A Thousand Flowers [Ritsu Kasanoda]

07. Family Ties

"Momoka, I can explain," Haruhi said quickly, putting her clean shirt on, and Momoka blinked twice.

"E-explain..explain why you have-"

"Yeah." Haruhi sighed, motioning for the other girl to join her on the bench. "It's a long story."

"But why?" Momoka asked and Haruhi sighed again.

"Basically, I owe a debt and I have to make up for it by doing this. But I don't really care about gender or if people think I'm a boy," Haruhi admitted, glancing at Momoka, and she nodded.

"I understand, although I don't know how I didn't notice before." At Haruhi's questioning stare, Momoka giggled. "You're way too pretty to be a boy!"

Haruhi's cheeks flushed and Momoka laughed. "Come on, the boys'll worry about us."

Haruhi stood up, holding her hand out to Momoka, and they walked back to the main area together. No one seemed to be paying attention, but Momoka did notice Kyoya glance in their direction.

"Haruhi, I have something to ask you," Momoka said after she spared Tamaki another glance. She waited until the two were seated before she met Haruhi's questioning gaze and she leaned in, lowering her voice. "What would you say if I said I think Tamaki's my secret admirer?"

Haruhi blinked twice before she let out a laugh. "I'm sorry, Momoka, but that's ridiculous."

Even though she didn't want him to be her admirer, Momoka felt a little insulted. "And why on Earth not?"

"It's just.." Haruhi hesitated a moment before she shrugged. "If it was him, don't you think he'd make more of a grand gesture than just a couple of flowers? That's way too simple for him."

"I guess," Momoka agreed reluctantly and Haruhi nodded.

"You know I'm right. Plus, he'd probably be begging you to go to his table and he's not. He seems pretty busy wooing those girls right now," Haruhi said in that blunt way of hers and Momoka sighed.

"Okay, you're totally right. But if they're not from him, then who could they be from?" Momoka wondered aloud and Haruhi smiled.

"Well, maybe your admirer will show themselves soon?" Haruhi suggested before adding, "Besides, isn't the meaning of the flowers more important? Whoever it was, they went to an awful lot of trouble and I'm sure it took a lot of courage to do it."

"You know what? You're completely right, Haruhi. I know my real Prince Charming's out there somewhere, and that's what matters." Momoka smiled at her flowers, giving them a small sniff, and Haruhi nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll text you later, okay Haru-kun?" Momoka asked as she abruptly stood up, and Haruhi nodded.

"Of course. See you later, Momoka!"

Momoka beamed before she wandered off, leaving the music room behind.

--

When Momoka got home, she announced her presence happily.

"Oh, Momoka, welcome home!" Her favorite maid, Karin, said with a bow and Momoka smiled.

"Hey Karin. Look what I got today!" She held out the white roses and the maid smiled.

"Did someone confess to you, Miss Inoue?"

Momoka's cheeks flushed. "Not exactly. They hid them in my locker so I don't know who they're from."

"Ooh, an admirer." Karin winked at her and Momoka giggled.

"I guess so. I'm gonna go put these in my room before I do my homework." Momoka headed for the stairs and Karin called after her that she'd bring a snack up shortly.

Momoka put her roses in the corner of her desk and she periodically glanced over at them while she studied, letting out a sigh. They were beautiful and in full bloom. She wished she could thank whoever gave them to her.

She smiled when Karin interrupted her thoughts with a snack, a circular dish covered with cut up fruit and a cup of caramel sauce in the middle, moving her books aside and accepting the food. She turned her tv on, watching one of her guilty pleasure dramas while she ate.

She felt her phone vibrate and she swiped it off her desk, opening the message curiously. It was a message from Haruhi!

Smiling, she replied back to the other girl and continued to eat her snack. After a couple minutes, Haruhi asked her if she'd like to hang out over the weekend and she gladly accepted. With a happy sigh, she set the tray aside and flopped back onto her bed. She was in the best of moods anad nothing could go wrong.

--

Saturday morning, Momoka got up early and showered. Afterwards, she put on a button up and shorts, clipping her damp hair up, and took a walk around the estate. She sat by the fountain barefoot, admiring the birds in the trees and the sun glimmering overhead. Today was the day she was going to hang out with Haruhi. They had settled for something simple; just a walk through the park and maybe getting something to eat while they got to know each other a little better. Momoka was excited; she didn't have very many friends, but here at Ouran she had made plenty.

When she walked back inside, the maids were buzzing and she noticed her parents walking down the steps.

"Okaa-san! Otou-san!" She shouted as she hurried over to them. She didn't even know that they were home from their trip.

"Hello, darling." Her mother smiled at her gently, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Have you been using that cream I bought you? Your skin's positively glowing."

"Of course!" Momoka lied, an innocent smile on her face. Her mother was obsessed with all things beauty and routinely brought her all kinds of products from whatever country she was visiting.

"Where are you going to be off to today, dear?" Her father asked, and she noted that they were both dressed in casualwear (well, as casual as high end could be).

"My friend Haruhi and I are going to hang out today. What are you guys going to be doing? I haven't seen you since you left for France," Momoka said and her father ruffled her hair.

"We were thinking of going out on the boat today. The weather is nice and we have some new partners to talk to," her father explained and Momoka nodded, hiding her disappointment. "But I'm glad to hear you're making new friends, princess. After all, a strong network is very important."

"Oh, I see." She should've known; business was always on the agenda. "Well, I should probably go get ready. I'll see you guys later!"

She hurried up the steps and into her room, ignoring the stinging in her eyes. She was going to hang out with Haruhi today and she'd have fun no matter what. So what if her parents never took her to do things anymore? She was growing up, she needed to be on her own sometimes.

With a sigh, Momoka turned on her radio, immediately relaxing as piano music filled the room. She loved the piano and the beautiful sounds it created. She wasn't very good at playing herself, but she had mastered the violin, which was a close second to her.

She smiled when she noticed a new addition of clothes in her closet, a gift from her parents, and she lifted them to her nose. Faintly, she could smell her mother's favorite perfume. So what if they weren't always there? They loved her and, to her, that meant the world.