Title: Kittens and Flowers

Author: Phèdre nó Delaunay

Theme(s): #30 melancholy; depressed; cheer up

Summary: In which Omi and Hotaru are really cute...

Pairing/Characters: Hotaru/Omi (Weiss Kreuz)

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, and I'm not making any money. This was written for the 30houshin theme group at LiveJournal.

This fic is both adorable and completely pointless. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but it's been sitting around on my computer for weeks. I don't think it'll ever get rewritten/edited, so I'm posting it anyway and moving on to better things.

Kittens and Flowers

School was simultaneously the love of Hotaru's life and the bane of her existence. She loved her classes, loved most of her teachers, loved learning. Under different circumstances, she would have been quite content to go to school forever, learning and learning until her brain no longer had room to store information. Unfortunately, there was a human aspect to academia, and this frequently caused her grief.

She was quiet in classes and always scored well on tests, and her peers were more than friendly when they wanted her help. But, at lunch or after school, the times she was simply left alone were the best. There were always whispers and stares, sometimes open taunts and ridicule. A few went so far as violence, though it was thankfully a rare occurrence at such a prestigious school. She was an outcast, and the joy of education only made up for a small part of the pain she experienced.

Today had been no different from any other day. She'd refused to let another girl copy her homework, so at lunch the girl gossiped loudly with her friends about what a freak Hotaru was. After school, only moments ago, the girl's boyfriend shoved her into a wall and threatened her. She was still shaking as she got on the bus, but thankfully none of her classmates were present. She fell into an empty seat and sighed.

The bus was relatively empty, and Hotaru couldn't help but study the few people who were at hand. A group of older boys stood at the back, jostling each other and laughing. In front of her, a couple stood, smiling fondly at each other and holding hands. An old lady glared at them from the front.

Am I going to end up like her? Bitter and alone...

She shook her head violently. She had friends, Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama. Chibi-Usa...

She got off the bus two stops early, choosing to walk the rest of the way home. It was less than a mile, and the walk would clear her head. If she came back home upset, Haruka-papa would know and try to hurt someone. Last time she came home with a slap-mark on her face, Haruka-papa called the school and yelled. The next day, things were even worse than before—now she was a snitch and a freak. It was better if Haruka-papa just didn't get involved.

The first part of her walk took her through suburbs, the expensive houses glistening in the sun and the housewives tending the gardens. Other children were coming home from school, running excitedly in anticipation of playing and fun. Hotaru was glad she chose to walk. She felt better already. Slowly, though, the suburb gave way to small businesses—shops and eateries, heavier traffic and more people. The flicker of happiness was puffed out before it had a chance to grow and she felt just as miserable as she had at school.

The crowd jostled her, and she kept her head down, staring at the sidewalk. The world ignored her and she ignored the world for another ten minutes. She only looked up when she caught the scent of flowers. Koneko no Sumu Ie...Kittens and flowers were certain to cheer her up. She smiled and crossed the street, thinking that maybe she'd buy some flowers for Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama.

The store was overflowing with girls her age, and she could hardly make it through the front door. A few of the girls milled about smelling the flowers, but most of them were preoccupied ogling the men who worked in the shop. Hotaru admitted that they were all good-looking in their own ways, but the desperate displays from some of the girls were disgusting. Hotaru ignored them and inspected the flowers.

"Hey, freak," someone snapped, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her around. She was confronted by three girls from her class, and they were glaring at her.

"Yumi is going to fail math because of you," one of them accused.

"It's not my fault she didn't do her homework," Hotaru said timidly.

All the girls looked furious, and one of them shoved her against the shelves of plants. A couple of pots toppled to the floor, shattering and spilling soil all over the floor. Hotaru crumpled to the ground, tears welling in her eyes.

"I hope you're planning to pay for that," a male voice interrupted. Hotaru looked up through her hair and saw one of the shop workers. He looked young, about her age, and the consternated look he was projecting didn't seem to fit with his angelic face. Fury danced in his blue eyes, and for once, none of it was directed at her.

"It's the freak's fault. She knocked them over," one of the girl's protested.

"Only because you shoved her. You have two minutes to pay at the register and get out of here before I call the police and have you arrested for assault and destruction of property."

That got their attention, and they rushed over to the cash register. School on Monday was going to be awful, Hotaru decided. They were going to blame her for breaking the potted plants and demand she pay them the money back. She had no intention of doing so, but they would still make her life miserable.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked her. He extended his hand to help her up, and she accepted it, blushing.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble..." she started, but he shook his head. He must have noticed the sad look in her eyes because he reached out and lifted her chin.

"It's not your fault. Cheer up, ne? Were you looking for anything in particular?"

She shook her head. "I should probably go. Mama and Papa will worry if I'm gone too long. Um...thank you."

"Wait, take this." He turned to the shelf and plucked a flower, offering it to her and smiling brightly. His eyes were big and blue and shining. Hotaru blushed but took the flower. "Freesia...I think it suits you. No more tears, okay? Those girls aren't worth it."

"Thank you." She bowed hastily and scampered from the shop, fighting a fresh wave of embarrassment.

Omi stood and watched her disappear through the shop's door. He, too, blushed faintly. She was really cute, he thought. I didn't even catch her name. I hope she comes by again sometime.