Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well! I can't believe it's almost Christmas! :O
This fic was written as a response to a dare set by Nanaga on the Hana to Akuma LJ community to "write a fanfiction about Ren and Ayame!" .... and since this pairing makes me randomly lol and I love Ren, I tried my hand at writing one XD;;;
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana to Akuma. It would be really awesome if I did, but sadly that's just a dream haha
Warnings: Randomness ;P I guess it's set sometime after chapter 27, but there's no specific timeline.
Thanks go to my lovely beta Nanaga as always, and of course, to all of you for reading this fic! :D
Hope you enjoy it! (^o^)/
Say It With Flowers
.:\\ vVv //:.
She almost stepped on them by accident, the first day.
It was only by a half-glance down as she absently checked her kimono that Ayame noticed something was out of place on her doorstep. The dark-haired woman bent down carefully to pick whatever it was up for a better look. To her surprise, it was a bunch of wildflowers, a splash of purple and white tied clumsily with a ribbon. Ayame recognised the blossoms as the ones that grew in the forest behind the village – she had often admired them from her carriage window on the way to Vivi's mansion.
But how had some of them ended up on her doorstep? Did someone leave them there? Ayame wondered, her fingers tracing the curve of the ribbon wrapped around the flower stems. But who would do such a thing? And why? It was so strange!
"Flowers, Madam?" a voice came from behind her. Kirino, her aged butler, had come to see why his mistress had paused so suddenly in the doorway. Ayame showed him the unexpected bouquet, now looking a little tattered from its brush with her sandal.
"They were right outside the door."
Kirino blinked, face remaining impassive despite the surprise he felt. "Hmm. What would Madam like to do with them? They look somewhat bedraggled; perhaps throwing them out would be better…?" he suggested.
"No," Ayame said, her hand touching the awkwardly-tied bow once again. "Find a vase for them. They're quite pretty, don't you think?"
"Indeed," was the butler's comment as he accepted the flowers and went off in search of a vase to display them in. Ayame looked across the terrace to the street beyond and all the people who were walking along it, puzzled. Her house was too far from the road for someone to have accidentally dropped them, so who could have put them there?
It was quite strange.
The next day, Kirino found another bunch of flowers, this time bright yellow blooms that he identified as forsythia; on the third day, a collection of cheerfully-coloured daisies. Ayame kept all of them in vases around her house and couldn't help wondering every time she laid eyes on them.
Stranger and stranger.
.:\\ vVv //:.
"Ren. Oi, Ren!"
When his friend failed to respond to his name for the fourth time, Momo gave up and kicked the pale-haired boy's chair instead. The jolt worked where his name had not: Rentarou swung around in his seat to scowl at Momo. "What?"
"It's lunchtime," Momo informed him. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Ren replied, shoving his chair back and ignoring the winces of the other children as it scraped across the wooden floor. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Cos it's unlike you to hang around here any longer than you have to," Momo retorted, letting himself be ushered out the door by the third member of their group, Ishida, that was there that day; the fourth member, Tsubaki, was absent from school with a cold. "Was class really that interesting?"
"As if," Ren snorted. "I almost fell asleep, especially since you were too busying sighing over that squirt sitting next to you to talk to."
"I wasn't –" Momo protested, his cheeks a faint pink, only to be interrupted by the presence of said 'squirt' as she ran up to them with a beaming smile on her face.
"Momo~ Where were you?"
"Huh? 'Where was I?' Where were you?" Momo asked, confused. Hana launched into an enthusiastic explanation as the four of them headed to the garden out back that had become reserved as 'their' lunch spot. Ren brought up the rear with the usual glower on his face that appeared whenever he saw Hana or her 'creepy boyfriend' as he called Vivi. The teen stayed out of the conversation and chose instead to glance absently out the windows along the corridor.
Both of his friends noticed the pale-haired boy's strange behaviour. "Hey, Momo," Ishida whispered, taking care to attract neither the scowling Ren's nor the smiling Hana's attention. Momo leant towards him. "Don't you think Ren-chan's been acting weird lately?" Two sets of eyes glanced back at their friend.
"Yeah…" Momo whispered back. "Hey, Ren!" he called, his voice breaking through into Ren's thoughts.
"Huh? What?" Ren raised an eyebrow when he found both of his friends staring at him. Hana looked back and forth between them all in confusion. "Are ya gonna say something or not?"
"Um… I heard some kid from another class made a go-cart and was gonna test it out after school today!" Momo said, searching his brains for something to say. "Want to check it out?"
"Nah," Ren replied, oblivious to the incredulous stares he was getting from both Momo and Ishida. Since when does Ren pass up something like that?! "I'll pass. Not really my thing." He walked past them all, slinging his lunchbox over his shoulder as he continued, voice casual, "'Sides, I've got something else to do."
"Oh? Like what?" Momo demanded. Ren didn't reply, instead giving a short wave over his shoulder as he called out, "I'll go on ahead then." Both of his friends watched in surprise as the pale-haired teen walked off.
"Do you remember him saying that he had something on this week?" Ishida asked, scratching his head.
Momo's head tilted to the side, pursing his mouth as he thought it over. "Nope."
"Wonder what he's doing, then…?"
"Who knows?"
.:\\ vVv //:.
On the eight day, Ayame found herself up at Vivi's mansion having received a phone call from Hana that morning inviting the older woman to one of her tea parties. On her way there, she saw that the purple and white wildflowers in the forest had bloomed as beautifully as they did every spring, reminding her of the bunches of flowers that continued to show up on her door step without fail every single day. Sometimes they appeared in the morning, but mostly it was in the afternoon that the flowers would turn up mysteriously, with no sign of anyone around. Kirino hadn't managed to spot anyone yet, meaning that Ayame was still in the dark when it came to the identity of her secret admirer.
To have a secret admirer at my age, Ayame smiled to herself quietly, sipping tea to mask it as she watched Hana disappear off into the gardens. Vivi was somehow persevering against the bright sunlight that was beating down upon them all, despite the fact that the demon looked as though he were about to fall asleep at any given minute. As usual, Felten and his fiancée, Ellinor were present; the blonde demon a sharp contrast to his friend as he chatted animatedly to Ellinor beside him.
"Ah, Nijou-sama, you're looking cheerful today," Toni commented as he poured them all more tea and set out another plate of small cakes.
"Why, thank you, Toni," Ayame smiled. "It's such a beautiful day today." She couldn't help but wonder if there would be a bunch of flowers, always tied with that bright ribbon in an awkward bow, waiting for her when she arrived home. If there is, I wonder what type of flowers they'll be today? So far, not one of the days had brought the same kind of flowers.
The sound of running footsteps heralded Hana's returning, the girl looking like a dusty pink butterfly fluttering across the garden. "Vivi~ I brought you some flowers to wake you up!" she announced, brown hair shining in the sun as it streamed out behind her. Without waiting for any kind of response from the dark-haired demon, Hana had seated herself on his lap and tucked said flower over his ear.
"How the hell is a flower supposed to wake me up?" Vivi grumbled, reaching up to brush the already decaying petals from his hair, letting them fall like brown autumn leaves to the ground. "And don't sit on me."
Watching them both, Ayame was suddenly struck by a thought: could Hana be the one bringing her flowers? The girl was quite zealous in bringing Vivi flowers, and the clumsy bow could be explained if the sender was only a young person…
"Hana?" Even as she spoke, Ayame dismissed the idea. No; Hana knows how to tie a bow, I'm sure, and there's no reason why she would send me flowers anyway… Besides, there was no way that Hana would be able to come down from the mansion every day just to give her flowers.
Both Hana and Vivi paused in their conversation and looked up at Ayame expectantly. Vivi's hands were around Hana's waist, the demon having apparently forgotten that he was halfway through an attempt to shift Hana off his lap so that he could eat. "Yes?" the brown-eyed girl replied.
"Someone's been sending me flowers," Ayame told her. "I'd like to thank whoever it is, but unfortunately they never leave a note to tell me who it is… You wouldn't happen to know who they are, would you?"
Hana shook her head. "It's not Hana," she said, regret tinging her words. "And I don't know anyone else who might be … I'm sorry." She looked down and then brightened. "Oh, but Hana picked you a flower today!" She hopped off Vivi's lap, making the demon start, glance at his hands and then pick up his teacup as though looking for something to occupy himself with. Hana took no notice as she handed the precious flower to Ayame, the teen's smile as bright as the blossom in her hands. Ayame accepted it with a smile of her own and a word of thanks.
"Someone's bringing you flowers, hmm?" Felten asked, the edge of his mouth curling into a smile as he took a sip of tea and Ellinor accepted a flower from Hana. He nodded towards Vivi. "That makes two of you, then."
"So it seems," Ayame agreed.
"I hope you find out who it is soon," Hana told her sincerely, holding onto Vivi's arm for balance as she tucked another flower behind the demon's ear. "They must like you a lot!"
Ayame just smiled; Hana frowned. "But if they're giving you flowers, why don't they tell you who they're from?"
"Maybe he's shy?" Felten suggested. "Or he doesn't want Ayame-san to know."
The chestnut-haired girl looked shocked. "But Hana always tells Vivi the flowers are from her!"
Vivi's face was deadpan. Who else gives me flowers anyway, idiot?
So it wasn't Hana … and it wasn't Vivi either. Ayame hadn't even really considered the demon in the first place: after all, she wasn't that important to him and besides, the only flowers Vivi ever touched were the ones that Hana gave him. Ayame had a hard time believing it would be any of the other demons either.
Well, it was a start, but the list of who it wasn't was now longer than the list of who it might be. Ayame twirled the flower that Hana had given her between her fingers for the rest of the tea party, lost in thought. Who could it possibly be?
The sight of a single sunflower with crimson bow propped up against her door when she arrived home brought a smile to her face.
.:\\ vVv //:.
Ren strolled down the street, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he glanced at the shops that were open today. He was bored; he'd already finished all the chores he had been given earlier that morning and had escaped the shop before more work could be found for an idle boy. The teen was also frustrated: despite several hours of searching, he still hadn't managed to find the thing he was looking for.
A familiar figure caught his eye up ahead. Finally. With a grin, Ren made his way towards a black-haired boy sitting on the side of the pathway, a large basket bursting with flowers beside him as he ignored the dust kicked up by the occasional carriage that went by. Ren crouched down next to him. "Yo, Momo! What'cha doing?"
"What's it look like?" Momo scowled. "I'm selling flowers."
"With that face, you'd do better selling coffins," Ren joked, avoiding the swipe his best friend took at him. "Why is little Momo-chan working on a Sunday, anyway?"
"Sis chased me out with a broom and said she needed to clean the shop, so I could do the flower-selling today," Momo groaned. "And quit it with the 'chan' already!"
"Well, that sucks." Ren eyed the basket of flowers beside them. "Can't you ditch them somewhere and come play?"
"Do you want me to die?" was the growled response.
Ren sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped then…" Momo watched in confusion as the dark-eyed boy rummaged around in his pocket for a few seconds with a frown before letting out a small 'Aha!'. He dropped what he had been looking for into Momo's hands: a few coins.
Momo looked from Ren to the coins and back to Ren, a confused frown on his face. "Ren, what…?"
"Can't you tell, idiot? Some businessman you are! I'm buying some of your flowers if it means you can come play sooner." Ren folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at his friend expectantly. "Well?"
You're gonna need a lot more money than that if you want me to come play any time soon, Momo thought to himself wryly as he got over his shock. Ren never bought flowers. Although he didn't begrudge Momo for liking them, the fact remained that the bleached-haired teen firmly believed flowers were a girl's domain. Shrugging mentally, Momo dragged the basket closer to them with one hand. "Alright, which ones do you want?"
"Ah… the white ones?"
"The chrysanthemums?"
"… Whatever."
"They're these ones."
"Yeah, those ones."
Momo handed over Ren's change and the flowers, wrapped carefully so that Ren could hold them more easily and the strict instruction for the other teen to make sure he put them in water or else they'd all die. Ren gave Momo a flat look and opened his mouth, no doubt intending to inform Momo that he wasn't completely ignorant about such things, when a voice interrupted him from behind.
"Momo! Rentarou! Good morning!"
Recognising the voice, Ren sighed. Momo, on the other hand, returned Hana's wave and said in an undertone to the other boy as she came over, "Can't you be a bit nicer to her?"
Ren scowled. "I don't have to be nice to people I don't like. She and that creepy guy both bother me." There was no doubt just who the 'creepy guy' was that he was talking about. Momo looked up and caught the dark-haired demon staring at them from the other side of the street. Vivi's eyes narrowed instinctively in a glare when he saw just who Hana had run off to talk to, but was forced to look away when Felten distracted him with a question. Momo sighed quietly with relief as the demon's intense gaze left the small group.
Hana looked as pretty as she always did, today dressed in a frilly dress of sky blue, her sunny smile as always making Momo smile back no matter what kind of mood he was in. "Oh! You're selling flowers again, Momo! Can Hana buy some?"
"Sure!" Momo wondered if it was really alright for him to be making money off of his friends. Oh well… Both of them asked me, so I guess its okay…
Brown eyes spotted the small bouquet in Ren's hand. "Ah, Rentarou, I didn't know that you liked flowers as well!"
Ren stared at her in disbelief, one eyebrow twitching. "As if I would!!" Don't try to put me on your level, idiot! He made a noise of disgust and got to his feet abruptly, brushing off the excess dirt off his pants. "I'm going," he announced.
"Huh?" Momo and Hana exclaimed. Momo continued, "What about us playing –?"
"I'm not hanging around if she's staying," Ren muttered angrily, stalking off with the bouquet still held tightly in one hand. "See ya 'round, Momo."
"Huh? Wait, where –?" Momo called after him.
"Home!" Ren yelled back as he disappeared into the stream of people out and about on the street. Momo frowned. But I thought his house was in the opposite… The dark-haired boy's thought trailed off as he caught sight of Hana's face. The young girl looked like she was about to cry.
"Ah! Hana, what's wrong?!"
"I don't get why Rentarou hates me so much…" she said dejectedly. "Is Hana a bad friend?"
"No! Of course not!" Momo's reply was instantaneous. "Ren's just … in a bad mood, I guess." How could he explain that Hana's only fault was that she knew Vivi? "Don't worry about him! You'll be friends eventually, just you wait and see." Momo wished he could feel as confident as he sounded.
"You think so?" Hana asked; Momo nodded. "Thank you…"
"Hey, no worries. Now, which flowers did you want...?"
.:\\ vVv //:.
The eleventh day dawned bright and sunny, so Ayame decided that she'd visit the kimono shop. When Hana had come to find a kimono to wear to school, the older woman had found several of her eldest kimonos had faded to the point where they could no longer be resewn, so Ayame had simply decided to buy new ones.
There was no-one in the shop when Ayame stepped through the door. However, the small bell that tinkled as she came in brought a middle-aged man in traditional robes out of a back room and down into the entrance hall. "Ah, Nijou-sama! Pleased to see you! Thank you for gracing our store with your presence."
"It is I who should thank you for your assistance, Mr Arai," Ayame replied with a smile. "Your shop sells such beautiful kimono fabric."
"Ah, that reminds me. Some new fabrics arrived the other day. Would you like to see them?"
"I would, thank you." As Mr Arai bustled around, Ayame stepped up into the shop, admiring the floral arrangement of lilies and irises on display amongst the fabrics. She liked irises; their beautiful deep blue-purple hue and crisp stems always looked elegant and calm. In fact, a few now decorated her home courtesy of her mysterious flower giver. "It seems you're having a quiet day today."
"Hm? Oh yes, there hasn't been many customers today," Mr Arai replied, coming back with an armload of rolls of fabric. "Not to mention that hooligan son of mine is off with his friends instead of helping out."
"Ah, but isn't it important that he enjoys himself while he's young?" Ayame asked, smiling. "It's such a beautiful day as well; I can't imagine that any boy Rentarou's age would want to stay indoors on a day like today."
That drew a rueful smile from the other man. "True indeed, Nijou-sama. Don't let my parental grumblings bother you." Mr Arai sighed. "My wife and I have almost given up scolding him for bleaching his hair…"
"How is your wife?" Ayame asked, gently distracting him before he could depress himself further with that line of thought. Mr Arai smiled.
"She's doing quite well, thank you." He continued to talk about his family and recent events in the town as Ayame pored over the new fabrics, occasionally pausing to answer her questions or to point out something about a particular piece of fabric. After making several purchases and bidding Mr Arai a good day, Ayame left the shop with a mind to having afternoon tea in the café around the corner.
There was a carefully wrapped small bouquet of white chrysanthemums on her doorstep when she got home. She couldn't stop the small smile forming on her lips as she picked them up carefully and took them inside.
.:\\ vVv //:.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Momo grumbled, hearing the ring of the shop bell that announced someone had just entered the shop. He got to his feet and dusted off his knees. His sister glanced over at him and picked up the basket he had been filling with ordered flowers.
"I'll finish this for you," she told him. "You're going too slowly, anyway."
"Thanks, Sis!" he said over his shoulder, ignoring the criticism as he trotted out of the back room into the actual shop. "Welcome to Tanizaki Flori – Ren?!"
"Yo," the brunette replied casually. "Why so surprised, Momo-chan?"
"Drop the 'chan' thing already!" Momo growled. "Why are you here? I told you that I had a bunch of deliveries to do today." Momo leant on the counter, suspicious. Ren had continued to act strangely since he had stormed off on Sunday, disappearing every day almost as soon as school was over. Not to mention that he spent more time in class staring into space than normal.
"Oh, yeah…" Ren scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. Momo frowned.
"Well, unless you're going to buy flowers you should probably go before Sis can disembowel you for distracting me or something…"
"I heard that, Momo!" Ume yelled from the back room, voice muffled by the thick wall. Momo grinned at Ren; the other boy's mouth twitched in an answering smile that was quickly swallowed up by that same look of discomfort.
"Gah!" Ren suddenly exclaimed, rubbing his head in frustration. "This is really awkward to say, but … I'm actually here to buy flowers." He avoided looking at Momo, mouth set in a mulish line and cheeks a faint embarrassed pink.
"Oh?" Momo asked, surprise quickly losing out to intrigue. He propped his chin up with one hand and said casually, "What for?"
"Huh?" This time Ren looked at him. "Why do you need to know that?"
His face was such a strange mix between startled and nervous that Momo knew he'd hit on the secret Ren was trying to keep. Momo had to work hard to keep the devilish smile of his face as he continued in the same casual tone, "So I can tell you what kind of flowers to pick, stuff like that." I suppose I shouldn't tease him so much… but then, maybe I'll just call it a penalty for acting so weird over the past few weeks. "Well?"
"Um… they're for … my … grandma," Ren replied. "Yeah. She's sick, so my dad thought they'd cheer her up and since he's busy I got sent as the errand boy." He nodded once, folding his arms and fixing Momo with a look that clearly read, 'See? Nothing at all suspicious.'
"Is that so?" Momo asked innocently. Gotcha this time! "That's interesting."
"'Interesting'?" Ren repeated suspiciously, brows lowered.
Momo switched the arm he was leaning on; it was starting to go numb. "Yeah. 'Cos, you know, I just saw your grandma on the way home. She wanted to make sure her flowers would be delivered today." He grinned at his startled friend. "She looked fine to me. So come on, spill it."
"Damn," Ren muttered. "Well, they definitely aren't for a girlfriend, so –"
"Girlfriend?" Momo repeated. Something clicked inside his mind and sudden understanding hit him like a lightning bolt, jerking his head out of its resting spot. He pushed himself up off the counter, arms bracing him as he stared at Ren incredulously. "Wait, this isn't about Madam Nijou, is it?"
Ren stepped back, the panic of a guilty person that has just been found out written clearly across his face as though someone had painted it there. Still, he waved his hands in front of him in a vain attempt to deny Momo's claim. "N – no! Of course not –"
"Momo!" Ume stuck her head around the door. "Those deliveries won't make themselves!"
"In a sec, Sis!" he turned back to Ren, who had taken advantage of Ume's interruption to escape almost to the door. "Ren!"
"See ya later, Momo-chan!" was Ren's parting comment as he darted out the door.
"Don't call me – argh, that's not the point at the moment! Get back here!" Momo ducked around the counter, ignoring his sister's cry of 'Momo!' as he followed his friend out of the shop. "Sorry, Sis!" he called over his shoulder. "Friend emergency!"
"But what about the…" Ume started, but Momo had already gone. "…deliveries…" Her voice trailed off as her hands tightened on the broom she still held, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "Geez!"
.:\\ vVv //:.
Thanks to Ren's head start, Momo had lost sight of him quite quickly until a lucky glance down one street had caught sight of a familiar bleached-brown head of hair. Ren had stopped running by then, obviously not thinking Momo had followed him as he strolled in the direction of his house. Momo knew that if it came down to a race, Ren would probably win by virtue of being almost a head taller.
Well, I'm sorry for being short! Momo retorted silently, following Ren at a distance. Strangely, Ren wasn't heading home directly; he looked like he was searching for something as he meandered here and there. Momo followed his friend all the way to the park where – oddly enough – Ren stopped. It wasn't until the dark-haired boy caught sight of the azaleas in his friend's hand as he started off down the path once again that he realised what Ren was doing. He's … picking … flowers? Momo wondered before he realised that Ren hadn't bought anything earlier. Is this what he wanted the flowers for? Thoroughly curious by this stage, he continued to follow Ren.
I feel like a private investigator, Momo grinned to himself. Private Investigator Momo Tanizaki, following the target Rentarou Arai as he heads towards … Momo paused. What was Ren doing, anyway? Were the flowers really for Madam Nijou? Is Ren really that serious? His suspicion hardened into certainty as he realised just where they were going, ducking behind a wall when Ren gave a quick glance around.
Momo waited until the pale-haired boy had placed the flowers at Madam Nijou's door and come back through the gate before piping up, "So, the flowers weren't for Madam Nijou, huh?"
Ren froze. Damn!! "Momo?!"
"I didn't think –" Momo continued, a grin beginning to grow across his face at the sight of Ren's own growing bright red. "You –"
The sound of a door opening caught Ren's attention; wide-eyed, he grabbed Momo and pulled them both behind a carefully trimmed hedge, his arm over his friend's mouth to shut him up. It was lucky he did so, for a second later Ayame herself came out the door. Momo, having since freed himself from Ren's grasp, watched as Madam Nijou discovered the flowers and picked them up with a smile, turning to talk to someone inside. He turned to whisper a query to Ren but stopped when he caught sight of the small smile curving Ren's lips. It wasn't the usual love-struck expression his friend normally wore whenever Madam Nijou was nearby; it was happy and sad at the same time, a gleam of an emotion in the boy's eyes that Momo couldn't make out. Somehow, Momo could tell that this time around, Ren was serious.
He tugged on Ren's sleeve once Ayame was out of sight, indicating that they should go when Ren looked at him questioningly. The brunette nodded and with a single glance back towards the now-empty courtyard, retraced his footsteps back to the park with his friend.
Once they were there, Ren looked around carefully for anyone that could possibly overhear before folding his arms. "Alright, go on. Laugh if you want." His cheeks were like flaming flags of his emotions, the colour deepening as Momo took him up on the offer and he laughed uncontrollably, clutching his stomach. Ren's eyebrow twitched. "You don't have to laugh that much," he muttered sullenly, face still stained crimson.
Momo straightened, his laughter dying down. "Sorry, I just never realised you were so serious about it… How long have you been leaving her flowers?"
"Hmm…" Ren counted on his fingers for a second before replying, "Today's the fifteenth day."
The dark-haired boy blinked. "Wow, you really are serious. It's not just puppy love, huh?"
"Isn't that obvious?!" Ren growled. "And you better not tell anyone else about this!"
"Alright, alright!" Momo said, holding his hands up in an offering of peace to fend off the brown-haired boy's anger. He flopped down on the grass and after a second Ren sighed and joined him. "Does Madam Nijou know you like her?"
"No," Ren replied shortly, pulling up tuffs of grass with surprising vehemence.
"So you haven't even told her you're the one leaving flowers?" Momo asked curiously, watching Ren's efforts to mutilate the grass around them.
"No."
"But then –"
"There's no way I could, right?" Ren let the blades of grass flutter to the ground in front of him. "I'm just a kid to her. Why would she even look at me?" A sad smile graced his lips as he stared wistfully up at the sky. "This is all I can do at the moment."
"Ren –"
"Especially with that dark-haired freak hanging around," the brunette grumbled, mood going sour at the mere thought of the demon. "Tch. Madam Nijou's too good for a guy like that! What does she see in him, anyway?!"
"I don't think you need to worry about him…" Momo offered, thinking of Hana. He sighed, suddenly depressed. Ren looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Thinking of that kid again?" he asked. "You have absolutely no chance whatsoever, you know that, right?"
"I have more chance than you," Momo shot back, stung. They both sighed, depression starting to set in at full force. After a while, an idea formed in Momo's head that made him sit up straight. "Hey, Ren!"
"What?"
"You're still going to send her flowers, right?"
Ren sat up as well. "Of course. Beauty like hers deserves flowers … besides, I don't know what else to do."
"Well then, I'll help you out."
"Huh? How?"
Momo hit the other boy's shoulder. "Idiot! I'm a florist; at least get some help choosing flowers instead of picking them from who-knows-where!" I may not be able to help my situation, but I can at least help out Ren.
"Sure you're not just trying to drum up more business?" Ren teased, dodging another punch aimed at his shoulder. "Alright! Alright! I accept!"
"Good. Then come to the shop tomorrow after school," Momo ordered. "We'll work something out."
"…Thanks," Ren said after a pause, sounding sincere. Then he paused again. "Hey, Momo-chan, didn't you have deliveries to do today?"
"Don't – argh, Sis is gonna kill me!!"
.:\\ vVv //:.
Ren raised an eyebrow and looked up at Momo, pointing at the flowers he was crouching in front of. "How are these any different from those ones over there?"
"These are lilacs. Those are violets."
"…" Like that makes any more sense. "So, O Great Florist of Short Stature –"
"Who are you calling short?!"
"– which ones do you think she'd like?"
"Madam Nijou?"
"Ssh! Not so loud! I don't want your sister to hear you – and who else do you think I mean, idiot? Tsubaki?"
"Tsubaki would probably like camellias," Momo mused aloud, scratching his chin. "Or maybe…"
Ren elbowed his friend in the side. "I'm not here to buy flowers for Tsubaki, Momo-chan."
"Yeah, I –" Momo was interrupted by his sister waving him over. With a sigh, he left Ren to his bemused study of the wide variety of flowers the shop offered. When he got there, Ume handed him a bucket of flowers; Momo wasn't expecting the weight and almost dropped it. There were four identical buckets at her feet.
"Put these over there for me," she ordered. "Just because your friend is here doesn't mean you can't work. In fact…"
"He's a customer this time!" Momo hastened to point out before she decided to conscript the brunette into shop work as well. Ume only 'hmph'ed and went to greet another customer as Momo heaved the bucket over to where she'd indicated.
Meanwhile, Ren was examining an orange lily. This is kinda pretty, I guess…
"I don't think you want that one," Momo informed him as he passed by with another bucket. "Not unless you're trying to tell her you hate her."
"Huh?" Ren stared at Momo as though he were mad. Why the hell would I want to tell her that? "What d'ya mean?"
"Orange lilies," Momo nodded at the flowers in front of Ren. "They mean you hate whoever you're giving them to."
"Wait, flowers have meanings?!" his friend asked incredulously, following Momo as the black-haired teen went back for another bucket.
"Yeah." Momo picked up another bucket and eyed Ren. Ah well, since he's over here already… "Here, take this." He dropped the bucket into Ren's arms and lifted up the last for himself. Ren was still too surprised to complain, so Momo took pity on him and explained further. "According to my dad and sister, it's called the 'language of flowers' or something. Every flower has a different meaning, so you can send messages with what flowers you give."
"Do you think Madam Nijou knows about …?" Ren started and then fell silent. She would, wouldn't she… What kind of messages have I been sending?! "Aw, hell…" He hung his head. Not good. Not good. Seriously NOT good.
"Oi, Ren, don't crush the flowers!" Momo cautioned, putting down the bucket he carried with the others and rescuing the ones that Ren held before the disheartened teen could crush them any further. "Look, most flowers have nice meanings, so you probably don't need to worry."
"Hmph." Ren looked at the flowers at their feet. "What about these ones? Roses would be love, right?"
"If they're red. These are yellow, so I think that's friendship."
"Huh. What about those white ones?"
"Anemones? Uh…" Momo's face screwed up in thought. "I think Sis said white ones mean sincerity… oh hey, they might work … Here." He handed a bunch to Ren, avoiding the water dripping off the ends of the stems. Ren accepted them gingerly, looking awkward holding the delicate blooms. Suddenly, an evil grin spread across his face.
"Your name means 'peach blossom', right? So what's that?"
"… Happiness in love."
Ren burst out laughing. "Too bad that's never gonna happen!" Momo glared at him as the brunette continued to laugh even after Ume shot them both a cease-or-decease scowl over the shoulder of the customer she was serving.
"I still have more of a chance than you," he muttered sullenly, shutting Ren up almost immediately.
"You don't have to be so harsh," Ren complained. "So, what about these ones?"
"What is this, school?" Momo grumbled, turning to look at the flowers his friend was pointing at. "They're pansies.
"Pansies?" Ren repeated, cracking up. "What is that, their name or the meaning? I can think of a few weaklings we could send those to!"
"Idiot, they're called pansies. I dunno what they mean." Momo paused. "They don't last very long either, so maybe you should get something else…"
"Just as well!" Ren snickered. "I can't give Madam Nijou flowers called 'pansies'!" His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his amusement.
"Eh? Ayame-san?" Ren froze in mid-laugh, hoping against hope that the voice behind him did not belong to –
He looked over his shoulder and cursed silently.
Hana.
Of all the people who could have overheard me, why did it have to be her?! he growled to himself. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Go away, you little –
"Oh!" the brown-haired girl said, oblivious to the death glare she was getting from the other boy as she spotted the anemones in Ren's hands. "Rentarou, you're the one leaving Ayame-san flow –" Ren's hand clapped over her mouth before she could finish the sentence.
"Shut up!" the boy hissed. "Don't tell everyone! Why are you even here?!" Don't you normally go home straight away to see that black-hearted guy?
"Vivi wanted to visit the library today," Hana explained when Ren dropped his hand. "So Hana thought she'd come and visit Momo … but I didn't know you were here too, Rentarou!"
The brunette turned away with a scowl, making a bewildered expression pass over Hana's face. Momo hurriedly explained the situation in a whisper to Hana, who listened intently and then tilted her head to the side, still looking slightly confused. "Ayame-san wants to know who's sending her flowers, though. Why don't you tell her? Is Rentarou shy?"
Ren shoved Momo aside, the dark-haired boy snickering as his friend blushed faintly again. "No, of course not! And don't you go telling her it's me either!"
"He wants to keep it a secret," Momo hastened to add, worried that Ren might get angry at Hana again. "We're the only ones who can know, okay?"
"Alright…" Hana agreed, making both boys sigh in relief for different reasons. "Ayame-san seems happy to get flowers, so I think it's a good idea. Hana does that every day too!"
Momo buried his face in his hand. Why did you have to go and tell him that?
Ren stiffened. "What?"
"Hana gives Vivi flowers every day to tell him I love him!" Hana beamed. "Although I never know if Vivi is happy to get them or not…"
The pale-haired boy's eyebrow twitched. Then, abruptly, he shoved the flowers he still held at Momo. "I don't need these anymore."
"But –"
"Never mind. I'm going home."
"But what about –?"
"I said never mind!" Ren growled, stalking out of the flower shop with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, leaving a bewildered Hana and Momo behind. Gaaah!! The hell if I'm going to do the same thing as her!! Stupid kid! He kicked a rock fiercely, watching the stone shatter against the pavement with vindictive pleasure. What was I thinking? It's such a stupid, childish thing to do. There's no way she'd ever take me seriously. His footsteps slowed as he passed by the road that led past Madam Nijou's house. For a minute he stood there, looking up the street, until someone yelled out him to get out of the way. That broke the spell and he turned away, walking home.
It can't be a good idea if that midget's already thought of it.
.:\\ vVv //:.
There were no flowers on the sixteenth day, or the seventeenth, or even the eighteenth. When the twentieth day came and still no flowers, Ayame came to the conclusion that her secret admirer had given up. Why had they stopped? Had she scared them off?
She couldn't understand why she felt so disappointed.
It wasn't as though they were serious.
.:\\ vVv //:.
"…and so, if the point A has co-ordinates (x1, y1) and point B has co-ordinates (x2, y2), the mid-point between them, which we'll label X, must have the x co-ordinate of the average of the x co-ordinates of A and B, while X's y co-ordinate will be the average of…"
Their maths teacher droned on and on, drawing up indecipherable diagrams and formulas that looked like a foreign language to the bored teen. Rather than even bother attempting to listen to the boring, monotonic voice, Ren had opted for sleep, figuring that he could at least make the voice useful in this regard. Sleep was more useful than listening to a pile of rubbish in his current mood.
"Psst! Ren!"
Ren ignored the whispered call, continuing his pretence at sleep. He didn't feel like listening to the teacher droning on or Momo today. Couldn't they see that he wasn't in the mood to talk?
"Ren-chan~"
Apparently not.
"What?" he whispered back grumpily, tilting his head slightly so that he could peer one-eyed at Momo over his shoulder. The dark-haired boy was doodling idly with a pen in his book, apparently as lost and as bored with the lesson as Ren. Hana, on the other hand, was paying rapt attention to the teacher, scribbling something down in her book. Ren's eyebrows drew downwards in a dark frown at the sight of the brown-haired girl and turned his attention back to Momo. "I'm trying to sleep here, if you haven't noticed."
Momo ignored the blatant hint. "Are you really giving up on everything?"
"Yeah," Ren replied shortly. "And I won't change my mind either."
"Hmm~" was Momo's non-committal reply as he chewed on the end of his pen, looking out of the window. "Then I guess you were never serious in the first place."
The barb stung, cutting deep. "Hey! It's not like that. I just refuse to do anything that that kid thinks is a good idea! It just proves how childish it is."
"Hana said Madam Nijou was happy to get your flowers, didn't she? Anyway, why should it matter? It's not like you've told her it's you."
"I don't care."
"Oh, I see," Momo said knowingly, dropping his voice to a lower tone in quite an accomplished feat considering he was already whispering. "This is just your pride talking, isn't it? Just because you don't like Hana? Isn't something like that more childish?"
"You –!" Ren said furiously, only to be interrupted by a voice as sharp as a whip crack.
"Arai! Tanizaki! If you are so keen on discussing things other than maths in my class then you can discuss them outside! Now!" The teacher pointed at the door to emphasise his point. Still scowling at Momo, Ren shoved back his chair and stalked outside, followed by his dark-haired friend. As they filed out the door, the maths teacher called after them both, "And you'd better both still be out there when class ends!"
Ren snorted derisively and shut the door on the class as the teacher started up again. "Now, if the gradient of this line and that line are the same, then the lines are parallel – meaning they won't ever meet – but if the gradient is…" The pale-haired boy leant against the wall, blocking out the teacher's rambling as he slid down into a seated position. Maybe now I can get some sleep…
"Hey, Ren?"
A mental sigh. "What?"
"Sorry about before." Momo leant against the wall beside his friend. "I probably shouldn't have said that."
Ren eyed Momo for a moment and then shrugged. "Meh. It doesn't matter."
"…You know, for something you call a childish idea, Hana's still had more luck than either of us…" Momo pointed out. "Maybe there's something in it."
There was silence for a moment, which either meant Ren was asleep, ignoring him or actually considering what he'd said. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell from Momo's position, so he was debating whether or not to kick Ren in the leg to get his attention when the brunette spoke up.
"………..True."
"Why not just ask her for advice? I mean, she's a girl and all, she'll be able to help you, right?" Momo suggested. "And she knows Madam Nijou." That was treading close to dangerous waters; it wouldn't help Hana if Ren got angry about Vivi all over again.
Ren looked up at him as though he were crazy. "Me? Get advice from that midget? No way."
.:\\ vVv //:.
Yet, somehow, he inexplicably found himself at Tanizaki Florist once again the following day, accompanied by Momo and Hana. Watching the slight girl to his side, Ren wondered what on earth had possessed him to agree to this. 'If she can help me, I promise I'll try to be nicer to her' … the things I do for the sake of love, he sighed to himself. I can't believe I'm asking a midget for advice on love…
"So, Rentarou, you must really like Ayame-san if you're giving her flowers!" Hana said after she had gotten over her happiness at seeing the vast sea of flowers available in the store.
Be nice be nice be nice, he chanted to himself silently. His voice was only slightly less sarcastic than he originally intended as he replied, "Isn't that obvious?"
Hana must have heard the scorn in his voice, because something flickered in the depths of her brown eyes. Clearly writing it off to nerves or embarrassment, however, she continued as though she hadn't heard. "I'll help! Anything that Hana can do to help you, I'll do my best!"
"I asked Sis about some different types of flowers and their meanings," Momo added before Ren could make any kind of retort to that statement. "I'll go find them to show you… and Hana, maybe you could help him pick one?" He threaded his way through the garden of blooms, disappearing into the back room as he consulted a piece of paper and leaving Ren and Hana standing there.
"….So…" Ren said awkwardly. "Um… do you know what kind of flowers Madam Nijou likes?"
"Nope!" Hana replied instantly, making Ren hit his forehead with his palm in complete exasperation. What good is this squirt? Gaaaaah! Unaware of the other boy's mental groaning, Hana continued on. "I don't know what kind of flowers Vivi likes either … Ah, but, Vivi doesn't really like flowers, so Hana's never sure if he likes getting her flowers at all…"
Ren face-palmed even harder. Then why do you even give them to him, idiot?!
"But, Hana always writes Vivi a note if she can't give the flowers to him personally!" she added. "Have you tried writing Ayame-san a note to go with the flowers?"
"A note?" Ren repeated. "Er…."
"If you don't tell Ayame-san how you feel, how is she ever supposed to know?" Hana asked.
Why is she making so much sense? Ren wondered. "But I – I – what would I write?"
"Well, what do you like about Ayame-san?"
Ren gaped at her. "Where to start?" he asked waving his arms around. "She's like a rose in full bloom, beautiful in every way; she's kind-hearted and pure and graceful and – hey, what are you laughing at?"
"Why don't you just say something like that, then?" Hana suggested with a smile.
Ren looked away. "I'm no good with flowery mush like that, though."
"That doesn't matter; I think the most important thing is to just be honest, that's all. If you just tell Ayame-san how you feel, then I'm sure she'll understand the feelings behind your words, even if they're simple!"
"On that note," Momo said, having come back in time to hear Hana's advice, "I think you should take these flowers." He handed a pale yellow flower over to the pale-haired boy. "It's called a primrose. It means 'desperately in love'. Since Ayame doesn't know you like her, then this is probably a good one."
"It's so pretty!" Hana exclaimed. "Momo, can Hana have one too?"
"Sure!" Momo smiled, handing one over. Hana held onto it with both hands, breathing in the sweet fragrance deeply and smiling. Hana's never given Vivi a flower like this before!
Ren looked at the flower in his hand. It seemed so fragile against the calluses on his hands that he'd earned from the various fist-fights he'd gotten into over the years. Well … Guess I should write something, then… Can't be too hard, right?
.:\\ vVv //:.
Your smile lights up the morning like a ray of sunshine. Whenever I see it I feel better instantly, as though my heart has grown light and …
The pen tapped against the paper, trying to figure out the next word.
And …
With a frustrated growl, the piece of paper was scrunched up in disgust and tossed towards the bin. It missed, joining the ever-growing mountain of crumpled balls of rejected letters around the base of the bin which had filled up long ago.
"Gah, this is stupid!" Ren slumped across his desk, resting his head on his arms. Anything I want to say just comes out sounding foolish and – and … childish. "It's completely pointless! How the hell am I meant to write a letter when I don't know what to say?!" His head made a small 'thump' as it met the wooden desk; Ren was too depressed to do anything but turn his head to the side to be more comfortable, studying the whorls and swirls of the grain in the wood. He used to enjoy making pictures out of them when he was younger and bored out of his mind; he found himself unconsciously connecting the dots now in a big spiral.
That's exactly where this is going. Anything I write just goes around and around in circles and I suck at writing any of the flowery stuff she's probably used to getting. Face it, Ren. You have no idea. It's pathetic. You may as well give up now. It's not like you ever had a chance in the first place.
His mental voice was sneering; had it been someone else he probably would have decked them one, but this time he couldn't deny that it had a point. Why bother trying so hard if he was just going to lose in the end anyway?
Oh? another part of him replied contemptuously. Is Rentarou Arai finally scared of something?
Shut up! It's not that. This isn't a fight I can win, idiot.
Is that what this is about? Losing? You're giving up without even trying?
Ren growled, hitting the desk with a fist. There's nothing I can do about it!
So this was just puppy love then, hmm? If you really loved Madam Nijou like you say you do, then you shouldn't be giving up for anything! Idiot! She doesn't need someone who'd give up on her at the mere thought of failure.
Shut UP! It isn't fake! I love her! I just … I just don't know how to say it.
'Just be honest, that's all.'
Hana's words floated back to the teen, making him forget the futile argument with himself as he sat upright suddenly.
'If you just tell Ayame-san what you feel, then I'm sure she'll understand the feelings behind your words even if they're simple!'
The simple truth … Ren picked up his pen again, chewing on the end of it as he thought for a moment. As he bent his head down in concentration to scratch letters across a fresh sheet of paper for the final time, he couldn't help feeling a sense of irony.
I still can't believe I'm taking courtship advice from that brat…
.:\\ vVv //:.
Ayame was expecting the delivery of a small table she had bought the other day, so it was no surprise when there was a flustered knock on the door. Kirino was busy in the kitchens preparing lunch, so Ayame answered the door herself. She opened it with a smile, preparing to greet the delivery people – or whoever had knocked; sales- and churchmen occasionally came by to hand out leaflets – only to be met with empty space.
There – she only caught a glimpse before the perpetrator ran around the hedges surrounding her property and out of her sight. Ayame's mouth thinned in a line, her cheeks puffing out slightly in anger. The old knock-and-run prank; no doubt there were a bunch of snickering schoolchildren somewhere nearby. Well, they'd better –
For some reason, she looked down.
A single primrose lay at her feet, a golden ribbon tied in a bow around the stem. Not a prankster then, but her mysterious admirer. Was that who was running away? Why did he knock this time? Why knock and then run? Even as she pondered this, a portion of her mind noticed with quiet amusement that her admirer had gotten better at tying bows.
As she picked up the flower gently, the pale yellow petals unfurling as though to herald the spring, she caught a glimpse of something that had lain hidden underneath the blossom. Curious, she picked it up: a piece of thick, snowy white card about the size of her hand. A message? she wondered. There had never been a message with the flowers before. The side facing her was blank, so she flipped it over to check the other side. What she found made her cover her mouth in a tiny gasp of surprise.
Three small words in black ink, stark against pure white.
I love you.
.:\\ vVv //:.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
The broom swept across the floor with a mixture of half-heartened swipes and vehement brushes in perfect concert with how the wielder of the broom felt about the chore he had been assigned. It could be worse, I guess, Ren thought. I could be doing the dishes or the laundry. Or even homework, for that matter.
"Well, well, well, here's a sight I never expected to see!" Tsubaki's voice rang out behind him, making him jump in surprise. "Ren doing housework!"
Ren turned around, leaning on his broom as he studied the trespassers: Tsubaki, Momo, Ishida and Hana, the smaller girl peering around with interest as she had never visited Ren's house (which connected to the kimono shop) before. Resisting the urge to frown instinctively at her – he'd made a promise, after all, and she had helped him – he instead raised an eyebrow at Tsubaki. "Since when do you have permission to barge into my house, anyway?"
"Ah, we thought we'd come visit ya," she replied, waving a hand at him idly. "Since you went and got yourself grounded."
"Eh, Rentarou, you're grounded?" Hana asked, eyes wide with surprise. "Why?"
You think I wanna stay at home on the weekend, squirt? Ren thought sarcastically, but for once didn't say what he was thinking. Instead, he grunted, "Firecrackers," by way of explanation. He caught Momo's eye, the dark-haired boy grinning sheepishly at the memory. Ren found his mouth stretching into a pleased smirk despite his grumbling thoughts.
"Oh, so that was you two?" Tsubaki asked, hands on hips and looking between them. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. I think you woke up just about the entire town that night… So, how come Momo's not grounded?"
Momo laughed weakly, scratching his head as he mumbled out a reply that contained 'Sis' and 'broom' and 'wrath'. Ren ignored the explanation, having experienced Ume's wrath first-hand before; he instead studied Hana as she giggled at Momo's expression, for the umpteenth time wondering what it was that Momo saw in the midget. Hana was just a candle flame compared to Madam Nijou's beauty and if she had a mature side, Ren had yet to see it. For all intents and purposes, he had absolutely no reason to like her and every reason to hate her – he didn't care if his prejudice was slightly misplaced – and yet… she'd helped him out without expecting anything in return. Ren didn't like feeling like he owed someone something.
Well, I guess I should give her a chance if her advice works.
While the girls were distracted by an old story Ishida was telling, Momo took the opportunity to lean closer to Ren and ask quietly, "So, how'd it go? Did you give her a message with the flowers?"
"Yeah…" the pale-haired boy replied, eyeing the others to make sure they wouldn't overhear. "I didn't tell her they were from me, though."
"Coward. Wasn't that the point?"
"Shut up!" Ren hissed, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Like you're one to talk!"
"What are you two whispering about?" Their quiet conversation had finally been noticed by Tsubaki, the blond girl raising an eyebrow at them expectantly. Ren swatted the broom in her direction.
"Cleaning," he replied blandly, his face perfectly straight. "Are you just going to stand in the hallway all day? I can do the sweeping later. Come on!"
.:\\ vVv //:.
It was late afternoon when Hana announced that Toni would be coming to pick her up soon and the others decided that they should probably be going home as well. Ren came with them to the door of the shop – it was easier for them to leave this way rather through the back, no matter what his father said – to say goodbye.
"– and so this guy says," Ren snickered while he recounted a tale to the group as they came to the entrance room, "that he's gonna –"
"Hey Ren, you got mail," Momo announced, having been the first to the door and opening it for everyone else.
"Nah, the mailman already came a while ago," Ren said automatically, moving up to get a better look. But sure enough, there was something lying on the doorsill. The teen stepped outside and picked it up curiously as everyone else crowded around. "Probably just an order form or something…"
"Do you have many people who send you order forms with flowers?" Tsubaki asked, intrigued.
"Huh? Flowers?" the brunette repeated, confused. Tsubaki picked something else up and handed it to him wordlessly: sure enough, it was a sprig of lavender, one of the very few flowers he recognised from its smell. "What the hell…?" Ren looked down at the card he held, snowy white with a stylised purple iris drawn at the bottom but nothing else to tell him where it might have come from. Frowning, Ren flipped the card over and found two single words written in the very centre of the card in beautiful handwriting.
'Thank you.'
"'Thank you'….?" he wondered out loud. Is this from a customer or something? Hana peered at the card, a smile curving her lips into a happy expression.
"Hana recognises that handwriting!" she said. "Good for you, Rentarou!"
"Huh?" Ren asked, bewildered. Then the pieces started to click into place. "Wait, you – you mean this is –?" He swallowed, a blush growing across his pale cheeks. "This is from her?"
"'Her'?" Tsubaki repeated questioningly, but Ren couldn't hear her over the sudden buzzing of his heart. She – she wrote something back to me? he wondered faintly. I can't believe it! Madam Nijou – she – she wrote this with her own hands to me – I'm so happy! I'm – Wait. Dark eyes narrowed.
"I never told her that it was me, so how did she know?" he asked slowly. Eyes filled with suspicion glared at Hana. "Did you tell her?"
Hana's eyes went wide. "No way! Hana promised that she wouldn't!"
"Tell who?" Ishida asked. "Tsubaki, are you as lost as me with this?"
"Yep," she replied, but the twinkling in her eyes suggested otherwise, as though she were trying to decide whether or not she should tease her friend.
"Well, if you didn't tell her, and I didn't, and," he glanced at Momo, who shook his head as well, "he didn't, then…" A grin grew across his face. "She must have figured it out herself!"
"…So?" Momo asked, unsure why Ren would be so happy about this considering he hadn't even wanted to tell Ayame that it was him in the first place.
"So, she knew who it was and still sent me back a message and a flower!" Ren beamed. "I still have a chance!" Momo took the card and flower and looked at them as Ren clasped his hands together, looking starry eyed into the distance.
"'Thank you'?" Momo read, puzzling it over. "What kind of an answer is that? What did you write in the first place?" It took Momo several tries to break Ren out of his daydreaming and repeated the question.
Ren blushed and looked away. "None of your business. I just followed the midget's advice, that's all." He crossed his arms and peered out of the corner of his eye at Hana. He sighed. Turning to face her, he said grudgingly, "Thanks. I owe you one."
Brown eyes lit up. "You're welcome! Is Rentarou not mad at Hana anymore?"
"Huh?" Ren asked, confused. "Ah, yeah … yeah, whatever."
Hana beamed and turned to her black-haired friend. "Momo! Rentarou is Hana's friend now!" she said happily.
"That's great," Momo said, smiling back cautiously.
Oi, I didn't say that, Ren frowned momentarily but got distracted when he saw Momo was still holding his precious card and flower. "Hey! Give that back!" He snatched them back and spun around in a circle. "Yahoo~! She wrote back to me~ I'm never letting this out of my sight!"
Momo snuck a look at Hana; they started giggling behind their hands at Ren's enthusiasm. Tsubaki and Ishida joined in, the other boy having just figured out what was going on. So it was that Ren's mother heard them all and came out to investigate the source of all the laughter. Finding her son surrounded by his friends outside, she put her hands on her hips and spoke sternly.
"Rentarou Arai! I thought I told you that you were grounded and not to put one foot outside this door until this weekend was over!"
The sudden drop from being over the moon with joy to mounting horror left Ren looking stunned as his gaze flickered between himself, his mother and the door. "But Mum, I was just –"
"No excuses! As an extra punishment for disobeying you can clean the shop as well!" She nodded once for emphasis and folded her arms before disappearing inside.
"Aw, come on, Mum! That's not fair!" Ren protested, looking crestfallen. "Wait –"
"Tough luck, Ren-chan~" Tsubaki said brightly, patting him on the back. "Still, look on the bright side – at least you'll have something nice to think about while you clean!"
As Ren blustered and protested, Ayame's card and flower still held protectively in his hand, Momo wondered whether or not he should tell Ren what lavender meant in the language of flowers.
'You are always in my heart.'
.:\\ vVv //:.
The End
.:\\ vVv //:.
Author Ramblings: And make of the ending what you will xD;
And I learnt from this fanfic that I completely suck at writing flowery, soppy romance stuff haha xD;;;
Incidentally, while researching hanakotoba (language of flowers) I came to the conclusion that there can be several (and sometimes very different) meanings for the same flower, so it's probably best to check things out before you try it ^^;;
Have a Merry Christmas, everyone~! :D and a good day to those who doesn't celebrate Christmas as well ^^
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it~! :D