{ON HOLD!}The Language of Flowers (ShuuNeki/TsukiKaneAU)

{4: Begonias}

{4: Begonias}

"You like him, don't you?" a smirking Hinami asks Shuu. Shuu had watched Kaneki exit with his Red Carnations... He had watched longer than he normally did, trying to savor the sight of the handsome man for as long as possible. Shuu couldn't help but let a small smile form upon his face as he mentally notes that Kaneki has both a stunning personality and appearance.

"What gave you that silly notion?" Shuu asks, hoping that Hinami didn't catch him staring at the other male. THE Tsukiyama Shuu has taken an interest in something BESIDES flowers; what has the world come to?

"You insisted on giving Kaneki an extravagant bouquet because you wanted to scare his date away. Don't make up excuses now... You always tell me that fancy bouquets are only for big celebrations such weddings. YOU, Tsukiyama Shuu, are jealous of Kaneki's date. YOU want to date him... I'm sure there are many people that want to date Kaneki-san, he is extremely kind." Hinami responds, meanwhile her unwavering gaze sending a shiver down Shuu's spine.

"Are you scolding me?" Shuu asks, feeling as though he is a child being scolded for taking a cookie from the cookie jar. Or, in this case, for NOT taking a cookie from the cookie jar.

"I am! If you truly like, or perhaps even love Kaneki-san, you should chase after him. You should at least tell him how you feel before he goes on his date!" Hinami adds, meanwhile crossing her arms. "I won't let you touch a single flower until you confess to him!" Uncrossing her arms, Hinami soon extends them, and stands between Shuu and the nearest pot of flowers. Her position reminds Shuu of a basketball player blocking a shot. After the two stand unmoving for a few minutes, Hinami quickly adds, "Please, Flower Man." The young girl gives Shuu a small pout. "Pleaseeeeeeee."

A shockingly loud "YES" can be heard as Shuu leaves his store. Emitting a small sigh, Shuu starts to jog in the direction he last saw Kaneki walking in. The shorter male SHOULD be easy to catch up with. The shorter male SHOULD be somewhere nearby... Shuu, who had been running faster than he had ever thought possible, comes to a sudden stop upon hearing a familiar voice.

"I'm sorry, Kaneki-san. I was excited for our date tonight..." The voice that unmistakably belongs to Rize purrs, originating from a nearby alley. "I went out and bought all the ingredients to make the dinner and in my haste, forgot that there is no way that I can carry them all by myself..."

"Ah it's fine! I'm just glad that I'm able to help," the currently flustered Kaneki responds, a blush spreading across his face as their arms brush against each other, "Are you sure this is the short cut to your apartment? It's pretty dirty..."

How can someone so smart be so dumb? Shuu wonders as he dashes down the alley after them. Perhaps slides instead of dashes would be a more accurate way to describe the action of Shuu chasing after them as he nearly falls multiple times. He, despite his curiosity, knows better than to look down to see just what he is slipping on. Sure he could be tripping over a mere box, or a bag... But considering the foul smell, it is likely that he is tripping over rats or...

Shuu can feel his heart skip a beat as he rounds the corner that momentarily blocked his view of them. Hopefully she hasn't done anything yet. Hopefully she won't do anything... Hopefully Shuu can...

"What's the matter, Kaneki?" Rize asks, meanwhile happily gazing at the now bleeding male. Kaneki, a man who wouldn't even hurt a butterfly is bleeding... "Are you not having a good time?" Shuu can feel his eyes involuntarily widen as he notices the knife buried within Kaneki's left shoulder. Blood seeps from the wound, staining Kaneki's shirt before leaving a puddle on the ground.

"RIZE!" Shuu roars, anger replacing the blood that once ran through his veins. "Get away from him!" Rize, moving unexpectedly fast, rips the knife out of Kaneki's shoulder before menacingly waving it at Shuu.

"Make me, Flower Man," She says, using Hinami's nickname for Shuu. Despite the fact they have yet to fight, she smiles triumphantly. One would have to be a fool to not notice that Shuu loves Hinami as though one would love their daughter.

"How do you know that nickname? You've never visited the shop when Hinami was present!" Shuu hollers, his anger now accompanied by worry. Could she have done something to Hinami? No, she couldn't have... He just saw Hinami! She was fine!

"Tick, tock, your time is running out," Rize says with a small chuckle. "Both of them are going to die if you don't hurry. Hurry, Flower Man before..." Rize adds, meanwhile reaching into her coat pocket, "Before your time runs out."

GLOWING NUMBERS. A TIMER. That means...

"I wonder... Which will you choose? Are you going to save your shop, Hinami, and whoever might be walking by your shop... Or will you save Kaneki? Will you save many people or just one person?" Rize asks, failing to give Shuu time to respond. "Or perhaps you'll be a good boy and just die along with them?"

"I was wrong about you Rize," Shuu whispers, "You're not just a thief... You're crazy!"

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Hinami impatiently waits for Shuu to return. Sitting upon a wobbly stool, she gazes out the store window. She hopes that Kaneki likes Shuu... She thinks they would make a good pair... The Bookworm and The Flower Man, if their love story was a book she would read it. After spending a few minutes shifting her position on the stool, and nearly falling off every time she did so, Hinami gets off the stool.

Aimlessly walking through the store, she soon stops in front of a vase of flowers that is resting crooked upon the shelf. She reaches out with a shaking hand, feeling a bit reluctant to reach for the Begonias. The brightly colored flowers serve as a warning. "Beware..." Hinami says aloud, lifting the vase, "but beware what?" Taped underneath the vase is a suspicious looking package, accompanied by a note saying, BEWARE, YOUR DEATH IS NEAR.