When Kaoru woke up the n3ext morning, his mind was already at work, memories flying left and right. No memory was left unchecked, even to the smallest detail of a simple, brief glance. His brother could tell the girl was troubling him again.

"Kaoru," he sighed as they rode in their sleek black limousine, "You shouldn't let that girl bother you. I'm sure it's nobody important."

The younger Hitachiin stared at the floor of the car, his hands locked together and hanging over his knees, not saying anything.

His response wasn't what Hikaru wanted. He groaned and stared out the window, resting his chin in his hand.

Who is she? Kaoru asked himself. I have to know.

When the two arrived, the halls were nearly empty, almost silent as a library. Any beings that did linger all headed for the garden or other rooms.

Wasting no time so not to upset their "king," the boys rushed to Music Room 3 to change into kimonos.

Meanwhile, in the garden, the new girl admired the bunches of tulips, waiting for the roses to be ready. Finding out more about the festival that morning, she brought some money to buy some roses, at least one of each color. At least.

"Enjoying the flowers, my dear?" The familiar blond appeared beside her, looking over her shoulder.

She turned and smiled, seeing his lovely red kimono, littered with cherry blossom designs. "Yes, yes. I am, thank you. Thank you, also, for the rose yesterday, Mr. -"

"Tamaki." He bowed slightly as he took her hand in his. "Tamaki Suou."

She smiled as a faint mauve color crept into her cheeks. "… Tamaki. Thank you. By the way, do you know when they're going to open the rose area?" She glanced around the garden, hoping to see a florist or faculty moving in the beautiful flowers. She could already smell that wonderful aroma, floating through the air.

Tamaki glanced up at the great clock tower that stood high over the private academy of Ouran. "Not for another two hors. Looking forward to them?"

Her gaze moved back to the tulips. Yes. Roses are the queen of flowers in my eyes. They show the most beauty and grace while still showing great strength."

He chuckled softly. "You really do love those roses."

A breath of a laugh left her lips that curled into a smile. "Well, my mother is a florist and runs the flower shop in town. I help out after school and on weekends sometimes." She glanced up at the clock tower again. "Well," she sighed, "thank you for the information, Mr. Suou. It's greatly appreciated." She left him with a nod, strolling around a bit more.

After a half hour of looking at other flowers, the girl sat under a cherry tree, surrounded by falling blossoms. All she could do was wait for the rose displays to open. She leaned back against the tree, watching the blossoms float gracefully like ballarinas to the ground. She closed her eyes, imagining all the wonderful roses they would have.

"Why am I not surprised?" a voice laughed before her, making her jump slightly. A faint scarlet color rose in her cheeks.

"I couldn't pass up a whole day of flowers," she giggled.

The boy, dressed in a dark blue kimono with various flower designs on it, held out a hand to help her up. "Waiting for the roses to go on display, I'm guessing?" he questioned.

She nodded, looking up to the clock tower as he pulled her up. A frown slightly showed itself. Another hour of waiting.

Seeing her disappointment, the twin smirked. "If you're that passionate about roses, maybe I could sneak you in." He gave her a wink as he spoke, making her giggle a little.

"But wouldn't you get in trouble?" She didn't want to get anyone in trouble. She could wait if that was the issue.

He shook his head, laughing a little as he already began pulling her toward a large tent. "If we get in without being seen, we'll be home free."

She was about to ask how, when they suddenly stopped, hiding behind a tree, the twin pressing a finger to his lips. After a moment of waiting, they were running for the tent.

As soon as the unzipped the flap, the smell of roses flew out, littering the girl's nostrils. She didn't hesitate a moment to get inside, almost leaving the orange-haired one behind. But what she saw made her stop in her tracks.

Before her were hundreds, maybe even thousands of roses. The tent held a fantastic-smelling rainbow of them! Blue ones, white ones, green ones, even black ones! She nearly fainted.

"Here we are. Ouran's rose display before opening," he sighed, zipping the flap shut again. "What do you think?"

It's… It's amazing! She gasped, stumbling forward to ogle the white roses she only dreamed of seeing. "I've never seen this many in one place! Where do they get them? Oh thank you for bringing me in-" She then noticed she never caught his name.

He chuckled, shrugging slightly. "Kaoru." She thought she saw him before.

"Sakura Shissa," she smiled, looking back at him.

It was his turn to freeze up. He suddenly remembered that one day. That one, special day when one special girl turned down a second Hitachiin to go out with.

She giggled a little at his expression. "Surprised? Let me refresh your memory." She plucked a snowy rose and softly stroked its feathers, looking down to hide her blush. "I sent you a love note, and we met out in the courtyard of the middle school. You, acting as Hikaru, asked if I wanted to pretty much cheat on you behind your back. But I-"

"You refused. I-I know." He was still in shock a bit. "But how did you…?"

"Other girls, Kaoru," Sakura giggled. "I heard about your game. But I'm fine with it now. At least we all know I'm a good person." She placed the white rose back in its place. "So how's it been since middle school?"

He was finally able to relax a bit at the casual question. "Good, I guess," he shrugged as he leaned against the shelf of roses beside her. "I've joined the Host Club with my brother, and we couldn't be happier."

Sakura smiled and looked at him. "That's good. It's nice to see you two smile once in a while."

He chuckled a little, looking down at the ground. "Yeah. It feels good to have friends."

"Who's in there?" a voice barked from outside the tent.

She gasped softly. "Kaoru! What do we do?" she exclaimed quietly, watching the tent flap carefully.

Without wasting a second, he took her hand and ran for the other end of the tent. "They can't catch us 'til they catch us!"

But as they turned the corner, they saw the zipper sliding down.

"Kaoru!"

The male frantically looked around, looking for another way ou. With no luck finding another exit, he made one. "Time to tuck and roll!"

Without giving her a chance to speak, he pulled the bronze-haired female close to him and rolled out under the tent, down a sudden hill.