Chapter 6: Kagome's Rainbow Bouquet
After a few tutoring sessions, Munakata received a nearly perfect score on their most recent anatomy exam. The next afternoon, both girls squealed with excitement after seeing their hard work pay off.
Since then Munakata made a point of making sure to say hi to Kagome each time she attended the Host Club. It was apparent that the female upperclassmen had endeared herself to her. As the raven-haired girl continued to study in her secluded corner of the Host Club, more guests came up to talk to her. During the quiet periods, Mori and Honey would take that opportunity to sneak Kagome to their table to chat for a bit until Kyoya shooed her away.
The other girls attending the Host Club watched from afar at the blue-eyed intruder. Viewing her as a rival, many disregarded her presence completely until one fateful day.
It was a relatively busy day in the Host Club as today was a theme day. Every inch of Music Room 3 was covered in blooms, the intoxicating smell of flowers heavily perfuming the air.
At the front of the room on a large table were eight massive vases containing roses of different colors. According to Tamaki, each of the flowers represented a different message in the language of flowers. Additionally, they represented each of the hosts.
Kagome's eyes strayed frequently to the vase filled with lavender roses. The soft petals remind her of a host that has been too frequently grating on her nerves. The miko cast a glare at the damned flowers. Cursing to herself, she tried to bury deeper into this week's English homework. The phrases she was supposed to decode looked like chicken scratches the longer she stared at them.
"This is miserable," Kagome thought, laying her head on the table in defeat. English was by far her worst subject and the person who tutored her no longer did. "Please save me."
The sharp impact of the door meeting wall cracked through the air as a weeping girl sprinted into the room. Kagome recognized the girl as one of Tamaki's frequent customers, Shiori Igawa. Igawa threw herself onto one of the couches, her sobs making her whole body shake. Tamaki dove in like a knight in shining white armor.
"Princess, what brings tears to your beautiful eyes?"
"M-m-my boyfriend, he cheated on me!" Igawa burst into another round of crying, burying her face into a cushion.
"What a fool that man is, come to me in my arms and I will comfort you," Tamaki whispered in a soothing voice. For better measure, he cupped the girl's chin and raised her eyes to meet his. Inexplicably, Tamaki's words made Igawa cry even more. The other girls surrounding Igawa gave the blonde a look before turning their backs on him to comfort her.
The charming host blanched and took a step back, entirely unsure of what to do. The other girls at his table attempted to comfort Igawa to little avail.
"It's not fair!" Igawa cried out, fingers gripping the edge of the cushion. "He left me for some other girl, his ex-girlfriend. I thought we were perfect together."
Kagome watched the scene with a strange expression as a shadow cast over her heart. It had been a long time since she had experienced feelings that nature, but that didn't stop it from coming back in a raw painful memory. After several hosts tried to comfort the girl and failed, the miko took her chance to step in.
At first, the girls surrounding Igawa were skeptical of her presence. Yet from the look in Kagome's eyes, they parted. Silent understanding was palpable between the women in the room.
"Igawa?" Kagome whispered, tentatively placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Igawa whipped to face her, eyes a storm of tears and smeared mascara.
"What do you want, Higurashi?" Igawa snapped. Kagome reached into her pocket, pulled out her handkerchief, and offered it to her.
"Please, take this," Kagome said. Igawa glared at her but snatched the cloth anyway. As she dabbed her eyes, the miko leaned in close enough to whisper. "You are more than how he treats you. You deserve someone who will love you with their whole heart."
"What would you know about it? You don't even have a boyfriend." Igawa looked at her with a guarded expression as she handed back the handkerchief. Kagome gave her a wry smile. Leaning in close so only she could hear, the miko spoke hushedly.
"I was you once. The person I loved chose someone else."
From the raw anguish in Kagome's voice, Igawa stared at her unblinkingly. The miko offered a gentle smile, looking deep into her dark eyes.
"If he does this, that boy doesn't deserve you. You're more than his poor decisions, I promise you." Kagome stated firmly, her hand tightening around Igawa's trembling fingers.
Igawa said nothing. Thinking she was about to get yelled at, Kagome retracted her hand and opened her mouth to apologize. She was interrupted by arms wrapping tightly around her. Holding her tightly, Igawa's face buried in her shoulder as another round of crying wracked the girl's petite frame. Silently, Kagome held her in her arms. As the girl sobbed she rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered to her.
It took a few minutes before Igawa collected herself. Stiffly, she accepted the tissues and water that were offered. Kagome smiled as she saw the life come back to the girl's eyes and gave her another soft pat on the shoulder. To respect her space, Kagome returned to her little corner.
The rest of the time was highly uneventful. Kagome didn't need to look at Igawa to feel the difference in her aura. The tight, swirling violet of her heartbreak finally soothed into a calming pink. With a deep sense of satisfaction, the miko continued her studies.
Once Tamaki announced the end of the Host Club's activities, Igawa approached Kagome at her table. Without meeting her eyes, the heartbroken girl pushed a yellow rose into Kagome's hand. Mumbling incoherently under her breath, Igawa dropped the flower and quickly left. Curiously, Kagome held up the yellow bloom. The language of flowers was as indiscernible as English to her.
"The yellow rose means friendship–"
"That girl must consider you a friend, Higurashi."
The Hiitachin twins framed both sides of the miko as they observed the flower. Soon Honey's face popped up, presenting a bright pink bloom.
"I wanna give Gome-chan a flower too! Please take it, would you?" The senior begged. His doe brown eyes sparkled with excitement, immediately bringing her back to the days of a certain little girl who would give her the same look and receive what she wanted. With a chuckle, Kagome accepted the bloom.
"Thank you, Honey-senpai."
"If you're going to take one his, you obviously need ours." The twins said in unison as they shoved two more roses in her face. Kagome grabbed the coral pink and icy blue flowers from them.
"Thank y–"
"Wait! If she has yours and mine, she needs one of Taka-chan's flowers." Honey interjected. The small blonde looked over to the gentle giant expectantly. Mori nodded and produced a rose of his own. A dark blue rose was now added to her collection.
"Kagome, please take one of my roses oo. Your kindness radiated beautifully while you comforted Igawa. Please accept this as my token of gratitude!" Tamaki said righteously. When he handed her a white rose, Kagome blinked curiously at it. She for sure thought he would be red.
"I don't even know what to say, this is so kind I don't know if I can accept all of these." Kagome stammered. The others refused any offer of payback or anything in return. When she tried to ask again with a little more force they…
"Retreat!" cried out the band of Host Club dorks as they sprinted away.
Giggling to herself, Kagome turned the blooms over in her hands. Although all the colors were different, the roses made a lovely bouquet being held together. She recited each of the bloom's owners in her head until she stopped on Tamaki's. She was missing one of them.
"Normally, I would make you pay for those since you are not technically one of our clients. However, due to today's circumstances, I suppose we could call that even." Kyoya said. Looking up from her friendship bouquet, the miko realized her missing piece.
"Why does everything have to be transactional with you?" Kagome grumbled irritably. Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose with a smirk. Highly unwilling to hear him speak anymore, she gathered her things and left without a word.
"Flowers have many meanings, Higurashi. Do take care to remember that."
Kyoya's words echoed in her mind since she left the Host Club. The soft purposeful phrase stuck until she got home later that night. Her mother cooed over the rainbow roses and immediately prepared a case for them.
Leaving the blooms in her mother's care, the miko went to her room. It had been a long, emotionally draining day and she needed a hot bath and to be in her pajamas as soon as possible.
About an hour later, Kagome emerged clean and in fresh night clothes. With a heavy sigh, she plopped onto the couch in the living room where Sota was tapping away at his game.
"Kagome, would you come here for a moment?"
"Yes, Mama!" Kagome replied, walking into the kitchen. In a simple glass vase was her bright and beautiful bouquet. Approaching the counter where it sat, Kagome was awed by the lovely display.
"What do you think? There's so many pretty colors that no ordinary vase could do it justice." Her mother said. "This crystal vase was a wedding gift to your father and I. We haven't had a chance to use it until now."
Kagome stared at the blooms with a strange, deep-seated sensation flowing through her chest. Refractions of lights created many tiny rainbows that glittered on the counter. Its beauty was accentuated by the flowers.
"I have to say, you must have so really caring friends. Roses aren't even in season and I've never seen one this color. I think it's my favorite."
Kagome's stomach dropped seeing her mother pick up a lavender rose. After a few moments of appreciation, her mother returned it to the vase to join its colorful family. Approaching the collection of colors, the miko's fingers caressed the pale purple petals.
"Friends, huh?"
