Hello, to anyone who finds this story that's stuck in a small section of this website.

It's another short chapter, but it's an important one all the same.

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Soichiro grumbled to himself as he trudged through the market place. He tried to shove his hands deeper into his pockets as the wind picked up, slicing through all of his layers. Glancing from side to side, Soichiro tried to find the right shop amidst all of the trinkets for tourists and last minute sales on Christmas decorations.

'I can't believe Yuka likes Mirai!' he thought while trying to burrow deeper into his hood. 'She has so many options open to her yet she chooses someone of such low caliber.' Soichiro paused for a moment. He didn't really like the idea of her having other options either. He knew from experience that most men were scum. Not only that, but Yuka came from a very rich family. There was very little chance that someone would be interested in her solely for love.

'Uhg, whatever,' Soichiro sighed as he continued walking into the wind. 'She'll be just fine. I'm getting worked up over nothing. Being overprotective wont solve anything.' Suddenly, a strong gust tore through the street and pushed Soichiro back. He braced himself against the whirlwind, his knees bent. He staggered forward and darted down an alley into a store. He closed the door fast and leaned against it, sighing with relief.

A wet smell caught his attention. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find that he was exactly where he needed to be. Or at least, he hoped so. The air was humid and plants tangled together in a thicket of greenery. Soichiro started hesitantly forward, brushing against leaves and flowers no matter where he turned. He stepped forward into a deep puddle and his shoe was now soaked. He glared down at the damp floor and stepped back only to knock his head against a hanging basket.

"Ouch!" He cried, grabbing his head and stumbling forward. He forgot about the puddle, however, and stepped in it with his other foot. He swore and tried to shake his shoe dry. As he hopped backwards, he hit his back against a table that was piled high with bags of soil. The vibrations were too much for the rickety, wooden table and it instantly collapsed with a crash, banging into Soichiro's leg and taking him down as well.

"Damn it," Soichiro groaned as he freed his leg from underneath the fallen table. He scooted away from the mess and dusted the gummy soil from his clothes. He also shook the dirt from his hair in disgust. 'I'll have to shampoo more than once to get all of this out!'

"Who's in there?" a woman's voice called from across the room. Soichiro got to his feet but was blocked from view by the grove of plants. He peered through the foliage and saw a short, grandmotherly woman. She had thick, round glasses and curly, light gray hair cut short. She wore gardening gloves and a dirty apron with a big nametag that read Mrs. Tsukino: Owner. Soichiro relaxed and stepped out from behind the knotted sprouts.

"Erm, hello?"

"EEEYAAAH!" The old woman screamed and grabbed the broom that hung on the wall. "A hoodlum! A degenerate! A delinquent! Help! Somebody help!" She rushed forward and swung at Soichiro with the wooden end of the broom. He yelped as she clipped his injured leg.

"NO, NO, NO!" Soichiro shouted as he shielded his face from the bristles that the woman was now trying to blind him with. "I just came in the wrong entrance! I'm not a hoodlum! My name is Soichiro Koizumi! I'm a student at the Kotobuki Academy!" When the beating stopped, Soichiro peeked carefully through his arms. The elderly lady had stopped waving the broom around and was now adjusting her glasses. She leaned forward and squinted as she looked Soichiro up and down.

"A Koizumi, you say?" the woman stepped closer to circle around him, "You're awfully dirty. What happened to you?" Soichiro glanced behind himself at the mess that now lay on the floor.

"I ran into the table and it, uh, collapsed. I'm sorry." The woman, however, was not satisfied with his answer.

"Well that still doesn't explain how you got in here," she said, eyeing him warily. Soichiro was beginning to loose his patience.

"The door was unlocked!" He snapped, folding his arms, "I just pushed it open." The old woman ignored his tone and walked over to the door to test it for herself. After a few jiggles, she put her hands on her hips and chuckled.

"Well I'll be," the woman sighed as she turned to face Soichiro, "You must forgive this old woman. My memory seems to fade more everyday," she smiled sweetly up at Soichiro and his impatience immediately faded. She reminded him of Yuka.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," he apologized sheepishly. "Actually, I wanted to buy something from your store, but I came in here to get out of the wind um, Mrs. Tsukino." The old woman's face brightened considerably.

"Well then, step this way, Koizumi-bozu. Let's find what you need," Mrs. Tsukino shuffled past Soichiro and disappeared into the front of her shop. He followed after her, slightly embarrassed about being referred to as 'bozu.' Normally he would have said something, but he figured that she was old enough to call him a squirt if she wanted to.

He pushed the door open, hitting a chime above his head. He stared in awe at the little store. The chime resonated into silence; the echo seemed to give the room an otherworldly feel. All around him were colorful flowers and tall shoots of bamboo. The air was still heavy with moisture and everything smelled fresh. Soichiro walked slowly forward looking all around.

Unlike the over grown back room, the plants in the main shop were neat and trimmed. Each species of flower had its own little row. Even the pots hanging from the ceiling were grouped in order. Nearby fountains bubbled softly and in the corner of the store was a small pond with koi swishing around in the green water. Soichiro couldn't even make out the walls. It seemed that plants were threaded into the very woodwork of the building. The only wall he could see wasn't a wall at all. It was the front entrance. It was all green glass except for the door. Across the windows it read "Moon Field Greenery." Even the name sounded like something out of a fantasy. It was like he had just stepped through time into spring. Soichiro wondered how such a small old lady could manage this place by herself.

"What is it you're looking for?" Mrs. Tsukino asked from the counter. She leaned her elbows against the glass top and had her feet tucked in the rungs of the wooden stool she sat on. The cash register at her side looked oddly out of place in the jungle surrounding them. "Is it a flower your after? A present for a young lady, hm?"

"No, no," Soichiro sputtered, shaking his head. He felt very embarrassed, although he couldn't say why. Soichiro noisily cleared his throat. "I need a tree sapling," he said plainly, waiting for directions. A grin spread across Mrs. Tsukino's wrinkled face.

"A tree?" She echoed with a laugh, "winter is upon us child! What sense does it take to plant a tree now?" Soichiro blushed and looked away. In truth, he hadn't thought of that even though he had to walk through gale force winds just to get here.

"Look, I'm doing this for… I'm doing this to prove a point," he explained quietly. He stared intently at his feet. "My uh, someone I know thinks I'm not very useful, and… I wanted to prove to her that I am." Soichiro blushed furiously, his ears burning scarlet. He felt very ashamed by his confession. He hated showing weakness, and he certainly couldn't hide the fact that Yuka's words stung. There was more to Soichiro's embarrassment than that, though.

He couldn't for the life of him understand why he hadn't said 'sister'. Soichiro had thought about saying it… but it didn't come out as naturally. Now that he thought about it, he had never really seen Yuka as a sister… but how could he? They didn't tease each other or fight, like normal siblings should. Yuka was much more mature; responsible; ladylike.

"Well let's see what we can do." Soichiro jumped, suddenly realizing he wasn't by himself. Mrs. Tsukino shuffled over to the far corner of the shop, moving pots around. After a few minutes of plastic scuffing the floor she turned around with a small shrub in her aged hands.

"I think this will do the trick."

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What kind of plant did Mrs. Tsukino give Soichiro? It will all become clear next chapter.

Please read, review, and enjoy :)