*Flashback*

He stepped into the store, hand in the pocket of his adidas sweatpants, wallet in his other hand.

He walked around the store, looking for those cans of Ravioli that he had become oh so accustomed to back at college.

After this morning he just needed something simple to eat.

He finally found them, picking up many cans and taking them to the cash register.

There was a television on the wall, it was on a news channel.

There was something on about an anniversary involving some sort of sakura tree or some shit.

He wasn't paying attention that much.

The cashier was a woman.

She was young.

About his age, he thought.

She had nice eyes.

She was staring at him.

"Hello." she said, looking him up and down.

"Hi."

She began to ring things up slowly.

She bit her lip and he stared at her, uninterested, and highly wishing that she'd speed up his purchase.

"Do you live around here?" she asked, twirling a piece of hair around her finger, staring at his lips.

"No. Not anymore."

"Really?"

"I'm staying with a friend."

"Is he as cute as you?" she asked, pushing her chest out.

"She's cuter than I am." he said, putting emphasis on the fact that Emi was a she.

The cashier's eyes popped open.

She quickly regained her composure.

"You say she was a friend?" she asked.

He was unsure of himself as he answered.

"I don't mind."

George was confused.

"I'm bise-"

"Can I have a pack of those cigarettes, please? and if you got an ashtray around here, that'd be great."

The cashier went silent. She grabbed the things he requested and rung them up quietly.

When she handed him the bag, she began to speak again.

"Like I was saying, I'm bisex-"

"Have a nice day." he said, not even looking at her as he turned and walked away.

*End  flashback*

He shoved another fork of the ravioli into his mouth and glanced up at Emi, who was eating her own quietly.

He looked back down.

She was very pretty.

"So, what did you get up to, today?" she asked.

He looked up and quickly swallowed the food.

"Nothing, really. Just... went to the store to buy this."

She looked at him for a long time.

There was concern in her eye.

She didn't own an ashtray.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He blinked a few times.

"Yeah, why?"

"私はジョージ、灰皿を所有しません。" ( I don't own an ashtray, George. )

He took a deep breath.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." he shrugged, taking in another mouth full of  pasta.

She swallowed, looking down and taking another bite of her food.

He noted that something else was bothering her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What's on your mind?"

She reached into her pocket.

She pulled out a fresh sakura petal.

Something rung in George's memory bank.

She set it on the table.

"I just had a strange experience at work, is all." she noted, staring at it.

George nodded.

Emi opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.

She got up, and walked over to George, who turned in his counter stool to face her.

She stepped right between his legs and placed her face in his neck.

His arms wrapped around her automatically.

He felt her breathe deeply.

Emi closed her eyes and curled her hands up in front of her chest.

They stayed like that for a moment.

Then, she backed up.

"Will you come to the coffee shop tomorrow when you're don't visiting with your mother?"

He nodded, "Of course. I've been dying to see it, anyways."

Emi smiled, taking her dish into the kitchen.

George smiled to himself, eating the last piece of pasta on it and standing up with his plate.

He paused, looking at the glowing petal on the table.

An old man.

He walked away.

~~~

When Emi had walked to the forest the next morning, one of the elder neighbors was walking down the road.

"Emi," the woman called.

Emi smiled, waving to the grandmother before jogging to approach her.

When she made it to her, she bowed.

"こんにちは！" ( Hello! )

The woman smiled at her for a moment.

"なぜ森をあまり生息か。" ( Why do you inhabit the forest so often? )

Emi thought about it for a moment.

She tilted her head to the side.

"それが大好きです" ( I love it, ) she began. " それは私の一部であるかのようです。森と思います。それが励みです。" ( I feel as if it is a part of me. Like I am the forest. It's comforting. )

The old woman laughed gently.

"あなたは、私の愛する、確かに森です。" ( You are, my dear, the forest indeed. )

Emi smiled.

"ありがとう。" ( Thank you. ) she smiled.

The woman bowed her head and moved along.

Emi watched her as she went, disappearing off into the roads.

If only she had the knowledge that she'd have later that night.