A/N: So I joined a community on LiveJournal that has Ouran writing contests. Our entries are supposed to be 1,000 words or less. This week's challenge was Memories. And well, this was my first entry. I made a second one which I'll be posting on here soon. Also, I tend to post more things on my writing community called "drabblific". The link is in my profile. And just so you know, I've already posted various Ouran or Samura Champloo, etc. drabbles that will never make it to FFNet.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: Ouran does NOT belong to me. Obviously. It's all Bisco Hatori's. I just like to take the characters and make them dance to my twisted ideas.

Date originally posted: 6/5/06
Title: Memories in a Picture
Series: Ouran High School Host Club
Rating: G
Characters: Tamaki, his mother
Pairings: None really
Spoilers: Slight spoilers for Volume 6 in regards to Tamaki's mother.
Word Count: 375
BETA: Had Fotu (hagane-no-tofu on LJ) look over it.
For Challenge 001: Memories at the ouran-flashfic community on LJ

Memories in a Picture

Tamaki Suoh groaned as the sunlight blazed through his window. He rolled over and frowned. The maid wasn't supposed to open his drapes that early. He opened one bleary eye to check the time. It was after nine in the morning. Beside his clock was a silver picture frame. Inside was an old photograph of a young Tamaki and his mother.

Looking at his mother's picture always made him feel calmer. She was a lovely woman, with long wavy blonde hair. Her bright eyes sparkled with happiness as she hugged her son in the photo. Tamaki was grinning right back at her with his arms wrapped around her waist.

Tamaki lay in bed and thought back to when he still lived with his mother. At times, he missed her dearly. He missed how she would smooth his hair when he was upset. How she would laugh gently at his overdramatic antics. But most of all, he loved how she would draw him close, kiss him on the forehead, and tell him how much she loved him.

His mother had been the one to teach him how to play the piano. He loved to watch her slender fingers fly over the keys so gracefully. As a child, he liked to sit on the piano bench and bang on the keys. His mother had smiled and showed him how to gently press on the keys to make the lovely sounds. Day after day she would show him a different scale. And each day he would practise until he had that day's lesson down pat.

Tamaki beamed nostalgically as he sifted through all the memories of him and his mother. As a child he loved to watch her. She would put on her makeup swiftly but with perfect precision. She would make a face at her wavy hair whenever she would try to straighten it. And she would have Tamaki help her pick out what to wear for the day. Tamaki loved it all.

And while he had to give up his mother so she could live, it wasn't part of the deal to give up his memories. And that's what kept him moving along, day after day. Those precious memories of his mother.

As usual, comments aren't required but I like them. They make me write faster and also let me know what I should write more of.