When Hollyhocks Grow Among Roses
Rating: PG
Genre: ((Fluff!!)) Romance
Pairing(s): Seto/Ryou, mentioned Yami/Yuugi
Warnings: Shounen ai
Plot: Ryou receives a bouquet of flowers for his birthday from a 'secret admirer' who isn't all too secret, and Seto learns the meaning of forgiveness.
Notes: Hm, this idea came from my reading a book on symbols and from the fact that my little brother is doing better than me on Duelist of the Roses ((Which is MY game cause I bought it!)). I don't know how that came up, but he is doing better, even if it is supposed to be a little easier if you join Lancaster. B-but Seto's on York's side! I had to be York! **runs off crying** And he's so~ polite!
Chapter 1-
Ryou sighed, tucking his head into his arm as a duel finished in first period. Jounouchi versus Anzu, and Jounouchi had won with flying colors- for once.
"Yeah! Who's good?" He asked no one, happy for his win.
Ryou ignored this- par usual- and stared out of the window, wishing the day would go by sooner. It was Friday. Tomorrow was Saturday. Tomorrow was his birthday and they had school.
((And the author would like to make note that they have school on Saturdays in Japan. Arigato.))
"Bakura-kun?" Yuugi asked, the first to notice his friend's discomfort.
"Un?"
"Daijoubu ka?"
"Hai." He yawned.
"Tomorrow's your birthday, isn't it?"
Ryou nodded, then smiled suddenly. "I'm probably going to spend it sleeping. High school takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?"
Yuugi laughed. "Un."
"Hey Anzu-chan! I know someone else who has a thing for you!" Jounouchi said in a loud voice.
"Another one?" Asked Honda blandly.
"What?!" Anzu glared at the two, ready to release female teenage thrashings upon them.
"We should do a show on Anzu-chan's love life and send it in to some station. We can title it, 'Romance Relationships of a High School Girl'!"
"Like hell you will." She bopped Jounouchi upside the head. "Why do you always pick on me?"
"Well," Jounouchi started listing on his fingers, "Yuugi-kun's relationship consists of him and a 3,000-year-old spirit who would kill us if we even dared. It would be no fun to torture ourselves. And Bakura-kun-"
"-Has no love life to speak of." Ryou mumbled, shifting his head to cover more light from his face.
"Yeah! So therefore, you're the only one left." Honda finished, nodding.
It was at this time that Kaiba Seto poked Ryou on the back with the eraser end of his pencil.
"Un?"
"Bakura-kun, may I please see your assignment book? I missed a few assignments."
"Hai." Ryou reached into his binder and pulled it out, already open to that week. The CEO had missed some classes due to a meeting, Ryou guessed. He handed his planner to him and turned back around.
"Arigato." There were some scribbling sounds and a few pauses before it was handed back. "Arigato gozaimasu."
"You're welcome." Back to lying the head down like an idiot.
Ryou heard Jounouchi's voice say something before Honda said loudly enough for only their group to hear, "You're kidding! Him?!"
Ryou picked up his head to look over at them, only to see that all four of them were looking at him. "Hm?"
Jounouchi was the first to speak. "And our new topic is, 'The Secret Love of Bakura Ryou'."
"What?" Ryou asked, shaking his head in a sleepy way and hoping that he had just misheard the blond.
"Kaiba-kun. He has something for you." They crowded around Ryou's desk, the white-haired boy now feeling a little claustrophobic.
"What?" Ryou repeated, now hoping he had drifted off.
"He just made it so obvious!" Jounouchi continued in a whispered voice. "He so checked you out when he asked for that planner."
"Jounouchi-kun, you must be mistaken."
"No, no. I admit, the fact that it's Kaiba-kun is seriously sick, and freaky, but still! And don't hit me with that 'you see what you want to see' crap, cause I didn't wanna see this!"
Ryou just shook his head. "Jounouchi-kun, don't worry. He doesn't like me, I don't like him, end of story. You can stop worrying about anything and let me sleep-" Insert the bell ringing. "-oh never mind."
Last period, time was ticking down. Ryou closed his textbook and sighed, gathering his things. It would be the usual mad dash to the locker to get the backpack and such.
Bell rings. Yep, dash from the room and into the hallway. Find locker, ah-hah! Turn combo and lift latch... there. Books, random papers falling out, the usual...
Wait.
Envelope?
Ryou stood there in the middle of the hallway, people bustling and pushing around him. Finally, he gathered his senses enough to open it. A card appeared before him. Taking it out, he peered at it in a curious way.
Whoever wrote it certainly wasn't a poet. It was a simple rhyming message, written as such: "It may be early, but I couldn't wait to give this to you. Just remember every time the skies are gray, that I love you. Happy Birthday."
"Whoa. Whoa! This isn't happening." He dropped his books down and still stared.
"Hey, watch it!" Someone yelled at him, prompting him to continue picking up his books and putting them into his bag.
Starting his walk home, he pondered very long, and very hard. Who would like him?
I have a secret admirer. The idea scared him a little, but also made him flush and giggle. But male or female? Most likely male, due to the handwriting and horrible poetry capabilities. Plus, in his experience, the females who liked him never had a thing for subtlety, they just ran up and announced it. So, a guy, probably shy. And obviously he knows me. The list would be Yuugi and Yami no Yuugi (Mark them out, they're perfectly happy), Jounouchi and Honda (Highly doubt it), Otogi (Hm, maybe? Still, doubt it), and Kaiba (Hah! No matter what Jounouchi-kun said, no!).
Screw homework, this was so much more important!
He sat at his desk, making a list of who the possibilities were (Consisting of Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi, and yes... Kaiba) and listed reasons why it could be them and why not.
He guessed for a few seconds that maybe his admirer wanted him to wait to see who it was, but he couldn't!
Baka yadonushi, completely oblivious.
"What? Don't tell me you know." Ryou asked, to anyone from the outside to himself.
Baka. Yami no Bakura repeated, a little pouty from the talk-back.
The next day, and no closer to finding who his admirer was, Ryou went back to school.
Should I tell everyone about it? No, cause if it isn't either Jounouchi-kun or Honda-kun, they'll tease me about it! And I know who they'll say, too.
Ok, I do have to admit to myself that each of the possibilities had their own physical qualities and other qualities that are good about them. Jounouchi-kun's like... like a puppy and a really great and loyal friend. Honda-kun's kinda hot and is good for self-esteem. Otogi-kun is really exotic and, well, he's Otogi-kun, what more is there to say? He sweat-dropped as he sat himself down at his desk. Yuugi-tachi had yet to arrive.
And now, Kaiba-kun. What about Kaiba-kun? Mm, he's pretty hot, I suppose. More sexy than anything... not that that's bad. But his personality? I don't know too much about him besides what Yuugi-tachi have voiced- that he's a jerk. But who knows? But still, it's the thought... please not him.
Don't lie to yourself, yadonushi.
Huh?
You at least consider him, I know.
Since when do you help me on my love life?
Don't talk back to me, you'll live longer.
He decided not to talk to his other self for a while now...
By the end of school, Ryou still had no earthly idea who would have given him the card. It was still one of those four people, but Jounouchi and Honda had acted perfectly normal. So Ryou mentally put them in the 'most likely not, but still possibly' pile.
Opening his door, he stopped. There weren't any bushes near his door, let alone flowering ones. So, what?
"Oh my!" He looked at the flowers in the vase and package that were sitting next to his door. "Oh my..." He smiled as he shook his head to pick them up and carry them inside.
Setting them on the table, he looked them over. Roses, baby's breath, and hollyhocks.
This excluded Honda and Jounouchi from the list- neither had the finesse to get such a delicate gift. That left Otogi and Kaiba- Ryou didn't know if he liked this fact or not.
"Roses represent passion and love while baby's breath is gentleness and everlasting love and hollyhocks... forgiveness." Fervently his hands searched the slim, thorn-less stems for a card. Finding there was not one, he gently started to open the package.
There was a plush stuffed animal of a white tiger in it along with a card. Taking out both, he set the stuffed animal down and opened the card to read it.
"My love is given to you in showers of roses and sealed with wisps of baby's breath. But for crimes I did in the past commit, hollyhocks profess a want of forgiveness from the angel that holds my heart in his hands... oh..." He held the card close to him. "So, it is him."
In Japan, hollyhocks were a sort of holy plant, very expensive and hard to find. Only one person would be able to find and afford them.
"It has to be Kaiba-kun. There's no other explanation. Oh my... it is him." He shook his had with a sad smile on his face. "Jounouchi-kun tried to tell me, and he was right. Why was I so blind?"
He sighed. "Should I call him? Maybe... or else I can try at school tomorrow. No, wait, school on Monday. Oh, that seems so long away. Tomorrow on its own seems so long from now. I-I think I should call someone."
He picked up the phone and dialed some number. He knew it was a number he knew, but didn't know whose.
"Moshi moshi?" Jounouchi asked. Ryou didn't know if that was good or bad, but it happened.
"Jounouchi-kun?"
"Ah, Bakura-kun! What's up?"
"Ano... I-I think you were right."
Jounouchi cocked his head to the side. "About what?"
"Kaiba-kun." Ryou said in a whisper, holding the phone close to his mouth.
The other side of the line was quiet. "You think so... how, may I ask?"
Ryou told him about the gifts and everything, about the symbolism and how the flowers had in fact came from a renowned florist.
"Hm, it does sound like him. But Bakura-kun, despite the fact that I hate Kaiba-kun with my guts, I need to know: how do you feel about all of this? There is an answer that I would prefer, granted, but how do you feel inside?"
"Hm, straight to the point." Ryou sighed. "I feel flattered, I will admit that. But otherwise, I'm not sure. I mean, I hardly know him, even if he is closer than when we first met. It just comes as a shock, so suddenly. I don't know what I'm feeling inside, and it hurts that I don't know. It's confusing."
"Why don't you call him and explain it to him?"
"Because!" Ryou yelled, flinching at his own voice. "Because I'm just confused, and what if it isn't him? Unless it says directly, there is the possibility."
"Bakura-kun... as I said, I hate Kaiba-kun. But still... do what you think is best."
"Don't try wrapping up this counseling session. I still have ranting to do."
"Fine... let me sit down." There was verbal silence as Jounouchi sat on his couch. "Now, start talking."
He vented. Ryou vented for a good hour before a beeping sounded.
"Gomen Bakura-kun, my cell's outta batteries."
"Ack!" Ryou said, dismayed. "Well, I'll talk to you later. Bye!"
"Bye."
They hung up.
Ryou set the phone on his night stand, seeing as he had moved up to his room during his counseling session. Sighing, he pulled out some cards. The Mirror met him as he took them out of their silken bag. (1)
"Ok..." He shuffled them and split them into four piles with his left hand before putting them back in one pile in a random order. So what if he had Cardcaptor Sakura Clow Cards? They did good tarot readings and were fairly accurate! "Cards made by Clow, answer my questions." He imitated the shoujo manga before lying three cards out face up. His question had been thought, rather than said aloud.
"The Shot- Analytical wronging in the past. The Libra- A present decision to be made. You got that right! And lastly... the Erase- forgetting all that went on before. Last card is..." He drew one more card out of the deck. "Oops!" Another came up with it and slipped out. "Anyways!" He held the one he had intended to draw up. "The Create- a new reality created either in reality or in one's own mind."
As he put them away, he remembered a rule or tarot reading: if you drop a card, include it in your reading. So as he shuffled the other cards away, he picked it up and stared in amusement: the Glow. The card that represents romance.
"Ok, one more."
He reshuffled them and laid out three more with a new question in mind. "Erase once again- forgetting the past. The Dark- power and yet overshadowed. The Fly- the want to rise to new heights- so to speak- and do something out of the ordinary." Overall an adventurous and ambitious person. Yeah... He drew the final card, this time only one. "Twin. You're trying to tell me something, aren't you?" Ryou smiled. The Twin was used when two were fated to meet and were, for lack of better words, twin souls.
How will my relationship with Kaiba Seto-kun go?
Who is Seto, deep inside?
Un- Yes (Yet another way of doing so...)
Daijoubu ka?- Are you alright?
Yadonushi- a (non-affectionate) nickname for Ryou that Bakura gave him that means, basically, king's property.
Moshi moshi- a traditional greeting for when one picks up the phone.
(1)- Cardcaptor Sakura, a shoujo manga by CLAMP. I have the Clow Card merchandise and since tou-san threw away my tarot cards... I use the $10.99 merchandise! And keep them in a Malaysian bag instead of their plastic book that they came in.
This shall be a short ficcie! Gomen, but my time has been with homework and Dragon Knights fic lately...
V-chan: **cracks a whip and glares**
Chloe: No! Armand! Don't hurt my Louis! **huggles Chibi**
Chibi: -_-'...
Amby: And Marius is just here for the heck of it.
Wildwolf: But we gotta do well in school, or no AKon~! If any of you are going to AKon the last weekend of May/first weekend of June in Dallas, tell me~! @_@