My grandmother used to tell me a story of how there was a prince who brought peace to the world through the beautiful flowers he created. They called him the Flower Prince and every beautiful flower that bloomed by his hands and love, there was always a smiling person. It brought a sense of peace to this cruel world we lived in. I, Hotori Tadase, want to be just like him when I grow up...
The skies were painted a soft, delicate blue with the clouds roaming by as a gentle breeze washed upon the little boy. There was dirt smudged on his face, scratches covering his tiny fingers while his sleeves were rolled up. Five year old Hotori Tadase was working hard on his own garden, hoping to create beautiful, blooming flowers to share with the world around him. There were many flowers that he wanted to plant especially those dear lilies that his grandmother loved so much. Picking up a few seeds, he planted them into each open hole he dug and then covered the holes back up with dirt. "You two seeds are best friends so you can grow up next to each other." he chuckled, patting two patches he put down in particular. One seed was for a white lily while the other was for a snowflake flower; he thought they complimented each other very well. There were many types he planted by each other but there was one flower that he saw that couldn't be paired up so easily.
"False Bindweed-san..." he said, hugging the seed close to his heart. He felt really bad for this seed but started to smile brightly when he found a conclusion to his problem. Carefully making a patch in the center, he placed the seed inside and covered it up nicely with the dirt. Now the seed was surrounded by all the soon to be blooming flowers. Tadase thought it was a perfect spot that the future flower wouldn't be alone at all. "Now you can have friends surrounding you forever and ever!" he exclaimed, showing a toothy grin while grabbing the giant watering can next to him. With all his might, he raised it up and started to water each patch he made until he was finished. Wiping away his sweat, he let out a successful breath of air while taking his apple juice carton and drinking from it.
"Tadase the Flower Prince is at your service, flowers! Every day we can play together so you'll never have to be alone!" he declared, raising his wooden sword to the sky while grinning proudly.
And so with every passing day, the boy kept to his promise and would tend to the garden with the utmost care. His grandmother would watch from afar, sketching out beautiful drawings of the flowers and the little gardener behind it. One day, he tugged on his grandmother's sleeve while he toddled over to his garden and started to list out the various flowers that grew. With his knowledge, he was beaming with pride for he had studied a lot from the books he found in order to make a garden. For a small kid like Tadase, he was blooming with purity and his grandmother could see that in him, which is why she wanted to protect that dream of his. Her one wish for him was that he would never give up on his dreams and that he would continue to be the person he was while growing up in this world.
"What is your favorite flower?" he asked, looking up at her with such innocence in his eyes. His grandmother cracked a smile and observed the flowers momentarily before raising a finger to point over at the false bindweed flower that bloomed in the center. "That one. Despite it being alone in the center, it is still standing tall and proud like a king." she stated in a delicate tone. Tadase stared over at the flower for a moment and tilted his head, grinning over at the flower while waving his hand over at it. "I put that one there because I didn't want it to be all lonely. All the flowers can watch over it too and they can be friends forever!" he declared to her, staring up at her while she let out another laugh.
"Then I hope you can be like that flower. I hope you can stand proudly despite what comes towards you. Sometimes you will be alone and sometimes you will be surrounded by others. Either way, continue to bloom like this dear flower has, my sweet Tadase." she stated, hugging the boy close while he wrapped his tiny arms around her waist with a smile.
Calystegia... never forget this word and it will keep this flower happy... whatever you do, my dear, please never forget me or these flowers...
-x-
It was these words alone that would stay for him even as he started to grow up. Just like a beautiful, blooming flower, there was an end and Tadase saw his grandmother's end come as she withered away from his life. Every single day, he would sit by the garden he tended to and sketch out a drawing of the false bindweed flower for his beloved grandmother. He kept to his promise and swore that he would never forget her or these flowers. The Royal Garden as well had become a place that meant so much more than a place where meetings were held. He made sure to tend to the flowers that were there. He looked at the Guardians as more than their roles for he saw them all as a garden of blooming flowers that were standing proudly. More importantly, as the King of the Guardians, he felt like that false bindweed flower in his garden.
Everything changed one day when he came home after a meeting, he was eager to go look at his garden and spend his time there with Kiseki. However, he noticed that something felt off in the air. Looking around suspiciously, he kept his guard up until he saw an x egg jumping around in his backyard. Widening his eyes, he dashed forward when he saw the egg start to mess up his garden, stomping and tearing apart the flowers he had worked so hard on to keep blooming. It felt like a tear was going across his heart when he saw the wilted petals and smashed flowers beginning to fill his garden. 'I can't do it... I can't. No matter how many times I want to perfect this garden, I can't! Smash it, smash all the flowers!' chanted the egg, which made Tadase widen his eyes.
There was one flower that had yet to be destroyed and that was the precious flower in the center of the garden. Tadase jerked forward when the x egg was ready to smash it, diving forward and arching over it to protect it from the egg's blast. Wincing, he cried out and looked all around at his garden. He felt like a failure for not protecting the others, for letting them wither so easily. It was easy to get influenced by the egg's words because of all of the guilt in that moment. However, he knew one thing he wasn't wrong about. "You're wrong! There is no such thing as a perfect garden but it doesn't mean you aren't capable of making a garden at all! Flowers are precious and bring life to this world! They make you smile with its beauty and strength! D-Don't give up on them... they need you! Never forget these flowers and the feelings they bring to you." he cried out, feeling a few tears brim the corners of his eyes.
Flowers had become so precious to him in his heart that he didn't want people to say such things about them. The little boy inside of him wanted the world to know of what a flower's importance was and how it can change a person in a positive way. He also didn't want to break the precious promise he made with his deceased grandmother. "This flower... this flower was all alone but it continued to bloom! I wanted to be its friend and that's why it's still here because I never gave up on it and neither did it." he stated, refusing to character transform because then it would ruin everything. He would not result to fighting whatsoever.
I refuse to leave this flower all alone... I will not let it die because of your actions.
His tears fell one by one on top of the lone flower that survived the garden. There were no more blooming flowers for the egg had destroyed them all. "I won't let you hurt my friend!" he shouted, uniform dirtied while he looked up at the egg. The egg was taken aback by Tadase's words and actions as it began to waver a bit. It was the strength and care that Tadase displayed that helped the egg to see the situation in a new light. The original owner had been a boy who was trying to make the perfect garden, one that would last forever so he would never be alone. He was also trying to make an eternally blooming flower but every attempt was failure on his part. Nevertheless, the egg saw this as a way to improve and approach the situation in a different way.
'I was lost but it was because of your care that I will try again and not give up... thank you...'
The x was lifted on the egg unexpectedly as it jumped around in joy. As it floated away, Tadase was left with a destroyed garden while he stared down at the false bindweed flower. He felt great for helping someone but he also felt miserable for the withered flowers. There was only one thing he could do at this point. "I'll never forget you all... you'll continue living in my memory..." he said, picking up the withered petals around him as he started over with his garden. It would be an endless cycle and he knew that flowers had an end but he hoped that the flowers he raised lived good lives while they did. This was a side to Tadase that would never change and as he started creating new patches again, he smiled through his tears.
"I'm the Flower Prince. I give life to flowers and make sure they have good memories till the very end." he said before glancing over at the lone flower in the middle of his once beautiful garden. He would make sure that this particular flower never felt alone or bloom without friends. Tadase saw his grandmother in this flower but he also saw a lifelong friend. As he looked up at the sky, he watched the clouds roam by while the sun started to shine brightly. He grinned while thanking his grandmother in his mind as he had one last thing to say.
It's too cruel to live on in this world alone, so let's dream together...