Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. STONE. Because the following would only happen in the world of fanon, and that's okay with me.
Authoress' Note: This is a special fic written in honor of TKS' Shipping Spring Bouquet event! For the event, participants are given a flower and a theme on which to draw or write something for whatever ship we desire, using the meaning of the flower in floriography to shape the crux of our tale. This will be the 2nd time I've used floriography in one of my stories, with the first being my Hanahaki tale I wrote for GenHaku Week, and likely by no surprise I'll be using that same pairing for this fic. Please enjoy!
… I also hope, for a later section of the story, that I have the timeline correct for how many years it had passed since the start of the Kingdom of Science until now. I keep going over the outline over and over again, and I still feel like my years are off, but I hope I'm not off by too much.
Flower: Hyacinth
Genre: Family
Hyacinth
Six-year-old Hisui Asagiri squinted at the flowers perfectly preserved between glass, wood, and canvas upon the wall above the front door of her home, scratching at her blonde and black streaked short bobbed hair as she was trying to decipher what it was she was looking at. Despite the frame being there as long as she's been able to remember, she never really thought about what it was that it held up until now, and her curious little mind couldn't just pretend it was nothing anymore.
"Mama, Mama!" she called out loudly, "What are these!?"
From another room came footsteps that grew louder as they approached the child, echoing with a feminine voice as the mother walked into the room. "Hmm, what are what, Hisui?" she asked, wiping her hands off on a scratchy towel before tossing said towel over her shoulder, ignoring the dampness that soaked into the sleeve of her indigo sweater and tickled the ends of her blonde bangs.
"These things. On the wall. I've always seen them, but I don't know what they are," the child said as she pointed at the frame, tucking the other hand behind her back, "They're flowers, right? But what flowers are they?"
Vibrant sapphire orbs looked towards the door, melting as a gentle smile came across an angelic face. "Ah... You're curious about the hyacinths now, aren't you?" she asked with a laugh, "I suppose that's not a surprise. Papa did take you to the greenhouse the other day, after all. I'm sure you saw them but didn't realize what they were."
The elder woman grabbed the frame off of the wall, blowing away the dust that gathered upon it with a large puff of air, smiling sweetly as she read the little plaque of text that was carved onto a piece of wood that was placed inside of the frame along with the preserved flowers. Her fingers went across the glass above it, eyes becoming a bit damp herself as she read aloud the text.
"From the day our family became whole. Gen, Kohaku, and Hisui Asagiri."
"Mama, what does that mean? Became whole? And why are you crying? Don't cry, Mama! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Hisui fired off a series of questions as well as guilt as Kohaku wiped away the wayward tear from her eye.
"Ah, I'm alright, Hisui. Sometimes people cry when they're happy too. These are happy tears, I promise," she reassured her daughter, shifting the frame in her hands to allow her the chance to ruffle the twice-colored wisps.
The child seemed to relax hearing that, smiling cautiously for a moment before settling down as Kohaku took the frame with her, walking towards the couch set up several feet away from the door. The mother motioned for Hisui to follow, which she eagerly did, joining her parent up on the furniture as Kohaku settled the frame down on the table in front of them, the child being sure to straighten out the ruffles in her dark green knee-length dress. Kohaku wiped her fingers on the edge of the towel before brushing any remnants of dust that got onto her khaki-colored shorts with the back of her hands, setting the towel down on the table beside the frame.
"These are flowers, you're right. Specifically, these are called hyacinths."
"Hi-ya-siths?"
"Hyacinths. They're a really pretty flower that grows in the spring, although thanks to our greenhouse, we can grow them pretty much all year long if we wanted to. Although I wonder if maybe the gardening team aren't growing them right now; I'm sure if Papa saw them, he would've told you all about them," Kohaku explained as she tapped on her chin, the last part of her explanation going mostly ignored by the child, who was turned towards the frame and peering at the different colored flora.
"The hi... hi-ya... hyacinths... They're different colors too!" Hisui exclaimed, pointing to the different colors and reciting them one by one from left to right, "There's pink... and red... and yellow... and purple... and blue... and white!"
"Good job on your colors, Hisui!" Kohaku praised her daughter, making the child glow with pride, "Yes, they're all different colors. I don't know why that is, although I think Uncle Senku or Auntie Chelsea could explain that part. But... did you know that, even though they're the same flower, they all mean something different?"
"Eh!? What does that mean, Mama!?" the child exclaimed with eager excitement, her curious mind taking over, and Kohaku laughed as Hisui nearly bounced herself off of the couch.
"Settle down, sweetheart, before you hop yourself straight onto the floor. Now, hmm... Papa called it something before. Flo... Flo-ri-o... Oh yeah! Floriography! It's a really long and weird word, I know, but it means the language of flowers," Kohaku continued, tapping the glass above each flower, "You see, every flower and the color of the flower have a special meaning, so you can tell someone something that you're feeling without saying it. Can't say I understand all of it, because sometimes what a color means on one flower can mean something different on another, but Papa really likes this sort of thing, so you should ask him more about that when he gets home tonight. I can tell you the meaning behind these flowers, though."
Hisui did as told, ceasing her bouncing to instead curl up under her mother's arm, preparing herself for story time. Kohaku hummed happily, cuddling her child with sweet affection. She pointed at the first flower in the line, starting up her tale, "The pink hyacinth was the first flower Papa ever gave me. Of course, Papa brings me lots of flowers now, but back then, it was a really random thing he brought me..."
"Kohaku-chan."
The huntress turned at the sound of her name being called by a familiar honeyed voice, interrupting the conversation she was having with Ruri and Suika. She raised her brow curiously as the mentalist held out a lone pink hyacinth towards her, dark cerulean orbs alit with playful intention as well as a rare bout of nervousness. Gen was never quite this nervous, at least not when it came towards her, and it somehow made Kohaku's heart flutter with her own bit of anxious anticipation. She hesitated in reaching out for the bloom being held towards her, fingers tensing before she took hold of the stem, faintly brushing tips against the side of his hand as she took control.
"Wh-what's going on, Gen?" she asked with a slight stutter as she glanced at the flower and then back at him, quirking a blonde brow in curious confusion.
"Will you go on a date with me?"
Blink. Blink. "EH!?"
Hisui gasped, blushing as she heard the word "date". She often heard her parents speak about going on "dates" when she would be left in the care of her Auntie Ruri and Uncle Chrome for the occasional overnight, and every morning when they would come to bring her home, both of her parents seemed weirdly extra happy. There was also the fact that they would spoil her like mad after a date night as if to make up for taking time to themselves. Hisui didn't understand that bit of the reasoning, of course, only knowing that the days afterwards were usually her favorite times in the whole world.
Kohaku saw that glint in Hisui's light cerulean eyes and laughed softly. "Yes, I figured you'd light up hearing that. Well, back then, it was a really big surprise. He just came at me out of nowhere, talking about a day and presenting me with a flower, and the looks and sounds coming from Auntie Ruri and Auntie Suika..." she continued, sighing playfully, "Anyway... I was really thrown off by the whole idea, but I did agree eventually. And Papa was probably way more excited than he let on. Although that might have been more relief on his part than excitement, thinking about it."
The elder woman felt tears try and form in her eyes again, but stopped before any could attempt to fall. "I didn't figure it out until much later, but he picked the pink hyacinth because it means "playful joy", while the color was meant to show the affection he had towards me. He knew that I wouldn't have known that, and thought if I had said no to the date, the flower could've still meant something more friendly. He thought it was a good first flower to give me," she finished, wistfully staring at the pastel hues, "It really was, and I'm glad that I didn't tell him no. Because look at what came of that first date."
She gazed affectionately down at her daughter, and Hisui beamed brightly as little cheeks turned faintly pink like the flower. The sweetness of the moment faded as the child looked back at the frame, now coming to understand the first part of the mystery. "Okay, so that's what pink means... what about red?"
"Well, red is very similar to pink, but it shows more of the feelings of love," Kohaku answered, "He kept giving me pink hyacinths up until our... hmm... actually, I don't know what date it was. I lost count. But one night..."
Kohaku wistfully stared at the starry sky above, hands tucked innocently behind her back and pale lips curled into a sweet smile. It was another beautiful night over the Kingdom of Science, as well as another beautiful ending to a date with Gen. Not that she was too sure what to really make of these so-called "dates", as they were often just eating a meal together and chatting alone versus in their general group of friends and family, ending with either stargazing or games of cards, but she only knew that she was growing to fondly enjoy these little events that he would ask her to partake in.
She lost track of how many times her evenings ended like this since Gen first asked her out. She wagered it was less then thirty, but she could at least count on one hand how many nights she didn't spend at his side like this. She didn't outwardly admit it, but those nights were quickly becoming ones she hated, having to deal with a strange sense of loneliness that would tickle at her chest when she realized how much she missed the mentalist's company.
Her attention briefly turned towards her companion, surprised to see him holding the same wistful gaze but in her direction. Kohaku's cheeks turned warmer, grateful for the darkness of the evening masking the blush that colored her skin, quirking a brow as she curiously questioned his stare. "What's on your mind?" she asked with a small laugh in her voice, trying to break a bit of the tension she was feeling.
"Ah, nothing. I was just enjoying the view," he answered, a mischievous grin on his lips as he chuckled, feeling a smidgen of embarrassment from being caught in the way he was.
"But... you weren't looking up at the stars," Kohaku remarked, her tone soft and concerned, and she swore that she could see a blush form on Gen's face that mirrored her own.
"Ah, yes... Well..." the mentalist sheepishly deflected, one finger scratching at one cheek in an action of sudden shyness before he shifted to dig into the confines of his violet overcoat, pulling out a single red hyacinth from within a secret pocket sewn into the fabric.
He held it out towards his date, watching as she gingerly accepted it, ignoring how his heart raced seeing her bring the flora up to her nose and giving it one long sniff, pleasantly smiling at the bloom for a moment before turning her attention back to him.
"I think this view is more beautiful than the stars."
Hisui squealed and laughed at Kohaku turned pink, this time unable to use the cover of darkness to hide herself like what she was able to do before. "Papa's a smooth talker!" the child exclaimed, hiding her inherited smirk behind her hands, and Kohaku hummed, internally remarking on how much the little one took after her father. "Yes, he is. Maybe too much so for his own good," she agreed, muttering that last part before clearing her throat, "A-anyway... when he gave me that flower, it was him telling me that he loved me. He was afraid of actually saying the words, so he used the flower to say it for him."
Kohaku pouted, huffing as she crossed one leg over the other and arms crossing across her torso. "But at that time, I didn't know that's what he was doing, so I thought he was just giving me another flower. When I found out what it meant, I was actually angry that he didn't just say it. Ha, what a smooth talker, except when it came to telling the woman he cares for that he loves her!" she declared haughtily before shaking her head with a snorting sort of laugh, "But back then, I didn't really understand my own feelings, so I guess I can't blame him for taking the easy way out."
"He knows how to say it now, though! He says it ALL the time!" Hisui exclaimed, pulling back from her mother as she outstretched her tiny arms, trying to emphasize how many times she hears Gen saying "I love you", "He says it when I wake up in the morning, and when I leave for school, and when I get home from school, and-"
Kohaku giggled, patting her daughter's head, "Yes, yes he does. He tells us both "I love you" multiple times a day. But back then, it wasn't so easy for him to say those words. I realized that probably a lot later than I should've, but to say "I love you" to someone was probably one of the hardest things he had to say."
She sighed, leaning back and looking out the window with a lost sort of glance, "Because back then, it would've meant him admitting he truly cared for someone, and that's something he couldn't do. Not when he had to be the cunning and crafty mentalist we needed him to be."
Hisui's cheer faded away as she saw her mother become faded in her thoughts. Hisui didn't know everything about the past, as there was too much that neither Gen or Kohaku felt like she should know quite yet, but she knew that her father's job in the past was a really important one. His current one as a diplomat was too, but there were times that she remembered her family talking about how Gen's skills as a mentalist helped to save their lives. She didn't know it was so important to the extent that he couldn't say that he loved someone, and she could feel her own tears forming in her eyes over the idea of never hearing her father saying those special words to her.
Kohaku could hear the sniffles and quickly went into a panic, breaking out of her reverie. "Ah, Hisui, don't cry, sweetie! That's in the past. It's like you said, Papa says it all the time now! They're probably his favorite words to say. Well, maybe besides "I love cola"... B-but still, it's not like before! Papa loves both you and I very, very much and he'll never stop loving us or saying that he loves us, no matter what!" she consoled, holding Hisui closely as the child let out a small cry, rubbing her back and reassuring her that things were okay.
After a few small hics, Hisui pulled back, rubbing away the wetness from her eyes. Kohaku smiled gently, brushing down the dual-toned locks with deft fingers. "Are you feeling okay now, Hisui? Do you want me to continue the story?" she asked, not wishing to upset her daughter any further.
Hisui nodded her head, settling back down under her mother's arm, feeling a little more relaxed than she was moments ago. "I want to hear the rest of the story, please," she asked, and Kohaku let out a relieved sigh before settling back down herself, pulling her child a bit closer to her as she continued down the line of flowers.
"Now let's see... Ah, yellow... Hmm, how should I explain this one? Hisui, do you know what jealousy is?"
"Gel-o-see?"
"Jealousy. Hmm, what's a good way... Ah! Do you remember when Auntie Kirisame gave birth to little Cobalt?" Kohaku asked, happy when she received an affirmative nod from Hisui, "You used to be very mad over how everyone was paying more attention to the new baby instead of you. That feeling you had was jealousy."
Hisui hummed, remembering a little bit of what happened but not everything. She was sure that she did remember crying over Cobalt receiving new things when she didn't, so what her mother was saying did make sense, lighting a figurative bulb in her head as she learned of the proper term. "Oh! So I was je... jel... jealous of him... But I'm not anymore! Cobalt is my best friend now!" Hisui exclaimed, making sure to reassure her mother she didn't feel the same way as before, "We play together all the time! And we make sure to be very careful so we don't break his glasses, because he needs glasses to see like Uncle Kinro, and glasses are very important things not to break!"
Kohaku laughed, happy to hear her speak so highly of the little boy. "Well, he's also two years younger than you are, so it's good to be careful because he's not as strong or tall as you are, but I'm very happy that you and Cobalt get along so well," she replied proudly, turning her attention back to the frame a few moments later, "The reason I asked is because that's the meaning of the yellow hyacinth. It's means jealousy, whether that means jealously over what someone has or, in the case of your Papa, being jealous that your partner is with someone else."
Hisui gasped, covering her mouth as if she had heard some juicy gossip, "Mama was with someone else besides Papa!? Mama, how could you!?"
Kohaku grimaced, not really liking being chided by her own daughter. "I was not! But I wasn't exactly with Papa at that point either," she admitted after a moment of denial, an annoyed hum in her throat as she tried to figure out how to put things delicately for a six-year-old's mind to comprehend, "Remember when I said that Papa used the red hyacinth to tell me he loved me? Well, you see, I didn't know that's what it meant. I didn't really know anything about floriography until... Well, when we get to the next flower, I'll explain that part. But at the time, I thought the flowers were just flowers, and the dates were just fun outings that Papa wanted to have together."
Lids half lowered as she brought a hand to her hair, rubbing at the back and being careful not to accidentally undo the rope that held her wildflower locks in place, wistful eyes upon the yellow flower in the frame. "Dating wasn't something we born after the great petrification understood. Of course, we understand it all now, but I didn't back then. Add in the fact that I didn't know the flowers were meant to tell me that he loved me like what he does now, and I was a pretty clueless Mama..."
"Gen, I don't understand! What do you mean things are done!?" Kohaku yelled, trying to stop the mentalist from walking away from her and not to accidentally crush the single yellow hyacinth she held in her hand at the same time.
"Well, it appears that you have found someone else that you wish to spend your evenings with, so there's no real point to continuing our dates," he replied coldly, breaking his wrist from her grasp, continuing to walk away from her, each step causing strong waves of pain to echo in his chest.
"What are you talking about!? Are you talking about that guy at Bar Francois last night? I have no interest in that guy! I don't even know who that guy even is. I mean, I know he's working on the construction team, but that's all I know!"
"Sure didn't seem that way. Seemed far too intimate for some stranger to be tucking flowers behind your ear and whispering some sort of sweet words for there to be no interest at all," Gen practically choked on the words coming from his throat, burning like venom he had to spit out, although that was namely coming from the sobs that he was very much trying to hold back, "I can only hope that he treats you with the kindness and love that you deserve, as it appears that I cannot."
"Gen, stop! Please! Stop!" the huntress yanked at Gen's wrist again, finally succeeding enough to make him stop his stride, her arms instantly wrapping around his torso and pulling him towards her, the yellow bloom falling from her grasp as she embedded her fingers into his clothes. She exhaled a large breath in relief that she managed to make him stop moving, inhaling once more to steel her resolve before continuing.
"I don't know what you think that all was or what all you saw after that, but I promise you, the moment he did that, I punched him square in the face! I didn't like any of that at all, because the guy wasn't you!"
One plop of wet heat hit her arms as Gen stiffened in her grasp. Her forehead buried itself against the nape of his neck, the first of her own tears streaming down her cheeks and onto the collar of his coat.
"I don't want anything to end... I like going out on our dates. I like eating every meal I can with you. I like playing card games with you even though I lose more than I win. I like it when we can go out stargazing at night before you walk me home. I like it when we go out together to get supplies, or when we stay inside and listen to the rain fall, or... or... Well, I just like it when it's us. Doesn't matter what we're doing, as long as we're doing it together."
Gen shakily brought his hands up to hers, forcing her to let him go but he didn't run away, instead turning to face her, struck by how her vibrant blue eyes were now murky from her cries. He stared at her with a fragment of doubt still held inside of his own dark cerulean orbs, but it was quickly fade as he saw the usually strong and powerful huntress reduced to a tearful, quivering mess.
"I hate the days when we aren't together. When we can't eat together, or our work keeps us apart. When I don't hear you say "good night" or "good morning" to me, or if I can't even hear your voice at all. Not being able to see you makes my chest hurt, and I only feel better when I can see you again. I know I've been really bad at understanding what all of this means because it's all new and weird for me, but what I do know is that I don't want anyone else to be at my side like what you are."
Her breath hitched again as she rapidly tried to wipe away the tears that didn't seem to stop. "Gen, I don't want any of this to end. None of it. I don't want us to end. I know that maybe this isn't the right time to say it, because I don't know if you're believe me, but it's true! I... I...I love you-"
The instant those three words finally escaped her lips, it was her turn to be met with physical force, all words she wanted to continue saying going unspoken as her mouth was sealed closed by his, their arms flying around one another to hold each other so close and tightly out of fear that if they didn't, the other would suddenly disappear.
Hisui's eyes sparkled with delight. "Mama and Papa's first kiss!" she said with a giggle and Kohaku turned a faint shade of pink thinking about that memory.
"Yes, it was. Not exactly how I think either of us wanted our first kiss to be, but it was still a big event for us," she replied, trying to ignore and brush off some of the embarrassment she was feeling, "And I think it helped him to realize that the flowers weren't enough to say what he felt, that he needed to use his words too. Although, if I had understood that when he was taking me out on dates, it meant that he wanted us to be more than friends, I think we could've reach that point a lot sooner."
She held up one finger in the air towards her child, "And this is why we always tell you that talking is very important! Actions are important, of course, but words matter just as much. It's why instead of holding everything back, we tell you to say everything that's on your mind, even if what you say might be something bad. Because you can work through that bad stuff and have things be okay, but you can't do that if you don't talk about it."
"Yes, Mama, I know!" Hisui pouted slightly at the lecture, although there was no real upset with her pout, quickly fading into a bout of giggles, "Hehe... Mama and Papa's first kiss! How... um... what's the word? Oh! Romantic! How romantic!"
Kohaku laughed sheepishly again, "I take it that you've been listening to Auntie Luna and Auntie Chelsea talk about love again. Yes, I guess you could call it romantic. I know I heard some of the ladies call it an old trope from books and movies, but I don't really know anything about that. Since it happened in real life, I guess it could've been in those things too."
The older woman blushed as she twirled a wisp of her bangs around one finger as Hisui continued to giggle and tease about her parents' first kiss. That wasn't the only first thing to happen between them thanks to that little argument of theirs, as memories filled her head of not only the kiss but how they practically sprinted to the inside of Kohaku's apartment in order to engage in other carnal activities without risk of being seen by someone else.
Kohaku eventually cleared her throat, clearing herself of images that she would likely mention to Gen later once Hisui was sound asleep. "A-anyway... from that point on, we made it very clear to one another that we loved each other and we officially became a couple. As Papa called it, we were boyfriend and girlfriend. But your Grandpa..." she continued, sighing exasperatedly at the mention of her father, "He kept trying to tell us we needed to get married right away, but we both told him no. We would get married, obviously, but not at that moment. Papa needed to travel all around the world a lot back then, and he didn't want us to start off a marriage where we couldn't always be together. And with that..."
Kohaku pointed to the fourth flower in the frame, using it as a good transition to continue her tale. "Papa gave me the first purple hyacinth a few days later. I can't remember all of the details, but there was something that happened with one of the cities and they needed him to come and handle it in person," she explained, a little bit of sadness in her tone as she continued, "Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but I got pretty upset and we got into a fight about it. Well, it was more like I was fighting and Papa let me. I was mad that he was leaving so soon after we finally became a couple and had no idea when he might come back. It might had been a few days, but it could've been months or even years, because he might had been told he needed to go elsewhere and it hurt not knowing when I'd see him again."
Hisui frowned seeing the pain etched onto her mother's face, wrapping her little arms around Kohaku's waist. She knew of the pain, as there had been times when Gen would leave for long stretches of time, leaving the two of them back home. It wasn't very often, thankfully, with most diplomatic relations being able to be done over radios and cell phones now, but there was still times where she felt incredibly sad and lonely without being able to see her father.
Kohaku hummed as she stroked Hisui's head, "Papa wasn't happy about leaving either, which is why he stood there and listened to me, telling me over and over again that he was sorry. I heard his apologies, but I was too upset to really listen. He left before we could make up, but when I woke up the next morning, he had a bouquet of purple hyacinths left outside of my door. I almost threw them away because I was still so angry, but I knew I'd regret that if I did."
Her lips curled into a smile as she let out an aspirated laugh, surprising the child. "I ended up carrying one of the flowers with me all day. I thought if I did, it'd make me miss him less. And that kinda worked, but I still felt very upset and lonely. Right before dinner, Auntie Chelsea commented that Papa must have done something wrong before he left, and that's when I learned that the flowers he had been giving me had special meanings."
The huntress rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. "You'd think that Papa would've told me himself, but noooo~. But I don't hold that against him, though. I think learning through Auntie Chelsea was the best thing to have happened."
"Why's that, Mama?"
"Well..."
Kohaku twirled her bangs again, her blushing face returning. "When Papa came back home, I presented him with my own purple hyacinth. Because I wanted to apologize to him for my part in the fight we had before he left. That's what the purple hyacinth means. It's means to show sorrow for something or someone, and the wish to be forgiven," she answered, following it up with a chuckle, "Papa's face was something else, though. He was so confused at first, because he knew what the flower meant, but didn't knew that I knew. I told him what happened, and he was a bit embarrassed. I think because he thought he was being slick with this secret language of flowers that only he knew out of the two of us, and didn't expect Auntie Chelsea to tell me everything. But he was also very thankful to her for telling me, and said that he'll be more honest with me from that day on. Which he has. Sorta."
She muttered something about being a "crafty bat" that Hisui stared at her mother curiously about before clearing her throat, pointing to the second to last flower. "The fifth flower he didn't tell me right away what the meaning was. Although there was a special reason for that..."
Kohaku was both amused and pissed as she received yet another blue hyacinth from her friends, this time from Ryusui and Francois, the pair cleverly smirking as they passed along the flora without a word. This had been happening all day, being stopped and handed the same flower over and over again. She knew that it had something to do with Gen, but no one was speaking a word. She was highly curious about the whole thing, as this was the first time anyone else had been so drastically involved in their relationship, but she was also growing very annoyed by the lack of answers. She knew the flower had to have some sort of meaning, given that every hyacinth so far had reason and purpose, but no one was willing to speak up about it.
By the time she met with Gen later in the evening at one of the observation towers, she had 19 blue hyacinths in her arms, making for the largest bouquet of flowers she had ever held. And yet, it wasn't the last one to be added, as Gen held one more in his fingers.
"Okay, Gen... you said you were going to be more honest with me about all of the flowers, so what's the meaning of all of this? And why did you have everyone hand me these things all day?" she asked, trying not to let her irritation show as she glared at the last bloom.
The mentalist chuckled in his typical playful way, making the huntress both more curious and more annoyed. "Twenty flowers. One for each year since the day you and I first met," he explained, sheepishly realizing a potential mistake he made, "Although I know seven of those we were petrified for, so perhaps those shouldn't count as much. Still, we were together even if we weren't necessarily conscious for that time."
Kohaku tilted her head to one side as he assisted in removing the large bouquet from her arms, keeping one bloom separate from the rest and setting the rest down on a nearby table. The lone flower he tucked behind her left ear, tangling the stem with her blonde strands, his hand lingering by the bloom as he stared at her with an anxious yet loving gaze. She could feel her heart racing as she visually traced the path his hand fell, eyes widening as he took her left hand in his own.
"For twenty years, I have known you. For twenty years, I have gone from fearing you to loving you. For twenty years, we have gone through hell and back together, rarely having a moment where we aren't by one another's side in some way or another. We've cried, we've laughed, we've dined, we've slept, and we've been together through every up and down."
Kohaku could feel tears forming in her eyes as Gen spoke his confession, and she swore she could see flickers of his own tears but it could've been just a play of the dim light of the sunset behind them. His right hand dug through his coat, as if he was looking for something within the confines, stopping only when it appeared that he had found the item he was searching for, pulling out with closed fist hiding the treasure he sought.
"You asked about the meaning of the blue hyacinth. It's a symbol of my sincerity and loyalty to you, not only from these twenty years that have past, but for the next twenty as well, and even more beyond that. If you'll continue to have me at your side for all of that time, of course."
The mentalist knelt down, still keeping his grasp on Kohaku's left hand as he uncovered the object hidden in his right. Kohaku gasped at the sight of a beautiful silver ring with a man-made diamond embedded into the metal. She brought her free hand to her mouth as she stared at Gen in disbelief, her heart racing a thousand miles faster as she realized what was happening. She knew what this was, having had seen Taiju commit this same act with Yuzuriha a few years ago.
"My dearest love, Kohaku-chan... will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Those long formed tears finally gave way, trailing down her cheeks and staining her skin, hand at her lips falling away to reveal the widest grin she could ever sport, breath hitching in her throat several times before she was finally able to whisper out the one word they both needed for her to speak.
"Yes!"
Hisui squealed loudly as Kohaku lifted her left hand up towards the ceiling, the sunlight trickling through the window reflecting off of the metal band, the diamond prism twinkling in the beams while the silver shined. "Apparently all of those flowers he asked to be grown on the same day he asked me out on our first date, because he knew that one day he'd use them in some scheme to propose to me. Not sure what he would've done if I had said no, though," Kohaku said as she lowered her hand, settling it back down on her lap, "But I think he knew that I wouldn't say no. I don't think the gardening club was expecting him to take almost ALL of the blue hyacinths for the proposal, though, because I remember the next day and Auntie Nikki was pretty distraught to see the entire section of blue ones gone."
"Auntie Nikki really loves the flowers. Same with Auntie Minami and Auntie Chelsea. They're like their little babies!" Hisui commented, recalling the three of them going on and on about the flowers when Gen had taken her to the greenhouse, "But when someone says that to Auntie Nikki, she'll get all red and her cheeks get all puffy!"
Kohaku hummed cheerfully, "Yes, well... even after all these years, Auntie Nikki can get flustered when you point out how much she likes girly things like that. It's really cute, actually. But don't tease her so harshly over it, though."
Hisui nodded her head while giggling behind her hands, "Yes, Mama, I won't!"
"That's my good girl," the mother praised before turning attention back towards the last flower. "So now we're at the final flower, and that's maybe my favorite out of all of them, because it was an important part of one very special day..."
"So what kind of flowers are you thinking for your bouquet, Kohaku?" Nikki asked as she guided the huntress down the lanes of the greenhouse, "Do you have a type you want? Or maybe a variety in one or two colors?"
Kohaku hummed thoughtfully as she looked down the rows of planters, "I don't really know. Gen's the one that knows about flowers, but he keeps insisting that I pick out the ones for my bouquet myself. There's a lot of really pretty flowers, and I like a lot of these blue and purple ones, but I don't want to pick out something that doesn't have a good meaning either"
Nikki nodded her head, knowing what Kohaku was worried about. "Yeah, that's true. And Chelsea's out on an expedition right now, so it's not like we can ask her. She knows way more about floriography than what I do. I don't know when she's going to be back either, and I know we need to figure this out so we know what else we may need to grow to be ready before the wedding."
The warrior tapped at her chin, pondering of what all she can do as Kohaku paced a few languid steps ahead, stopping when she noticed something familiar growing a bit further down the path. She hastened her pace, confusing Nikki for a moment before she followed closely behind, stopping a few inches aside her and turning her attention to the planter that held Kohaku's undivided attention.
"These ones... they're the same flower Gen gives me, right? The hyacinth."
"Mm-hmm, these are hyacinths. White ones, specifically. These just started coming out the last time I was here. This is the first time I've seen them in full bloom, actually."
"Do you know what they mean?"
Nikki brought a hand to her chin, subtly stroking the skin with the side of her pointer finger. "Hmm... I think what Chelsea said once is that it's a flower people will give when they want to pray for good things to happen. But it can also mean you hold thoughts of pure love and care towards another person."
Kohaku stared at the flowers intensely before breaking out into a bright grin, a metaphorical light bulb shining in her brain. "I think I know what I want to do."
That grin the huntress held the day in the greenhouse was on her lips now. "Papa was very surprised to see that I picked out the white hyacinth for my bouquet, because it was the flower he would've picked if I had given up on his request to make the bouquet my own, for the exact reason Auntie Nikki stated," she explained, "Although I didn't have just a bouquet of the white flowers, I mixed in a couple of the pink and red ones too."
"I bet Papa was really happy too! Because it meant that you really love him and holding them meant that you wanted good wishes to happen!"
"Hehe... yeah, he was very happy. He said that it meant even more to him that I had picked that flower, even though he would've been happy with any thing I had picked. He didn't care about the meaning of the flowers if it meant I was happy with what I chose, but that I had picked the white hyacinth of my own volition made him a very happy man."
Hisui grinned as Kohaku played through the memory, turning her attention away after a few moments and hopping off of the couch. Carefully, her tiny fingers brushed over the glass, going over the collage of flowers. "Wow... So are all of these flowers from when you and Papa were dating?" she asked, amazed by the thought that all of the preserved flowers were from years ago.
"Ah, no, they're not," Kohaku answered, confusing the child and drawing her attention away from the blooms, "All of those flowers eventually wilted away. These flowers all came from one bouquet. Actually... these flowers were actually because of you, Hisui."
"Eh!? These are my flowers!?" Hisui exclaimed.
"Sorta!" Kohaku added, pointing to the written plaque beneath the flowers, "You see... these are from the day you were born."
Hisui's bright blue eyes widened, and Kohaku giggled at seeing her daughter's face light up from the new information, getting up from the couch and kneeling on the floor to place her at Hisui's level. "A few hours after I gave birth to you, I woke up in the hospital bed to Auntie Luna checking in on me. Of course, I was groggy and in pain, but I was alright. You were sleeping away in the bassinet next to my bed, but Papa wasn't in the room. Auntie Luna told me that he had left to take care of a couple of things to prepare for us to come home and that he'd be back soon, but said he left a present for us. When I turned to look at the table on the other side, there was a vase filled with six hyacinths, one of each color."
The mother rested a hand upon the child's head, "The flowers all represent the different stages of our lives that ultimately led to the day you were born."
"The day our family became whole," the child said, reading aloud the description on the plaque.
"Mm-hmm. So when I left the hospital with you, I asked if there was a way we could preserve the flowers for a lifetime. And thanks to Grandpa Kaseki, he helped to create this frame and saved the flowers in lacquer so we could always have the bouquet. It was Papa's idea to engrave the plaque with all of our names."
"Wow..." Hisui breathlessly whispered, staring at the flowers and imagining how it was that day, of seeing Kohaku holding her as a baby in her arms with Gen sitting beside them, cooing over the precious little bundle.
Agape lips closed and smiled, and Hisui turned towards her mother, throwing her arms around Kohaku's neck. "Thank you for telling me all about the hyacinths, Mama. I love you lots," she said honestly, nuzzling her face into the crook.
Kohaku hummed, reflecting the smile as her arms came up to embrace her child, "I love you lots too, my precious Hisui."
The hug came apart at the sound of the front door handle jiggling, followed by the swoosh as the door flew open. "Kohaku-chan~ Hisui-chan~ I'm home~" a familiar sing-song voice echoed the air, followed by the appearance of familiar split-monochrome hair and violet overcoat dressed over a black turtleneck top and khaki-colored pants.
"Papa!" Hisui exclaimed, running over to Gen now that he has stepped inside of the home, tackling his legs with the biggest hug her tiny arms could grant, "Welcome home, Papa!"
"There's my sweet Hisui-chan~" Gen greeted, lifting his daughter up into his arms, nuzzling her cheek with his nose before planting an affectionate kiss in the same spot, "Have you been a good girl for Mama today?"
"I'm always a good girl, Papa!" the child playfully rolled her eyes as she made her declaration.
Gen laugh boisterously as Kohaku walked over to join the rest of her family, leaning in to give her husband a quick peck on the lips. "Welcome home, Gen," she greeted, a faint semblance of a blush on her cheeks as she bathed in the loving gaze the mentalist's eyes held.
"Papa, Papa! Mama taught me all about the hyacinths today!" Hisui shared, breaking the romantic moment between her parents, "She told me about how all of the different colors have different meanings in flowriogaphy!"
"Floriography, you mean," Gen gently corrected, "Ah, really? What brought this on today?"
"She asked me about the flowers we keep in the frame," Kohaku answered, pointing to the table where the object remained at rest, "I think your last trip to the greenhouse made her curious."
"Oh, I see! When we went last time, the newest batch of hyacinths weren't quite in bloom yet, so we didn't see them," the mentalist explained, putting his daughter down and watching her run towards the table, the pair of them joining her shortly afterwards, "Nikki-chan saying something about needing a couple of more weeks. I suppose another trip to the greenhouse will be in order when they bloom."
"The pink one means playful joy, and the red one does too but with more love to it! The yellow one means you're gellous of someone, the purple means you feel bad and need to say you're sorry, the blue one means you're loyal, and the white is for good wishes!" the child explained, pointing to each flower as she spoke her observations, feeling quite proud at remembering everything that her mother said.
"I believe you meant to say "jealous", but yes, you're right. Good job, Hisui-chan~"
"Mama told me about the past too! Papa's a smooth talker!"
"Oh? Really?" Gen inquired as Kohaku let out a short "erk", cheeks turning bright red as she felt his gaze shift towards her for a moment before turning back to their child, "How is that?"
"You said staring at Mama is better than staring at the stars! And you had everyone give Mama flowers before you asked her to marry you. And you got jealous that someone tried to take Mama away and kissed her when she said she loved you. Mama got really pink when she talked about that-"
"I-I-I think that's good, Hisui!" Kohaku interrupted, feeling quite embarrassed to have her daughter so eagerly share the more particular details of the stories, quickly shifting the conversation, "S-Since she wanted to know about the flowers, I thought she should hear why we had them in the first place."
"All of these flowers are mine and Mama's! From the day our family became whole!" Hisui shouted, gleefully giggling saying the last statement.
Gen hummed happily, picking up the frame, momentarily shifting it in his grip as he realized it was heavier than he remembered. He stared at it wistfully for a moment before lifting his head and looking towards the place on the wall where it hangs. He brought it over and with a little bit of help from Kohaku to make sure it was placed correctly, the frame returned to its home. He stepped back, staring at it wistfully again before he gathered his family within his arms. He leaned down to kiss the top of Hisui's head before straightening and planting a similar kiss upon Kohaku's forehead. "That's right," he agreed, "A very special bouquet for the two most special ladies in my life."
The ladies smiled widely, returning Gen's affection with a shared hug, pulling back after a long squeeze, all three staring up at the frame with sweet gazes for a few quiet moments, only for Gen to break the silence with a groan. "Ah, I'm feeling very hungry. Spending all day negotiating over long distance has my stomach begging for dinner. And it so happens I was smelling something very delicious coming from Restaurant Francois on my way home. How about I take my ladies out for a good dinner?" he asked rhetorically, knowing full well that the mention of the food would cause both of them to salivate.
"Sounds good to me!" Kohaku agreed, trying to stop herself from doing said activity.
Hisui hopped up and down excitedly, the skirt of her dress wavering around in billowing fashion, "Yay, yes please! I love Francois' food!"
"Perfect~ Go wash up before we leave out, Hisui-chan," Gen requested, receiving a loud "Okay!" in response, watching with a small laugh as the child bounced out of the room.
His attention turned back towards the frame, upon the saved flowers, taking in a deep breath, shoulders and chest swelling, relaxing as he exhaled. Kohaku quirked a brow, turning her attention towards him. "What's the matter, Gen?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Ah, it's nothing, really," he replied, turning to face the huntress, bringing her into his arms and pulling her close, his smile growing a fraction wider as she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck, "Just thinking about how blessed I am. To have the best group of friends a man could have, a beautiful and amazing wife, a lovely and sweet child... It's something I never dreamt of before the world was petrified. And it makes me feel almost grateful that I was revived in this world where I have everything I never knew I needed."
Kohaku hummed, fingertips playing with the little wisps of split-colored hair at the nape of his neck. "Hmm... I feel almost grateful too. Not only because I wouldn't be here, but for all of those reasons too. I know there's a lot of uncertainty with the time machine and all, but..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about some of the lingering questions and concerns about Senku's biggest scientific feat to come, "As long as I have you and Hisui, whatever may come, we'll figure it out together."
Their heads leaned in, foreheads and noses tapping against one another before they brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. It was brief, not wanting to be caught up in a moment that could easily be spoiled by the return of their daughter, but was nevertheless filled with the passionate love that had slowly grown and budded, much like the hyacinths preserved and hung upon the wall of the home they had made together.
They pulled back with a unison whisper of "I love you", laughing as they realized their echoed expression, letting go of one another but still staying close. Kohaku's face turned a few shades of red, glancing quickly to see if Hisui was returning yet, before she brought up a hand to one of Gen's ears, placing the other on his shoulder and stepping subtly on her toes as she leaned in closely to whisper a secret that she only wanted him to hear.
"If Ruri and Chrome are there, let's ask them if they might be willing to take Hisui overnight."
Gen blinked as Kohaku pulled back, catching a particular glimmer in her bejeweled eyes. He broke out into a devilishly toothy grin, a low chuckle emitted from the back of his throat. "Oh~" he sing-songed, lowering his voice to make sure little ears definitely couldn't hear, "Is that why you didn't want Hisui-chan to continue explaining the stories you told her today? Did you recall what really happened that night we had our first kiss?"
"I didn't tell her about that! B-but, I might have thought about it myself... maybe..."
Gen laughed lowly again, watching as the glimmer faded into embarrassment and sheepishness, Kohaku doing her best to hide her face behind her hands so he couldn't see how bright her face had become. "Ah, my sweet Kohaku-chan..." he playfully chided, coaxing her to come out of hiding with a seductive finger folded beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze again, "Yes, we'll ask. And if they can, I'll be sure to make things just as wonderful as that night was."
Kohaku scoffed, still embarrassed for her lewd confession but finding strength in her to playfully bite back, "As if that had ever been a problem."
"Mama, Papa, I'm washed up!" Hisui called out as she stomped back down the hall, rejoining her parents, "I'm ready for dinner now!"
"Good girl~ Well, let's be off, then," Gen praised, taking one of Hisui's hands in his as Kohaku took the other, opening the front door and guiding them both out, the little family walking, chatting, and laughing as they made their way to dinner.
As they took their walk, Hisui caught sight of the greenhouse, the building itself made largely of steel, wood, and glass. Much like the frame that holds the hyacinths that hung above the door of their home. As her parents prattled on about Gen's work earlier in the day, she thought about those flowers and the tales Kohaku shared with her, and how right now her little hands were connecting theirs together. She glances upwards at her parents proudly, as the little bundle that helped to make their family whole, and promised to herself that when she was brought to the greenhouse again after the hyacinths have grown, she would bring them each a flower of her own. Two bright red blooms, to show her parents how much she loves them both.
- end -