As Heiji followed his father, continuing to grumble angrily to himself, Heizo arrived at the destination he had chosen the previous night

~Flashback~

"Shizuka I think I can help Heiji" Heizo said straightforwardly as he turned toward his wife who laid in their bed next to him

"Really?" she asked expressing little if any surprise at the notion

"Yes. I'll take him to Tokyo with me tomorrow"

"Tokyo?"

"Mmhm" he nodded confidently "If I'm to allow our son to accompany Toyama-chan and her father to America, I will need to be sure of his character" Shizuka stared at her husband in what was now genuine surprise. She had considered maybe suggesting that he go there for the summer after his graduation or something to that degree, but never had the thought of him moving there with them. The evermore surprising part of all this was that it was her husband, the unemotional, harsh father that had suggested it

"Heizo dear are you sure about this?" he looked away from his wife and focused intently on their bedroom door

"If his future happiness is with that girl then he must follow her wherever she may go"

"Hezio" Shizuka was touched by his display of affection for his son. After a few moments, however, her adoration turned to irritation as her face turned a light shade of red "When was the last time you ever that romantic with me huh?" she shrieked, jarring Heizo out of his position on the bed. She glared at the side of his side, trying to her hardest to set him ablaze with her eyes

"A-hem...well anyway" he coughed trying hurriedly to change the subject "I'll be taking him to Tokyo in the morning" he spoke curtly and quickly rolled over, trying to elude his wife's forceful gaze. After a second she gave up and relaxed once again

"One question Heizo, why Tokyo?"

"There's a sakura orchard there that I know of. Its beauty is said to inspire revelations relating to those one loves. I want to see the sort of revelation he will have"

"Maybe you should get a revelation too" she teased as she rolled over to go to sleep. As she shut her eyes she whispered calmly "maybe I'll have a chat with Kazuha-chan tomorrow. After all, she is bound to come over looking for Heiji". With a grunt of agreement, the two wandered off to sleep

~End Flashback~

Heizo maintained a calculated expression as he took in the expanse of trees, Heiji, who had all but forgotten his father was even there due to his intense concentration on deducing what his father was planning, slammed head first into this back. His father turned around and appeared agitated

"Heiji!" he barked, startling the seventeen year old into an upright posture. "Follow me" Heizo then proceeded to enter the orchard. Once he and his son were submersed in the extensive forest, Heizo began turning sharply and abruptly. Heiji had been paying his father little mind, for he was once again wrapped up in his own thoughts. When he finally looked up to ask where they were going, his father was no where to be found.

"Otosan!" Heiji screamed to no avail. His father had flat out left him there. He used his thumb and index finger to pinch the bridge of his nose as he stood there in frustration. "Damn you dad, you probably planned this….no, you definitely planned this". As Heiji stood lost in the woods, Heizo sat comfortably in a patio chair near the entrance of the orchard, smiling contently.

"I guess I should find my way out of here. Apparently this was the 'test' I was so worked up over" he sighed heavily as he began to sift through the plethora of trees, which varied in width, height and vicinity from one another. He continued to guide himself out of the seemingly endless forest until he came to a clearing. The clearing was large enough that it wasn't covered by the shade of the trees which allowed golden rays of sunlight to pour into it. The sakura blossoms fell gently from the trees that surrounded the clearing. As the blossoms fell they were illuminated by the sun's light. When he looked down, he noticed that the blossoms had blotched the ground around him, mixing in with the radiant green grass. He smiled as he reached for the cell phone buried in his pocket "Kazuha'll enjoy something pretty like this" he said aloud with the knowledge that there was no one around to hear him. He pointed the camera's lens at the landscape and snapped the photo. He saved the picture, grinning proudly to himself as he imagined all the praise she would give him for his thoughtfulness. It was then that all the thoughts he had so masterfully suppressed came rushing back to him. She was leaving. She was leaving in two days. She was leaving…and he had to do something about it. He reached for his omamori and clutched it tightly, then he engaged in a full sprint to the exit of the orchard. As he ran, he tried to consider hypothetical courses of action. 'Kidnap her? Hide her until Toyama leaves? No that wouldn't work he's still a member of the police force and he would kill me.' He continued running, having to dodge tree limbs and other obstacles on the ground 'I could always just visit her often…no I don't have the money to fly to and from New York that often'. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Heiji, he reached the exit of the maze he was in. As he exited, the force from his body pulled a handful of blossoms off of their respective branches and sent them gliding past Heiji, who had now come to a complete stop. As they petals fell delicately around him, he fixed his eyes on his father, who sat calmly at the place they had entered. As he approached his father, he tried his best to catch his breath

"Dad…dad hold on….I…I need to go home" Heizo opened one eye at the statement

"Home? Why?" He asked, trying his best to appear cold as ever

"Because….I need to talk to Kazuha" Heiji had almost completely calmed his breathing down

"Hmm….I see. What is it you need to tell her?" Heizo glared at his son, judging his every movement and his every word

"I need to tell her" he paused momentarily, taking a more confident pose in front of his father "that I'm going to America with her" Heiji looked bewildered as Heizo grinned joyously at him. He had found the character within his son that he had hoped for, and now he had complete confidence in him not just as his son, but as a man

"Yes, my son I suppose you are" he said coolly as he walked away. Heiji's face lit up at the notion of his father's acceptance. He sped up to catch him and took his place walking beside him. They both walked toward the car, pleased with the present but apprehensive about the future.