The Rose Bouquet

Chapter 1: The Garden

A/N: I...don't even know what this is going to be about yet, it's just another plot bunny. Please bear with me.

…

Katarina believed she reached her friendship ending the day of that graduation garden party when Maria took her hands and asked to stay by her side for as long as she possibly could. She was bewildered yet inexplicably happy by it; and still is if she thought on it too hard. Of course she loved Maria and cherished this friendship end where they could all be together.

And they were all together. Except...after awhile, some things had started to change.

It's been almost two years since that day, and while things still seem to be moving forward despite the end of the game happening so long ago, Katarina can't waver the uneasiness. Things were calm, and yet they weren't calm at all. She kept expecting every night when she went to bed to wake up and be home with her parents, have school in the morning, meet Acchan to talk about manga, and it never happened. It was just more parties, more tea, more gatherings, and then graduation and it was all a blur. Her magic never got any better and it didn't matter. Her birthdays came and went and everyone grew a little but no one left her side. Truly, she had reached the friendship ending with the people she cared the most about.

So why was it starting to feel so lonely in her heart when she would first open her eyes in the early morning?

There was something dull throbbing in her chest when she thought about it, especially painful today. The Claes family were having breakfast on a chilly May morning and as usual, the seat next to Katarina was empty again. She stared at it blankly, body feeling cold and if it wasn't for her heart thudding in her chest she'd have thought she had died. All because he was late to breakfast...again.

The thought hit her sadly. Keith was probably out late all night again. Of all the changes that she noticed within her circle of friends, it was Keith's that had become the most obvious, and the most painful due to its oddity. But even that is the wrong thing to say because Katarina actually did recognize this behavior. She had just figured that by being by his side through childhood maybe he truly grew up to be a different person, all because of her. A foolish idea. It only prolonged the inevitable in the end, and soon after graduation celebrations ended and the Claes siblings returned home for good, their parents started fast-tracking their pace to marry the children off. So Katarina had more dates with Geordo, and Keith started going out more and coming home late. They never had any time to talk, and when they did, she noticed Keith always kept her at arms length, figuratively speaking. Sometimes she'd catch him in hallways, or at meals, always with a letter from some admirer in hand and a lazy half-smile on his face like he was still dazed from the liquor the night before. He always smelled like the night air and sandalwood. He was always avoiding looking her in the eye for too long.

Her chest tightened. Keith was the playboy in the game, he was the one that sought out affection and attention like without it he'd die. He was the same way as a child, and she thought she could fulfill the need.

She thought that she was enough.

"Oh Keith," Her mother drawled, mouth twitching upwards in a tight smile. "How nice of you to join us this morning...we were beginning to wonder if you were going to just roll around in bed all day on us again."

Keith sent her a toothy half-smile and a nod. "I thought I'd join today if that's alright. I'm actually starving." He sat down carefully and tucked his napkin under his chin, nodding at their father politely and giving Katarina that smile that she already knew meant he was looking past her as Anne hurried over to fill his plate with rosemary-spiced eggs and maple bacon.

They all fell back into silence, silverware clinking against bone china dishes, and Katarina felt her appetite leave her slowly. She was dressed more elegantly than she'd like to be, recalling the epic showdown that had her relent to her mother's will once she returned home to her mother's wishes to dress more feminine even if she had no plans for the day.

Today though she'd be visiting Maria, who had offered to give her a few lessons on baking sweets a while back that she wanted to finally take advantage of something about it seemed lonely. Katarina was still excited to go but…

She bit her lip, chewing on it until it turned a fleshy pink as she threw subtle glances at Keith's profile. It meant that she had to go alone. Keith probably wouldn't be able to ride alongside her this time to the town, like they always did.

Like they always used to.

Her head snapped up when she heard her father speak warmly, and she realized she had been pushing around the same last bite of lox for the past few minutes.

"Katarina," he cleared his throat gently, "Are you alright? You look a little down this morning...something on your mind, dear?"

Katarina pushed the cheeriest smile she could to her face, setting her fork down. "Ah, no, I'm feeling great! I guess I'm just a bit eager to see Maria today. It's been ages." She bit the inside of her cheek and glanced sideways at Keith again, hoping, hoping that he'd say something in response. Anything. She saw a flash of something in his stormy blue eyes but then after a beat, nothing. Nothing but a small smile.

"Well," She said, pushing herself back from the table and throwing a signaling glance at Anne. "I ought to be off then, if I'm going to be on time. Breakfast was delicious as always, Mom and Dad." The words still felt so weird on her tongue. She gave Keith a real smile this time, searching for his eyes with her own.

"See you later, Keith?"

He didn't look at her directly, but the smile he gave her this time at the sound of his name came slow and easy. Reminiscent of times before, the old Keith. Her Keith. And her heart fluttered at it before she could catch herself.

"Of course. Please be careful today, nee-san. And try not to give Maria-san too much trouble today, ne?" he dabbed a napkin to his lips, hiding his smirk.

She blushed. Such a tease. But, at least it was something. She bowed and then led Anne out of the door to the waiting carriage.

She skipped her morning sweets, so she hoped that Maria would indulge her for lunch and let her gobble up every single they baked together today.

Maria was acting strangely.

Well, no, Maria noticeably has grown increasingly peckish with her in the after months when school ended. But today she seemed almost as skittish as a wounded cat, and as clumsy as Katarina was on a good day. They've literally bumped heads on more than a few occasions working together in Maria's homely kitchen.

After the third time, Katarina couldn't help but erupt into another fit of laughs soon chimed in by Maria's sweet giggling.

"Look at us," she laughed, absently wiping at the streak of flour on Maria's cheek. They caught each other's eyes and the blonde woman flustered immediately.

'It is getting warm in here...' Katarina thought to herself and eyed the oven they were preheating. Cookies; that's why Katarina had begged Maria for the baking lesson. She wanted to learn how to make the delicious shortbread cookies the light magic user always gifted her with, and although the shapes of her dough cookies looked nowhere near as appealing as her mentor's, she was still just as excited to see the outcome.

But there was something nagging her in the belly just as much however. For one, when Katarina dropped her hand away from Maria's face to wipe them on her own apron, the shorter girl only grasped at it tightly with sticky fingers like the lack of them was painful. Now they were holding hands, and Maria wouldn't catch her eyes.

"U-Um…" Katarina trailed off, unsure of what to say. There was a suspended air between them, thickened from the heat of the wood oven burning away at their backs on an even hotter summer day. She was warm. And the longer it took for someone to speak, the more the nervous flutter in her chest began to increase. When Maria looked up at her finally, her eyes were wet.

The girl was pretty. Even Katarina wasn't foolish enough to overlook this fact. She had thought so even when Maria was only a playable character to her. But up close and in private like this, where Katarina had full access to her face with unguarded emotions on display, a word like breathtaking kept creeping into mind.

Maria finally spoke first. "Katarina-san...are you happy with how things are going with...with Geordo-sama?"

The mention of her finance snapped Katarina back to reality. "-Huh?" The fingers on her hands only tightened further.

"H-Happy. I mean, are you...is this…?" Maria's voice lowered, and suddenly an arm looped itself around Katarina's neck, bringing their chests together. "Ahhh-mou-! I can't even say it when you have that look on your face!"

'What look?' She couldn't ask, Maria was hugging too tightly. They've hugged like this before. Granted, not impromptu and definitely not in a stuffy, warm kitchen, but the feel of Maria on her wasn't foreign. This time however, it sent tingles down her spine. Katarina's free hand dug a small purchase into her friend's tiny frame, unsure whether or push away or draw her closer still. She couldn't put her finger exactly on what made this so different. Maybe it was the small puffs of air Maria kept exhaling into the crook of her taller girl's neck that was so distracting.

"-Ahaah, um...yes, Geordo-sama and I get along fine, I mean, we all...get along-mmph...really well, right?"

She was panting. Why was she panting?

If Maria noticed that the ghosting feel of her lips grazing Katarina's neck was distressing, she didn't show it.

Friends. She had meant to emphasize the worth and value of her friendships to Maria right then, to explain that she would fulfill this world's obligations without frowning, how lucky she was to have them all by her side. How she wished they weren't already showing the tell-tale signs of drifting and now this-

"Is it wrong then to have this feeling in my chest still? I am happy for my friends, Geordo and Katarina-san...but sometimes I still think...if only…"

Maria pressed her warm cheek into Katarina's neck, nuzzling there and earning a small gasp from the brunette. They stayed like this a moment, Katarina embraced loosely by Maria but feeling held in place by the weight of Maria's mumblings.

"M-Maria-wait-"

"If only I had a chance to also show Katarina-san…" Lips met the junction of neck and jawline again and Katarina lost all sense of coherence again. It was almost like a kiss, a soft and sorrowful thing like she was trying to impart words onto the other girl's skin. "To show you that maybe-maybe I could-"

Had being this close to Maria always had this effect on her? Or was she just too inexperienced and touch-starved to know the meaning of the thrashing sensations in her belly?

"I...I don't...Maria-?"

As if the sound of her name had broken a spell, Maria's grip slackened immediately and she jumped back as if Katarina was something hot. Blue eyes were searching the smaller girl's frame, afraid she had said something wrong. But Maria only smiled, lips pressed into a thin line. Embarrassed to meet Katarina's eye, Maria looked past her and thumbed both cookie tray sheets into the oven with little fanfare. The front door creaked open and Katarina knew it meant Maria's mother had returned. The older woman's mellow voice called and echoed throughout the cottage and down Katarina's bones.

"Girls, I'm back! Who wants to take a quick break for tea?"

Katarina nodded to herself. Yes, tea would be good. Iced tea.

Somehow, even she could recognize that something important was being said. She just couldn't understand what it was exactly.

Geordo has long since discarded his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves as they continued to row further and further away from the banks and into the open lake. Katarina sat silently, billowing blue gown pooling at her bare feet in the wooden rowboat shifting as she fidgeted silently. The large parasol shades her from the harsh sun and from avoiding direct eye contact with Geordo as he talked on. It was easier to appreciate how the sun was beginning to redden and tan his forearms and beads of sweat pool on his arms.

"The castle actually has over twenty different bedrooms you know," Geordo continued, in the same gentle tone he had been using with her ever since school ended. Like she was something fragile, or something fleeting. She couldn't even remember what encouraged him to start on this story anyway. Lately all he ever seemed to do was talk about the future, and all the minute details about his life as if she kept a pen and pad at the ready.

"Alan and I used to play horrible tricks on each other luring the other to an empty room for a scare," he chuckled, muscles flexing in his arms on another powerful stroke. Katarina laughed too, remembering the smaller brothers and their playdates together as a trio.

She sighed. Things were so much more complicated now.

Geordo didn't miss the sound and his rowing came to a slow stop, lips twitching downward in response. "Katarina? What's wrong?"

They played this game with each other often lately. Geordo invited her out somewhere-anywhere, where they could be alone to talk. Katarina would accept, they'd talk about mostly nothing until Katarina could take no more of the pleasantries and stiff silences, and she'd tune him out so often now her empty smiles were perfecting themselves.

Usually he didn't notice her fully anymore when he became too caught up in his maundering. So it was surprising to see that Geordo had been paying enough attention to her this time, enough to ask about it.

It pulled a cheery smile out of her and a mirroring feeling echoed in her chest. Her heart was so starved it fluttered at every hint of recognizable reactions out of her friends. Old reminders of how things used to be. When he entwined his fingers in hers she didn't protest or pull away. He felt comfortable today, a little calmer and less fussy. When she leaned forward and rested the apple of her cheek on Gerdo's shoulder as he knelt down on the boat to inch closer, he only offered a small sigh of his own and let the exhale vibrate through her body. They had already been introducing more casual touch in the last few 'dates' together. She probably wasn't moving at quite the pace he'd like but...

As if sharing the same thoughts, his body tensed underneath her like it was forcibly restraining movement. Well, at least he was considerate of her feelings.

They stayed like that awhile, the sounds of gently moving water and buzzing cicadas their only company. The contentment left Katarina happier than she had been in days, like she could close her eyes and when she opened them she'd be back at the start of the game, where everyone was still a mystery, where invisible walls hadn't separated them all so suddenly.

When she did slide her eyes closed for a brief moment, what welcomed her was not another wave of nostalgia. It was eager, rosy lips leaning forward to catch her own.

Katarina had spent two days in the Claes home walking the halls like a ghost. She asked Anne to bring all her meals to her room, and instructed all visitors to be rescheduled or re-directed away from her. At least, all except for one.

"Ah, Nicol-san...good morning." she said in a raspy voice, still rubbing traces of sleep from her eyes. She was dressed properly in her field clothes for the early morning thanks to Anne, but she was far from awake and chipper. It was only seven in the morning, and she was up early to tend to her garden before the harsh sun (and the rest of the house) rose up in the morning.

He didn't respond, only nodded slightly in acknowledgement. She caught him exiting his carriage. Dressed impeccably as always, even in the early morning there wasn't a single dark hair out of the place on the raven's head. She always wondered

After a brief and polite conversation with the carriage driver, she and Nicol stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched the gilded caravan disappear over the hill away from the mansion. They glanced at each other at the same time from the corners of their eyes. Mischievous. Playful.

She couldn't resist the bright smile that welled up inside her.

"Why are you here? And where is Sophia?" She hummed happily with an elbow into his sides as she turned heel and strode toward her backyard farm. Nicol followed close behind, a deep sigh reverberating in the air.

"Sophia decided to sleep in today. She was up late again reading. Oh, which reminds me, she's having a novel sent to you shortly. I believe it's titled...'The Dark Count III', or something," Nicol furrowed his brow even as he said the words, as if he couldn't understand why someone would take interest in something like that.

Katarina allowed herself to turn cheek and give Nicol a full once-over with her eyes, lingering especially in the places his riding pants hugged at his narrow waist and the rosiness of his knuckles in contrast to his dark cufflinks shone in the morning chill. If he noticed, his face betrayed nothing. Together they fell into a silent step, the metal clinking of the hoe thrown over her shoulder the only distracting noise.

She smiled to herself. Nicol's transformation was probably the only change she didn't resent. While it seemed as though some of her friends were purposefully distancing themselves from her for whatever reason, Nicol seemed to fill in for her gradual loss of Keith with his increasing company instead. And although at first it was hard for Katarina to even stare at Nicol's face for too long before feeling fuzzy, his gradual openness with his speech and his big brother aura eventually won her over.

And there was one other thing they shared in common now as well.

Katarina spread her toes in her working boots anxiously as she set herself up and began to work-digging the hoe into the dirt to help loosen and shape it. She wanted to plant another row of eggplants before the month ended, against her Mother's wishes of course. From the corner of her eye she could see Nicol disregard the finery of his own clothing as he knelt beside in her in the ground, already removing his jacket and

She didn't hide her stare. It wasn't often that Nicol did much beside watch her under the shade of the large alder tree and chat with her but when he did it usually meant-

"A-Ah, another one must have come to visit huh? I know you hate those date...date meeting, things."

Nicol only pursed his lips in reply, his hands now fitted with gloves. She handed him the small shears she kept in her back pocket. Some trimming would actually be useful.

It was the one thing that Nicol for all his newfound openness didn't like to talk about with her, but he was a good listener when she felt like complaining. The suitors. Keith was not the only other eligible single aristocrat available-the first summer after school graduation, Sophia had become one too.

It seemed Katarina wasn't the only person who found Sophia's unique looks so stunning, and she had gotten quite a large amount of attention from potential male suitors as a result. It seemed Sophia still has yet to actually get on with any of them, but she surmised it didn't stop the worry in Nicol's chest anymore than knowing Keith wasn't in his room late at night did to her.

How odd that the one person in the world who knew the pain of a loved one just suddenly out of reach would be Nicol. A dry chuckle left her lips at the thought. He shot her a firm pout.

They fell back into silence, and worked until the morning sun was unignorable. Then they shared the breakfast Anne brought them-flaky croissants and orange tea.

Katarina saw Nicol off by midday, and the sun was in its full glory. But she didn't feel particularly happy, and was still uncomfortable at the thought of wandering around the halls. In the expanse of the garden she felt like she was in better company anyway, the mansion couldn't compare to the lightened way the warm breeze caressed at her face. It took no time at all to find a wider crook of shade under the tree Nicol had just left her under and she snuggled against the grass, kicking her shoes off.

Anne came to check-in on her with water and a message from Geordo sometime later. She waved it away; there is nothing she wanted to turn over in her head anymore than she had to for the day. Instead, her mind kept drifting to something else as the sound of leaves rustling lulled her to sleep.

She had imagined what her eventual reunion with her brother would be like..if she was so lucky to have one, after all. She had pictured it sans the more believable outcome of a thorny and strained return to normalcy between the two of them. She pictured that they could just exchange apologies and move on-even better if they could skip it altogether. She doesn't remember what she did to upset Keith so into deserting her. And it didn't matter how she felt about it before. She had only wanted it back. His smile, his attention, his laugh, his hands-

She had lots of ideas on it. The things they'd catch up on-Keith's dates, Katarina's rapidly changing relationship with Geordo, Mary's growing distance, and Maria's budding complexities. They could sit here together, right under this tree, and giggle and whisper all their secrets to each other like children again with red faces and knocking knees.

Limbs sprawled, dress fabric hitched a few inches up her thighs and a thin trace of saliva trailing off the side of her mouth was not in any of those imaginations. And yet, Keith's eyes were twinkling at her with a tender smile like she was something sweet.

Her first reaction was to assume she was still dreaming, and to her horror she reflexively reached up a hand to brush her fingertips against the flush skin the taller boy bent over her. Keith's eyes widened a fraction and then Katarina realized that this was indeed not a dream.

But the real Keith had finally approached her for the first time in weeks!

"K-Keith-jeez, don't scare me like that!" She tried to hide the tremble in her voice, scrambling against the bark of the tree for purchase. Keith hadn't moved, but the twinkle had gone from his eyes, back into placidity.

He cocked his head to the side. "Your prince was here looking for you again...what are you doing out here?"

Oh. Katarina's eyes dropped down to her lap and she pretended to smooth out the lines of her dress.

"W-well, I-um...I just wanted some fresh air and lost track of time, I guess." Her eyes flitted back up to him nervously. "Is he still here?"

A sudden rush of relief washed over her when Keith shook his head in the negative. His mouth crooked up into a little smirk. "I told him you made yourself sick from sweets again and couldn't see anyone for the day, so for now you're off the hook."

Katarina mirrored his smile easily. Keith used that excuse often-usually when he wanted to chase Geordo away from Katarina. It was one of their childhood jokes. How strange it must have been for him to use it to her defense so she could run away from him this time. Was she being too obvious after all about her lack of romantic experience? Or had something been said to him instead?

He must've understood this somehow without her prompting and still decided to lean in to help her anyway. Her chest swelled with hope at the concluding thought.

Had he never truly left her then, after all?

She was unable to explain all the feelings surging in her head at the moment. All she knew she wanted was to tackle him, squeeze him, ruffle his hair again to hear him laugh. Her hands itched to hold him and be enveloped in that familiar warmth of his body. When she had all those moments of self-doubt that she'd clear all her death flags and earn her stay, that she could save Raphael, that she could graduate with decent enough grades-he had always been there for her. And he was trying to be there for her now.

He had never asked her for anything in return, and she could tell from the mirth in his eyes that he probably wasn't going to this time either. But she wanted to give him something.

Really, she wanted to give him everything.

She curled her knees up to her chest and smoothed down her clothes again, wetting her lips in hesitation. With a shaky sigh, she motioned with her eyes to the grassy spot beside her that Keith slowly moved into.

"I guess...yes, there's something that has been troubling me. A-actually, it was while we were on our lasting outing…"

"Ah," he says finally when she finishes speaking. She had spoken so much that he could only sit and listen quietly and she felt bad about it, but it had been so long since she had been the sole focus of Keith's attention that she would've kept talking all afternoon just to keep his eyes on her. But it was harder to explain the near-kissing incident-she didn't miss the way his jaw tightened.

Katarina timidly looks up at him after having stared at her toes the entire time, blushing from the tips of her ears. The wind picks up just then and ruffles through his hair like a gentle kiss. And when he finally glances at her from the corner of his eyes, the look is far away somehow-both sad and piercing. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat.

She pulls her legs closer to her chest, mumbling. "W..what are you thinking..?" Her voice is small and unfamiliar to her own ears. And why is her heart pounding so wildly?

He sighs loudly, drawn out and breathy. "Alot of things. But I'm happy, I guess."

It wasn't the response she was expecting. "Happy?"

"Yes," he spoke slowly. "I'm actually glad he didn't touch you. If he had at this point, I don't know what I'd-"

When he stops speaking suddenly she leans forward, confused at first thinking she couldn't hear him. Her shadow over his features made his blue eyes darker. Something like a shudder passes through him before he finds his voice again. When it does-it's back to the familiar sultry purr she's used to hearing as he changes the subject.

Keith even winks at her, too. "But who knew that even as old as we are you still haven't even kissed anyone."

She doesn't tell him about Maria. Instead, she blushes furiously and smacks his arm. So he had been moving ahead of her it seems. Katarina felt like her head was spinning with all these emotions.

"Of course not! I haven't been staying out late all night and meeting with other girls and-" she stopped herself, swallowing thickly. Her voice was flustered and pitchy much to her chagrin. She hit him again just because.

He laughed softly. "And kissing? I suppose sometimes that happens, nee-san. It can actually be quite nice."

"Yeah," she mumbled hotly, embarrassed. When he laughed again she felt her temper flare a bit, so she started to lean back away from him until he caught her chin, fixing her still.

Blue eyes found blue, and a teasing smirk spread across his face. The sun was hot, but the warmth of his fingertips on her skin was warmer still-like fire.

"Would you like to find out for yourself, nee-san?"

Squeeeeee. OK, sorry for the baiting, thank you for reading! See you soon SQ~