Saihara's POV:

♤~♡~Five Years Ago~◇~♧

"Saihara Chan I'm bored!" Ouma complained loudly as we sat around the base of the tree, hiding away from the abnormal amount of heat.

"I told you all I had planned to do was read Ouma" I chuckled as he pouted, "I thought my beloved would have let let me steal him away so we could do something fun"

"Like what?" I asked curious, Ouma impishly grinned, "We could sneak over to the school gardens~" he proposed.

"Aren't those closed off for renovations?" I asked, "yup~" Ouma confirmed.

"I don't know...I don't want to get in trouble" I told him, "ah come on live a little!" He told me before he dramatically gasped, "unless Shumai has already passed on from this world! Oh why cruel world he was so young and hot-"

"Alright let's go" I quickly told him, blushing furiously. Ouma smiled at his victory as he led is behind the school grounds into the student run garden, a large sign barring entry.

Ouma, even though he clearly could have just walked around it hopped over it.

"Come on Saihara! I'm getting bored!" He screamed, "I'm coming, I'm coming" I told him walking inside.

The area was covered in overgrown flower beds as Ouma continued to basically skip around looking for anything that piqued his interest.

I on the other hand admired the small bed of roses on display, they seemed to be in season.

"Whatchu looking at?" Ouma asked suddenly, "ah!" I cried out startled, Ouma smirked.

"Aww did I scare you?" He taunted, "no..." I muttered ignoring eye contact, Ouma glanced at the flowers.

"I thought there would be more..." he complained "its a garden, what did you think there would be other than flowers and vegetables?" I asked.

Ouma all of a sudden turned serious, "a swamp monster" he told me.

...

"What?" I asked dumbfounded, Ouma explained excitedly "yeah! There's this show I watched and there was this really terrifying swamp monster inside of the greenhouse the youtubers were inside-"

"Hey look I found your swamp monster" I told him, Ouma looked at me with a childlike wonder, "really?" He asked.

"Want to see?" I asked, Ouma looked hesitant before nodding as I revealed something under my cupped hand.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Ouma screamed crawling away from me terrified as I snorted, "it's just a caterpillar Ouma" I told him.

"Get it away from me!" Ouma begged, clearly terrified of the small bug. I complied and gently put it back in the rose beds.

"You betrayed me" Ouma said deadpanned, "I'm sorry, I had to your bad habits are rubbing off on me" I told him.

"I think you meant my lovable habits" Ouma corrected as he returned to his normal arrogant persona.

"Sure let's call it that" I told him laughing, "oh no don't you dare laugh! You're not getting out of this just you wait!" Ouma challenged.

"Aren't we even because you scared me?" I asked, "NEVER!" Ouma screamed as he got up and ran out of the garden jumping over the fences.

"JUST YOU WAIT MY BELOVED DETECTIVE!" He screamed as he ran off.

I sighed, what had I gotten myself into?

~♤~♡~◇~♧~

...sweet mother of all that's good in this world why-

I opened my desk only to be met with what seemed like dozens of rubber bugs, I turned over to see his wide smirk of pride at his work, "like it?" Ouma asked. I shrugged, "I mean...this is pretty tame for you Ouma Im not going to lie"

"EH? Am I losing my touch or going easy on Saihara Chan?!" He asked gasping, "if you are then thank you, I have a lot to do today so not making a big mess as a prank is helpful" I told him unpacking my belongings.

"Whatchu doing then Saihara?" he asked nosy, "I have to wait for my family to potentially make a skype call today" I told him, "What are they doing that for?" he asked confused, "oh, it's my birthday. They forgot the last one so-"

"ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY? Forgive me oh mighty horse gods for I have sinned" Ouma cried out,  I shifted in my seat nervous at his big reaction "it's not that big of a deal-" "OF COURSE IT IS! Just wait right there alright!" he called as he ran out of the room faster than the speed of light.

Momota and Haruakwa looked at him speeding past them confused, "what's he so excited about?" Momota asked, "I don't think I want to know"

~♤~♡~◇~♧~

Ouma didn't appear for the rest of school that day which surprised me, I know he didn't like school but he always seemed to go out of some kind of moral obligation of some sort.

"SHUMAI!" I heard a loud scream, near the same gardens as yesterday was Ouma smiling.

"GET OVER HERE QUICK!" He called as I walked over hesitant, for all I know he skipped school to dig a pit.

...that actually sounded like him...

"Please tell me you have a ladder" I begged as I walked over, he looked at me confused "what would you need that for?"

I closed my eyes rubbing my forehead, "because you probably have some sort of pit trap for me in there" I told him.

"Darn guess you don't want your surprise then" Ouma groaned, "what-"

I opened my eyes to see Ouma, his cheeks were red probably because of the heat holding a delicate white rose.

"Oh..." I mumbled surprised, "it took me all day to figure out what you would like!" Ouma complained.

"So you better appreciate it!" He added, he didn't make eye contact as I noticed his hands were getting cut on the thorns.

"Ah! Ouma your hands-"

He smirked, "worth it"

...

...

...

...

...

That's the day roses became my favorite flower...it's almost poetic...the thing that nearly claimed your life was a rose...a rose I only loved because it was a gift from you...

A gift I know now is because in yout heart you loved me but never dared breathe it into words...

And I was to naive to know what that rose meant...what I nearly did to you...I can only atone for being so so stupid by protecting you...

To keep you alive so I can one day make up to you all that you lost...so I never have to see you cry again...

What a horribly vile flower a rose is.