Authors Note: All characters from Ouran belong to Bisco Hatori. To Code Geass fans I just chose the name Nanalee because I thought it was a pretty name, there isn't any deeper meaning. This is dedicated (if people dedicate such things) to the people who died in the Tuscaloosa tornado of 4/27/11.

Nanalee opened her eyes at the beautiful tinkling sound of the store's bell. She stood up, sighing, and walked over to the counter, observing the customer who had found their way into Nanalee's grandparents charming cafe and florist.

The woman still stood by the door, the afternoon light from the window casting a halo of light around her long, silky blonde hair. Her beautiful purple eyes were engrossed, staring at an object on the shelves. Nanalee twisted her neck oddly so as to see the item that had caught this woman's attention.

It was a bonsai tree. It was Nanalee's bonsai tree, or rather, the first bonsai tree she had ever tended. And certainly not the best bonsai tree on its shelf due to her inexperience at the art.

"Madame, may I help you?" Nanalee asked, the woman's quietness making her a little uncomfortable.

Nanalee's question brought the woman out of her daze with a start. "Oh, sorry. Just this bonsai reminded me of my son's rather fruitless attempt to take care of one himself." A second later, the woman realized what she had said could be insulting, "I'm sorry! I meant no offense. It is beautiful."

Nanalee held back a laugh. "Its fine. I'm only learning from my grandparents."

The customer's mouth relaxed into a smile, and she approached the counter. "So you're Cerise's granddaughter. I was wondering about the new face here."

"You come here often?" That would explain her ability to find the place. Most were regulars or accidentally find there way into the shop, hidden in the streets of Paris.

"Often enough. I suppose you're here visiting your grandparents?"

Nanalee fought to keep her mouth smiling. "Uh, of course. May I help you?"

The customer raised eyebrows, but said, "I'd like a cappuccino, a strawberry muffin for here, and a dozen other muffins. You can pick which ones. I'm Anne-Sophie by the way."

Nanalee nodded. "That's eight euros." Once the cash register was satisfied, she turned around to prepare Anne-Sophie's order.

"You're not just visiting your grandparents are you?" Anne-Sophie's voice was soft and comforting and, Nanalee hoped, not pitying.

Her faced turned away, she answered, "No. I moved here a week ago."

Tentatively, Anne-Sophie asked, "Your parents?"

"They died in a tornado." Nanalee struggled to keep pain out of her voice.

"Ah." An uncomfortable silence made itself felt in the shop, no interrupted by Nanalee giving Anne-Sophie her food.

She stood up. Addressing Nanalee, she said, "You can come over to my house with your grandmother if you wish. She comes every week to do gardening. It would be nice to have someone young there. And, you know I think I'll buy that bonsai tree. If you do visit with your grandmother, you can tend to it for me."

Nanalee eyed Anne-Sophie. She didn't seem so old as to have a grown child, though looks could be deceiving. "Your son? The tree's 14 euros. "

"He's not living with me." A pained expression passed over Anne-Sophie's face, before being submerged by a forced smile, as she handed Nanalee the money.

"I'm sorry."

"He isn't dead."

"Oh..." Nanalee shifted her weight to the opposite foot, feeling awkward.

"Thank you for the food. I'll look forward to seeing you again." The woman left quickly, grabbing the tree on her way out.

As the store's bell stopped ringing, Nanalee's grandmother, Cerise, came into the room. "Who was that?"

"Some regular named Anne-Sophie. She said that you went to her house every week to garden."

"Ah. Anne-Sophie. Actually, I go over there multiple times a week. I'm sort of her head gardener. You see, she is part of the Grantine family. They have a big business, or did. It has pretty much failed. But she is still rich compared to most people, though I hear she gets support from someone in Japan."

"She said she has a son, though he doesn't live with her."

Surprised, her grandmother said, "She told you about her son!"

"Not really. Just that and that he once tried to take care of a bonsai tree."

"That's a lot. I didn't even know she had a son until I'd been working for her for a year. Its very sad. She has lupus and is often sickly. Apparently, her son is illegitimate, so he lived with just his mother most of his life until he moved to Japan with his father. There was some deal that Anne-Sophie would get money to deal with her sickness if her son moved away. But I don't know details." Cerise stretched.

"Would you take me with you the next time you go to her house? She invited me."

"Of course. Don't you play the piano, Nanalee?"

"Yes, for a long time."

"You can play for her then. The rumors say her son loved to play the piano."


Several months later, Nanalee was a regular at Anne-Sophie's estate. And while she did often play the piano (and what an exquisite grand piano it was) for Anne-Sophie, she served more as a companion.

Cerise was glad at the turn of the affairs. When Nanalee had arrived in France to live with them, she had been broken, even though she was good at hiding it. And, even though Cerise hadn't known Anne-Sophie for a long time, nor as intimately as Nanalee now knew the woman, Cerise had seen that the woman too had been broken, though Cerise also thought that Nanalee had more reason to be broken, for her loved ones had died, while Anne-Sophie's were just in Japan and not allowed to see her. But both had had a healing effect on the other.

Recently Nanalee had taught Anne-Sophie chess, something Anne-Sophie had never learned. Cerise had found out Nanalee's passion for the game in their own games, which both Cerise and her husband, Eric, always lost. Anne-Sophie always lost too, but she was a beginner, though Nanalee had confided to her grandmother that she thought Anne-Sophie was a little too emotional and impulsive to be a great chess player. Anne-Sophie seemed to enjoy it now.

Cerise stopped sweeping the floor of the shop to look out the window. A tall young man was approaching the shop. "Nanalee, I think someone's coming for you!" Nanalee had made many friends in school and given them the address of their shop, something which Cerise appreciated as it brought in more business.

Nanalee entered the main shop's room. She looked outside at the approaching boy. "Grandmother, this isn't one of my classmates. He looks Asian." But her grandmother had already left. With a sigh, she pulled her hair out of her face so she could prepare whatever this boy wanted without it distracting her.

The store bell rang. "Good morning. How may I help you?"

The boy walked up, "I would like an espresso and..."his eyes searched the store's variety of pastries, "a cinnamon pumpkin muffin." His grammar was perfect but he spoke French with enough of an accent unfamiliar to Nanalee that he was a foreigner.

"Coming right up." She turned and began to make the espresso, while watching his from the corner of her eye. He wandered over to the shelf where Nanalee had convinced her grandmother to sell books. There weren't many, but Nanalee had read all of them and enjoyed them. She saw him pick one out, and after her read the back, he brought it up to the counter.

"I would like this book too."

Turning around with the finished espresso, she looked at his selection. It was the complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. She smiled.

"You have a strange selection of books."

"Indeed. I've read all of them myself. 12 euros please." She took his money and handed him his food.

"Merci." He sat down. Nanalee watched his eyes begin to scan the room.

"If you don't mind me asking, you aren't from France,where are you from?"

"Japan. You?"

Before she could answer, he said, "You're accent is French, but I can tell you aren't from here either."

She knew her accent was perfect. In fact, it was almost Parisian, as her father had had been from Paris and it was he she had learned the language from. She then realized that all of the books were in English.

"I guess we need to sell books in French rather than in English. I hadn't thought of that." She wrote that on a sticky note and put it on the counter. "America. I'm living with my grandparents who own this store." The dark haired boy nodded.

His eyes continued to rove the walls. Suddenly he pointed at the picture of the customer of the week. "Who is that?"

"Anne-Sophie. But why do you want to know?"

"Do you know where she lives?"

"Yes, but I'm not about to tell you. I don't even know you're name."

The boy seemed to let out a mental deep breath and stood up. Holding out a hand to shake he said, '"I'm Kyoya Ootori. Please forgive my rudeness."

Resisting the urge to stare at him, she replied just as coolly, shaking his hand, "I'm Nanalee Carson."

"Would you please tell me where Anne-Sophie Grantine lives?"

"You know her then?"

"Only in passing."

"I would have to ask my grandmother. Anne-Sophie doesn't always appreciate visitors, though she's always a charming hostess."

"Is your grandmother currently available?"

"Yes, she's just in the back room. I shall go ask her."

"Please do." Nanalee left the room.

"Grandmother?" She called out loudly.

"Over here." Cerise was dusting. Nanalee had noticed that her grandmother's hobbies seemed to be gardening and cleaning.

"That boy wanted to know where Anne-Sophie lives. He wouldn't tell me why."

"Does he know her?"

"He said,'Only in passing."

"Ah. Where's he from?"

"Japan."

"I wonder if he knows, what's Anne-Sophie's son's name."

"Rene. Or at least that's what she calls him."

"Hmm." Cerise scratched her nose, a habit Nanalee had observed her doing every time she thought about something deeply. Finally, Cerise answered, "Ask the boy about Anne-Sophie's son. If he knows more than the boy's name, you can show him where she lives."

"Walk? It is a little far, not that I mind."

"If this Japanese boy is that determined to meet her, walking shouldn't deter him."

"Okay."

Nanalee reentered the room. She watched Kyoya struggle to rise slowly and dignified, amused. "Monsieur, do you happen to know Rene?"

Kyoya hesitated, "Do you mean the son of Anne-Sophie?"

"Oui."

"I do, though I know him as Tamaki Suoh."

"Is he involved with your quest to find Anne-Sophie?"

"A quest? Hmm. Maybe. mademoiselle, would please tell me where to find Anne-Sophie?"

Nanalee fought a scowl from appearing on her face. "Flattery will get you nowhere Monsieur. Please answer my question or you won't find Madame Anne-Sophie."

Nanalee smirked as she once again saw him struggle to bury his impatience. He was quite good at doing it, but she was good at spotting people's emotions. "Very well. I relent. I go to Tamaki Suoh's school and am his friend. Our class is currently on a trip to France and I thought to try to find his mother, whom he hasn't seen in years."

"Very good. I'll take you to see her then." She began to take off the apron she always wore while working in the shop."

"Can't you just tell me her address."

"No. That would go against my grandmother's judgment." She hung up her apron and led the way out of the shop.

She stopped just as she went out the store's door, Kyoya bumping into her as he didn't realize she had stopped. Sourly, she asked, "Is that your limousine?" She wasn't surprised he was rich. A school trip from Japan to France wouldn't be cheap.

"Yes. Would you prefer to ride to Madame's house in it?" He smirked, believing she was surprised and impressed.

"No." She stalked over to the driver's window. After she knocked on it, Kyoya's driver rolled the window down. "Excuse me, but did you see the sign at the mouth of the street saying no cars allowed."

"Yes they did. I instructed them to ignore it. They can't speak French."

Nanalee looked up at Kyoya. "Then, please excuse me for a minute, I need to call someone. Then I shall walk you to Anne-Sophie's house." She pushed all emotion from her voice, then walked away, dialing a number. After a minute she hung up, waving Kyoya over, she yelled, "Cone on, rich boy!"

Kyoya looked down at his companion, nearly a foot shorter than him. Nanalee was 16 but only 5'2''. She had never had the legendary growth spurt of pubescent girls, and resented her height, as she was short for an American, but she was pretty sure she would grow more. Her shoe size was a full 1 1/2 size bigger than her mothers, who had been 5'4'', and her father had been 6'2''.

He had saw her smirks in the store and knew their reason. Few had ever caught his emotions before. He did have to be extra careful around his father and Haruhi was better than the others at seeing his emotions, but Nanalee Carson was better than both. And he was pretty sure that she was disguising many of her feelings as well, though some she didn't even try, as she wasn't as afraid to offend others; she had been rude to him. Not that he should care about offending others, or showing his emotions, to these strangers in France whom he will never see again, but it was always good to be safe.

He didn't know what he thought of finally getting to see Tamaki's mother. Since he became friends with Tamaki, she had seemed somewhat like a legendary figure, able to instill such deep emotions in his friend.

He started to ask how much further her house was, but noticed that Nanalee was no longer beside him. He turned around quickly, worried he had missed a turn. He saw her sitting in a field of flowers making...he pushed his glasses up his nose. This girl, who had seemed mature, was now busy making daisy chains.

As if she felt his stare, she looked up at him. "I thought I told you I'd be gone for a minute." Placing one on her head, she jumped up, and she ran toward him. Once she caught up with him, she asked, "Don't you have any sisters?"

"I have one, but I haven't ever seen her make daisy chains."

"I hope not. That would be a little perverted, wouldn't it." She saw him blush slightly, before she grinned. "Ah, rich kids. You guys simply don't appreciate the simple things in life."

"Some do."

"Who?"

"Tamaki, or Rene, as you call him. He's obsessed with instant coffee."

"Blech! Baristas don't usually like instant coffee. Look we're here!"

Kyoya was surprised at its size. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't as small as he expected it to be. He followed Nanalee underneath the flowery arch and through its large yard to the front door. She knocked on it.

Kyoya fought from staring at the woman who answered it. She really had to be Tamaki's mother for their similarities seemed limitless.

"Anne-Sophie, I've brought someone for you to meet. He's Japanese." She waved Kyoya over.

Anne-Sophie let out a small gasp and whispered something in Nanalee's ear. Nanalee replied, causing Anne-Sophie to smile. "Nice to meet you."

Nanalee said, 'I've got to go now. Have fun!" She waved at both of them and ran off.


A hunched figure cloaked in darkness walked over to a small table in the middle of the room. The single, black candle cast light onto his grinning face. He sat down and murmured a few words. Dramatically, he removed a cloth on the middle of the table, revealing a crystal ball. The hooded figure leaned down and stared, mesmerized by his visions.

Mwahaha! Kyoya is now officially a nerd. Go Hitchikers! Though I didn't realize what I was doing until I did it.