Title: Poppy

Pairing: Rachel x Soseki

Disclaimer: Harvest Moon: A New Beginning belongs to Natsume. All characters and locations mentioned within belong to Natsume. Please only credit me for the fanfiction itself.

Rating: T

Author's Note: I reeeeeally can't choose between Soseki and Sanjay. So I made two female files after finishing TRP 4. I think that works pretty well. All the bachelorettes are so cute that I would have never been able to choose one to marry on a boy file anyway.

Enjoy! Oh, spoilers for the end of the game, or at least up to TRP 5, it that matters.

-START-

Unfortunately, the forest around Echo Village wasn't home to any poppies. It was a shame, especially since they were Soseki's favorite flower.

Upon moving to the small village, he quickly discovered that there were very few things to do. He didn't work, instead living in the tranquil town to take a break from the stressful task of being a journalist. That met he had a lot of free time to wander and do nothing.

Even with a bountiful forest, a grand mountain, and a river perfect for fishing, there was only so much time the hypochondriac could spend walking outside. It was, in his own words, Terrible for his body to walk too much because it might make his joints ache.

Nobody in town bought that, especially those villagers who were actually of advanced age.

There was one woman who not only didn't buy his statements, but was resolved to disprove them. She did this by not only visiting him every day but also by asking for his companionship while fishing or harvesting crops. It made him feel energetic even at his advanced age.

Rachel always fascinated Soseki.

He knew she was talented. The house she'd built him proved that. The girl was a genius architect and builder, even if she did have to follow blueprints.

Ever since meeting her, Soseki looked forward to the next moment he'd get to see her again. Rachel seemed to enjoy his company and was always happy when he accepted a festival invitation or the two explored the woods together, looking for places to fish or exotic animals like peacocks.

The two started officially dating a mere season after Soseki moved to town. The new stage in their relationship initiated plenty of new topics to discuss, especially while the two were enjoying a walk.

Spring was their favorite time to walk because of all the wonderful, pastel-colored foliage that burst into bloom. They always discovered new things.

One day, while scanning the bountiful fields of flowers, a question popped into Rachel's head.

"Soseki, what are your favorite flowers?" Rachel asked, looking up at him with those blue eyes Soseki loved so much. She was gripping his bicep with her arms as they strolled. Rachel thought it was romantic, and Soseki liked it for the same reason, and also because it gave him someone to lean on. Again, it was because of his old age.

"Why do you ask, dear?" he returned, confused by the sudden question.

"I was thinking of making you a bouquet," Rachel admitted somewhat bashfully. "I have so many flowers growing on my farm, and since I've already shipped all my crops, I've decided to give all my flowers as gifts to people who like them."

He stopped walking and smiled down at her. He lifted a hand to rub the top of her head, which was slightly more difficult than usual since she'd recently had her hair done into a cute bun.

"That's so sweet," Soseki said, truly amazed. Farming was hard work, and he wouldn't have blamed her if she shipped every single product she grew. Instead, she sacrificed profit to make the villagers happy.

"So, what's your favorite?" she asked, blushing as he rubbed the top of her head.

"Um…I don't know," he lied. As far as he knew, there was no chance Rachel would ever be able to grow his favorite flower.

"Come on!" Rachel said, tugging on the arm she'd reclaimed from his side. "Please!"

"Well," he stammered, having a hard time denying her as she looked up at him with such intense curiosity. After a few seconds, she'd backed him against a tree. "I like poppies."

She stopped. "Poppies?"

"Yes," Soseki said, rubbing the back of his head and avoiding eye contact. He really hoped she didn't feel bad. As far as he knew, there were no poppies or poppy seeds anywhere in Echo Village or in any of the surrounding villages. "Those are my favorite, but I like all spring flowers. Please don't feel obligated to…"

"Aren't poppies those flowers that opium comes from?" Rachel asked, completely ignoring Soseki's embarrassed rambling. She released him from her incredibly tight grip and began to muse, sauntering away from her boyfriend in thought.

"Um…yes…" Soseki admitted. "That's not why I like them, though. Not at all, actually. You see…"

"I've heard poppies usually bloom in late spring to early summer," Rachel said, pacing more vigorously with each word. "Hm. I wonder where I could get seeds. If wonder if Hana can order them if I ask her before the season is over?"

"Rachel…"

"Since they're medicinal, maybe I should ask Klaus," she said, not hearing him over the rampage of thoughts. "Or maybe they bloom more naturally outside in the wild. Still, I've never seen them."

"Rachel, please don't worry about it too much," Soseki said with a sigh.

"But if poppies are your favorite, I want to grow them," Rachel said, turning to him. The blonde woman looked down at the ground and shyly put her hands together, rubbing them as if she was cold.

"I do like them," Soseki admitted, approaching her again. Instead of patting her head, he caressed her cheek, loving the way her worried expression melted away and was replaced with more neutral inquisitiveness. "I find them very pretty and appealing. However, I'm much more of a fan of what they symbolize."

Her eyes widened in fascination.

"Poppies symbolize something?" Rachel asked, tilting her head like in a way similar to a perplexed beagle. "Well, that makes sense, I guess. Most flowers symbolize something."

"That's true," Soseki said, chuckling. "Poppies, like roses and carnations, also have a symbolic meaning. Not many people know about it, unfortunately. Poppies are mostly associated with medicine."

He led Rachel to a log where they could sit, tucked away between a small and snug clearing of trees.

"Well, what is it?" she asked enthusiastically, leaning towards him with anticipation. "What's the meaning of poppies? Tell me!"

He shook his head. Rachel pouted and went to retort, but he placed a finger over her lips. "I have an idea. We'll play a game. I'll give you hints, and based off those, we'll see if you can guess the meaning."

Rachel giggled, gently placing her hand over his, lowering it from her lips. "That sounds pretty safe. If I get enough hints, I'll get it eventually. It sounds like I can't lose."

Soseki realized she was right. If only to tease her more, he smirked and leaned in closer. "Then let's add one more rule, dear. With each wrong answer, I'll give you a kiss. Each spot will be more embarrassing than the last."

Rachel's giggling turned into laughing. It was Soseki's turn to become curious as the woman tried to suppress her chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Soseki couldn't help but ask.

After a few more seconds of furious chuckling, Rachel finally gathered her bearings enough to speak coherently. "I'm sorry. It's just that kisses aren't embarrassing. I just think it's funny that you think I'm that naïve. I know I'm younger than you, but I'm not a child. There's no way this will work!"

Soseki lifted a thick brow.

"I don't think you're naïve," he said, smirk returning. "You're definitely not a child. I know that much."

His large hand came up to rest on her shoulder. The action made her inhale sharply. Her lips curved into a small smile as he leaned closer. His voice was almost a whisper as he said, "If you'd like to increase the risk, maybe we could make it so that you lose an article of clothing with each wrong guess as well."

Rachel's boldness vanished into embarrassment. The woman turned bright red and shook her head frantically. "No, no, no, no! I like the old rules a lot more! Let's use those!"

"Haha, sounds good," Soseki said, more than pleased.

He sat back and lifted his hand, one finger extended. "Okay, let's start the game. Here's your first hint; the meaning of poppies is the same as the feeling I have whenever I'm with you."

The hint was vague and had many embarrassing options. Rachel always liked a challenge, and she liked Soseki's kisses even more, but with such vague hints it would be almost impossible to guess the true meaning. The woman was very glad they weren't playing by his other set of rules. She would have probably been nude by mid-afternoon.

"L-Let's see," Rachel said, looking to the grass as her mind tried to search for a plausible option. She knew the answer wasn't love or romance, that would be too obvious and cliché. However, it was also true that a lot of flowers symbolized love, so the odds were favorable.

"Uh…respect?" she guess, throwing out a random word to test the waters.

Soseki shook his head. "I do respect you fully Rachel, but nope. Well, well, where shall I start?"

The man stood and kneeled before her so that he was eye-level. His gaze was intense as he searched her face for the perfect spot to kiss, finally settling on the velvety delta of her neck.

The warm touch made her squeak. He'd never kissed her there before. During the whole kiss, she hands gripped the bark of the log tightly.

"It'll only get more embarrassing from here on out," he said wickedly, looking up at her through his dark lashes. "Here's your next hint; the word begins with a P."

That narrowed it down more fairly than the last hint. Knowing it would be embarrassing but not knowing what else to say, the woman's voice trembled as she muttered the word, "Passion…?"

The tone of his laugh said more than enough. She'd guessed wrong again. "Again, very true, but no dice."

Soseki's next kiss was a soft one on the corner of her mouth, just missing her lips. Somehow it was even more intimate than when he'd kissed her mouth directly. Her breathing became rapid, and she prayed Soseki didn't notice how her chest was heaving. When he inched closer, she knew he did.

"What if someone comes?" she asked, eyes darting around. All the villagers loved to saunter around the woods at all times of the day, and while they spot they were in was somewhat hidden, it wouldn't take long for someone to stumble upon them.

"Then we'll have to continue this game in a more private place," he said with a wolfish grin. "That is, unless you manage to guess the answer to the next hint. Two synonyms for the answer are sleep and rest."

Rachel thought deep and hard about what the answer could possibly be. It couldn't be that hard, but her thought process was being impeded by Soseki's closeness and the direction the game had taken. It wasn't a bad one, but she'd been unprepared for the consequences for asking such an innocent question.

Suddenly, an epiphany hit her like a lightning strike. She was sure she had it.

"I think I have it," she said proudly.

"Do you?" Soseki asked, impressed. "That was pretty fast, actually. What's your guess?"

She scooted closer and, with considerable force, embraced him tightly enough to knock him onto the ground. More than a little caught off guard, Soseki grunted as they hit the grass. The plush ground cushioned their fall, making the hug much more surprising that it was painful. "Rachel…?"

"I feel it when I'm with you too," she said, burying her face lovingly into the crook of his neck. They rested stilly on the ground, the warm breeze rustling their clothes. For a few moments, the only noise the two could hear over the buzzing of spring insects were their own hearts pounding in their chests.

It was Soseki's turn to blush. "Feel what…?"

"Peace," Rachel whispered, rising so her body could cover his. She looked down at him, hair slightly disheveled from the fall. She blocked the sun, making her look ethereal as the light dispersed around her outline. "I think…poppies symbolize peace."

Soseki was so distracted by her beauty that he almost didn't hear her answer.

"Peace, huh?" Soseki repeated. He closed his eyes and nodded up to her, as if he was trying to hide his proudness of her. "Is that your final answer?"

The woman nodded confidently.

He chuckled and raised his mouth to meet hers, capturing her lips in a quick and chaste kiss. With barely enough time to react, Rachel enjoyed the kiss for as long as she could before he pulled away. "Rachel wins again."

The woman's gentle face became ecstatic. She cheered loudly and rolled onto her back, lying beside Soseki, looking up at the trees and the kaleidoscope of leaves that blocked the midday sun.

"I'm glad," she said, almost breathless.

Soseki turned his head towards her curiously.

"I'm glad you feel at peace around me," Rachel said, bashfully turning her head to meet his gaze. Her hand softly moved towards his. "It makes me really happy."

Instead of taking her hand, he reached over and gathered her body into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. Rachel sighed blissfully as Soseki tucked her head under his chin, embracing her tightly. Both closed their eyes and remained in the grass, relishing in the feeling of each other's bodies pressed together.

"Hey," Rachel said, breaking she surprisingly comfortable silence. "I just realized something."

"Hm?"

"Don't I get a reward for winning?" she asked sweetly, sitting up and looking down at him.

Soseki hummed in thought, hand tracing his shadowed jawline as he pretended to ponder the question. Rachel smacked him playfully, causing him to laugh and agree to her statement. "Well, that seems more than fair. After all, I treated myself to a kiss every time you guessed wrong."

Rachel was elated.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked her, also sitting up. Rachel mimicked Soseki's over-the-top acting and pretended to muse over her options. He rubbed the top of her head vigorously, which earned him squeals of mock distress.

"I have an idea," she said, tucking some extra strands of hair back into her bus. Without a mirror, the result was pretty horrendous. Soseki chuckled and lent a hand.

"How about…" she started, trailing off as she leaned in close and snaked a hand under his kimono and up his shoulder, eventually resting on the back of his neck, "…We finish that kiss from before? Would that be an okay reward?"

Soseki pulled her into his lap and brushed back the last strand of hair that concealed her face. "That sounds like perfection, dear."

-END-

This was supposed to go on, but I kind of like this ending. Sometimes leaving this up to the imagination is best! So, imagine away…hehehe!

More for these two soon. I hope you enjoyed!