A/N: I'm so happy about the reception my latest oneshot received that I just had to write another. I'll keep them coming, too, since this little pieces help as a good character study. Thanks to all those who reviewed/favorited A certain spirit on the 10th of May; it means a lot to me!

And we have Shiemi this time! Seriously, how much can you love that girl? She's on par with with Bon, who holds #2 in my Top 3 Fave Characters list. I don't know about you guys, but Shiemi deserves all the hugs and encouragement in the world. So anyway, aside from this being a sort of character study on how she's evolved since the beginning of the series, I'm going to give myself the chance to write future Blue Exorcist romantic-y stories (because there are pairings I ship like crazy) with some hints that are thrown near the end of the oneshot.

By the way, this is manga-verse, post-Kyoto arc.

Enjoy!^^

Like a flower's bloom

x-x

Spring was in full bloom, and Shiemi's garden with it.

Ever since early March, Shiemi had watched her garden grow steadily with renewed vigor and strength. There were chrysanths, magnolias, roses, lilacs, pansies, Easter lilies , and their color was as bright as the sun on the most beautiful day. The little Greenmen that had come to live among the plants had helped along, too, with Nii as their sort of 'de facto chief'. Shiemi had had more fun than ever taking care of the garden thanks to the little ones' company and omnipresent liveliness. Thanks to this and despite how unrelated the facts seemed to be, Shiemi's relationship with her mother had improved vastly ever since the girl's exorcism: the reestablished bond between mother and daughter was now practically unbreakable and they were closer than ever before, mostly thanks to Shiemi's determination to set things right.

She watched some of the Greenmen chase after Nii before getting lost between the rosebushes. With a smile, Shiemi looked around herself. Her plants looked beautiful under the moonlight. She had the feeling the garden was even prettier that year because of her inner strength. She had always felt strongly tied to the garde, so she wondered if both parties -she and the garden- could influence one another. Since finding friends in Rin, Yukio, Izumo, Ryuji and pretty much everybody around her, Shiemi had noticed her self-confidence and esteem had received an enormous boost. It had helped her change and evolve for the best; all because of her will to progress. Shiemi was truly proud of herself and knew the garden shared the same feeling.

The thought made her smile broadly.

Nii jumped on top of her head all of a sudden and clung to the daisy Shiemi was wearing on her hair. The little demon had grown a bit bigger after his transformation in Kyoto during Izumo's rescue, and his abilities had developed further: now, Nii was able to grow plants faster and in greater amounts, so processes like healing proved to be easier and quicker for Shiemi. She was glad that Nii had stuck with her for so long. A loss of confidence could make a familiar reject its Tamer; Shiemi was sure that her own resolve had faltered some times in the past, and yet Nii had made no move against her. Perhaps she was actually stronger than she thought.

Shiemi picked her familiar up and held him in cupped hands. She brought him close to her face, and then the grinning Nii leaped onto Shiemi's nose and stuck to it like glue. Shiemi laughed heartily while trying to get the Greenman off her face. She had just managed to do so when a bunch of mint leaves grew out of Nii's stomach. Shiemi blinked in surprise at the action, then smiled when understood the Greenman's intention: he wanted her to recover correctly from the persistent cold that had kept Shiemi away from the Academy for three days.

"Don't worry, Nii-chan: I'll take the next infusion before bed, okay?" she said kindly as she stored the leaves in the sash of her kimono.

"Oi, Shiemi!"

She perked up her head with another smile. Rin and Yukio were entering the garden, both of them looking lively and in high spirits. What instantly caught Shiemi's attention was that they were wearing casual clothes rather than the uniform they so often wore even when they came to visit.

"Rin! Yuki-chan! Good to see you!" Shiemi greeted with a wave, then offered the twins a seat on the grass. "What brings you here?"

"We thought we'd pay you a visit, given that you've missed class these past three days," said Yukio. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm better now and nearing full recovery," Shiemi replied with a firm nod. "Nii-chan has helped a lot growing the herbs I needed for the infusion the doctor had advised me to take. Luckily, I should be back tomorrow."

"Good to hear! The class feels empty without you," Rin said, grinning broadly. "Somebody else aside from Bon needs to get over a fifty out of a hundred in the Botany test we had yesterday. And I got a sixty-two!"

Yukio nodded. "Yes, he's getting better. Still has a long way to go, though, but at least he tries."

Rin shot his brother a withering look. "Somebody doesn't seem too happy!"

"What else can I say?" Yukio replied with a tilt of his head. "As the teacher, I'm not satisfied yet. You can do a lot better, Rin."

"At least he did try, Yuki-chan. I still get some names mixed and use some of my own," Shiemi intervened instead of Rin, who crossed his arms in a light huff and then jokingly winked an eye at her. She was aware Yukio was speaking from the professional perspective -as was his obligation whenever academical matters arose-, but she also knew that Rin had started studying a lot harder for both assessment and end-of-term examinations. Rin had once accompanied her to the Academy's library to get a couple of books for a Demon Pharmacology essay the class had to write, which meant that Rin was really trying and was being successful.

The matter was laid to rest when Rin asked, "Hey, is it me or does the garden look even better this year? Did you do something to it?"

Shiemi looked at the nearest rosebush with fondness. "Not really, no. It started blooming earlier, too, and I'm very glad it's looking this strong and healthy."

"That's because you are healthy and strong, Shiemi-san," Yukio stated kindly. "You've changed at lot since you entered the Academy and you seem to have formed a very strong connection to the garden as a whole. Remember our last talk about this subject?"

"Wait, can that really happen?" Rin asked in confusion. "I mean, for somebody to grow, uh, 'spiritually' attached to a certain place? I don't know how else to say it."

Yukio nodded. "That was accurate in itself, though." Shiemi followed his gaze and found Yukio looking at the spot where the Dökkalfr that had once possessed her had grown in the past. "I was once told about that. The spiritual bond that a person may have with a certain place and how that bond is formed is quite understood and accepted because it has happened other times in the past, but some things still elude Exorcists; Tamers, to be exact. It can be considered 'normal' when it comes to this type of Exorcists, since they can summon demons that are related to a certain element which become, with time, part of the Tamer in the figurative sense. In your case, Shiemi-san, it may be because of your familiar, but also due to your being possessed by that Dökkalfr."

Shiemi grew slightly tense with surprise. Rin was the one who voiced her question, "But how? That demon is gone, and the only connection that Shiemi had to the garden was because of that thing sucking her energies dry!"

"Exactly," Yukio pointed out. "That's what puzzled me at first. But you did exorcize Shiemi, thus purifying her body and, perhaps, her bond with the garden. You know that one of the most difficult things to understand is the human soul and its workings." Shiemi was positively blown away by Yukio's next smile and had to try her hardest not to blush. "It's quite the mystery."

"So it could also be due to Nii-chan?" Shiemi intervened, looking down at the Greenman. "Maybe... Oh! Maybe he's a sort of intermediary between the garden and me?" She fidgeted with the sleeve of her kimono. "It sounds weird, I know, but-"

"But it makes sense!" Rin exclaimed. "I'm kinda thinking about abstract concepts myself here."

"Abstract concepts?" Yukio echoed, curious. "Concepts like, for example?"

Shiemi held Rin's intense gaze with slight nervousness. He said, "Your granny cherished this garden and you loved her a lot, Shiemi, so you love the garden, too!" Rin suddenly grew shy and hesitant, but he nevertheless got to the point he was trying to make. "Perhaps it's that love that helped the bond grow?"

Shiemi shared a surprised look with Yukio, who could only shrug and smile briefly. She, on the other hand, stared at Rin for a long moment, then sincerely smiled at him. "I'm sure that's it," she replied. Shiemi lowered her eyes to Nii, who in turn emitted a sound similar to a giggle. "Thank you for your answer, Rin."

"It was nothing!" Rin defended himself. "I just... said what I thought was correct."

Despite being grateful for Rin's sincere statement, it had been Yukio's earlier words that had had the most impact on Shiemi. 'That's because you are healthy and strong.' That firm tone of kindness in his words had struck home. She stole a surreptitious glance at Yukio... who coincidentally met her gaze at that very same moment. Shiemi couldn't help but avert her eyes, feeling heat rush to her cheeks and her heart speed up. With a light screech, Nii jumped onto Yukio's shoulder and quickly hugged the young Exorcist's cheek. The three looked at the Greenman's sign of affection with surprise, then Rin said teasingly, "Awwww, he likes you!"

Shiemi smiled. What surprised her shortly afterwards were the encouraging nods she was receiving from Nii, still perched on Yukio's shoulder. Whatever Nii meant, Shiemi didn't really get it. She wasn't as oblivious so as to miss the glances Rin was stealing both at her and Yukio.

And then it all made sense.

The mere thought made her blush even a more intense shade of red, something which thoroughly surprised Yukio. "Shiemi-san, what's wrong?"

Shiemi tensed and hastily shook her head. "N-nothing! It's okay, really!"

The smirk on Rin's face only made her anxiety spike. "Are you sure, Shiemi?"

"Whatever you're talking about, you're making her uncomfortable," Yukio snapped, nudging his brother on the ribs. "Don't be so tactless!"

"It's alright, Yuki-chan!" Shiemi wasn't one to lie but if she wanted to avoid an awkward situation for the three of them, she had to make up an excuse to end the visit. "I'm just feeling a little feverish, that's all. I'll be getting inside now, if you don't mind."

Nii leaped back to Shiemi, who stood at the same time as the twins. Rin still had that smirk plastered on his face, but getting mad at him wasn't going to solve anything. Shiemi did her best to ignore him. Thankfully, Yukio seemed to be unaware of the hints Rin was dropping, which was a great relief.

"Get better, alright, Shiemi?" Rin said, this time without any mischief. "Hope you're feeling fully recovered by tomorrow."

Shiemi nodded. "I'll take care of myself for that to happen."

"My sentiments are my brother's," Yukio said afterwards. "I hope to see you around tomorrow and if not or if by chance your condition gets worse -let's hope not-, tell your mother to give me a call and I'll drop by. I may be an Exorcist, but I'm still a regular doctor."

"Come on, you slowpoke!"

Shiemi realized Rin had gone on ahead without waiting for Yukio and was already by the steps leading down. "I'll have that in mind, Yuki-chan, thank you. You should go now; Rin's leaving without you."

Yukio chuckled. "It's usually the other way around, so payback was due. And by the way, Shiemi-san," he added, "I'm asking you this as a friend: I hope I'm not being intrusive, but you're not technically 'feverish', are you?"

Busted.

Shiemi debated between fleeing and confronting Yukio. He did not mean any harm with that question, that much was clear, but he had managed to unsettle Shiemi more than she already was. Shiemi wrung her hands but plucked out enough courage to say, "And as a f-friend, I tell you that... that I would like to tell you some other time. It's... well-"

"You don't have to tell me now," Yukio replied amiably. "Just do so when you're ready, whatever it is you have to say. Well, goodbye and have a good night, Shiemi-san."

"Y-Yeah! Good night, Yuki-chan!"

The moment Yukio was far enough from her, Shiemi brusquely turned around and sucked in a deep breath: things were going to get uncomfortable once she was back at school.

She looked at Nii, who giggled again, this time with what Shiemi could only describe as mischief.

"Nii-chan..."

Demons can become part of the Tamer with time...

Another piece of the puzzle had fit in.

Stiff as a stick, Shiemi headed inside and made a beeline for her room. Her feelings were very much in danger, and in every sense of the expression. But she couldn't help smiling to herself. As reluctant as she was to admit it, Nii's eager nods while perched on Yukio could only have meant one thing, not to mention Rin's ever so suggestive smirk. She couldn't fool herself, not even if she tried her hardest. It was there, the same affection Nii had felt toward Yukio but a hundred times stronger.

...perhaps Nii had expressed Shiemi's feelings?

She'd have to think about it, but in bed.

There were matters to solve tomorrow, and she was ready and willing to confront Yukio.

Well, as long as shyness didn't get in the way.

A/N: I made use of the suffixes, yes; couldn't help myself xD And neither could I with the last part; I had to add some fluff, dammit!

So anyway, I hope you guys like this. Reviews are appreciated!^^