out.

“Your brother is so fine. Sometimes I can’t stand it.” Risa sighed in appreciation as did some of the other girls that were off to the side watching the boys leave the school building.

“Which one?” Lia teasingly asked.  Risa gave her a look.

Of course Nathalia knew it was Maurico that Risa was crushing on.

“Why don’t you come home with me and make Valentine’s chocolate so you have something to give to Rico.”

“No…I’m not ready to tell Rico that I like him yet.” They switched shoes and walked down the street to the subway bouncing down the steps. “I’m not as brave as you are about confessing to Yukio.”

Nathalia Tanaka was in love with Yukio Akanishi. And she couldn’t help it. Yukio is the combination of the amazingly good looks of his father, the hard work ethic of his mother, Tia Kame-chan, and the combined charm of both his mother and father. There had been no chance for her since the day she was born.

“Well, I have no choice. It’s now or never. He’s graduating at the end of the school year and going to Todai. I have to at least tell him how I feel now or I never will… Risa, are you sure he doesn’t have a girl that he doesn’t already like?!” Although Lia tried not to think too much about her decision to confess to Yukio she was starting to get nervous.

“Positive. You have nothing to worry about.” Risa assured her patting her on the back as they rode the crowded afternoon subway ride. What Risa didn’t tell her best friend was that there was someone that Yukio was madly in love with. Her name was Nathalia Tanaka.  Risa had discovered it a little over a year ago when she had run across the stash of secret pictures that Yukio had taken of his childhood friend.  Of course when her brother had found that he had been found out he had threatened her with violent physical harm if she breathed one syllable of this to anyone. Around the same time she discovered that Lia was feeling the same way but Lia also swore her best friend to secrecy. Of course at that point Risa believed that her brother and best friend were idiots.

Needless to say she was happy that Lia decided to finally confess her feelings. She was confused how Lia seemed to miss the secret looks that Yukio sent her and the way he always managed to always be sitting next to her, or how he was always available to help her with her English homework. Or Yukio for that matter, how did he miss that no matter what Lia was at every one of his soccer games and always made sure that her bento at least once a week has strawberries in it, even though she did like them so she could give them to Yukio who loved them as a secret gift? It was beyond Risa’s understanding.

Soon it was their subway stop. Exiting, they left the subway station and walked the block necessary where Lia’s mom, Maria, was waiting next to her car.

“Hey Mom!!” Lia greeted her mother as the jumped into her mother’s open arms. It was very obvious that they loved each other very much.

“Hey, Babes! Risa-chan, come give me a hug.” Risa smiled as she gave Maria a hug. She loved Maria hugs just as much as she loved her own mother’s. “Risa-chan, your mom asked me to pick you up since she had meeting with her boss.”

“Yeah, she had texted me, already. Thanks for picking me up.”

“Not a problem. Now Let's go make chocolate!!”

TBC

A/N: I know I have other stories bUt I couldn't stop this one from being born!