A/N: Inspiration on the field of Cherry Blossoms :D

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"So," the man started, but Zoe was too busy eating. "Seeing a young lady, alone and gloomy at the edge of a cliff only means one thing."

He paused and received no contemplation from his companion.

"Did you had a fight with your boyfriend?"

The question hit her like a massive fist and the fruit instantly stuck up in her throat, causing her to cough violently.

"Bull's eye," he said and took another bite of his food. "No need to be shy. It's part of life!"

Zoe continued coughing and shook her head, waving her hand to signal that he was gravely mistaken. However, the man simply laughed at her.

"You're blushing!"

Idiot, she thought. That's because I almost choked myself!

"I--" She cleared her throat a couple of times and tried again while chasing her breath. "It's . . . nothing like that!"

"Oh," he drawled, his brows perking up. "Then you broke up?"

"No! I--"

"Caught him with another girl?"

"No! It's--"

"A forbidden love?" He gasped, giving her a hopeful look as though he was the biggest fan of romance stories.

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Why didn't say so? You made me tired from asking, duckie."

"My name is not 'duckie'! And you were obviously cutting me off!"

"Aw," he drawled again, pursing his lips. "Papa duckie is hurt."

She shot him daggers and the man decided to finish his food and so was she.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, breaking the silence between them.

"And what are you doing here?"

He let out a short-lived laugh before sorrow and longing masked his face. "I always visit this place when I went out to pick Moon Berries." He surveyed the sea of clouds and his azure eyes became distant as though skimming through memories. "This is the place where I met the most important person in my life."

She had no idea how she should respond or if she should even say anything at all. However, talking to someone made her feel a little better. Way back home, she always chatted with Gilbert, picking a few of his words of wisdom. There was also Dr. Hughe and Nurse Marie when Gilbert was not around.

Somehow, talking to a grown up felt comforting. She had countless lessons about not conversing with strangers, and yet, a feeling settled inside her - a degree of certainty that he wasn't dangerous.

"We fight," she started, getting his attention. "But he's not my boyfriend, okay?"

He nodded. "So he's a soon-to-be."

"No!" Butterflies suddenly danced in her stomach and she knew, based on the heat on her face, that somehow a fraction of what she said was a lie.

"I'm simply cheering you up." The man grinned, making the crossed scar on his chin turned white.

Zoe sighed and pulled her knees in an embrace. "He told me not to trust him, and yet . . . I did." She stared at the cherry blossom petals on the grass then slowly gathered them into a pile. "It was foolish of me."

"So he lied to you from the start?"

She looked up, seeing his face that offered no judgment. "Well . . . in the middle of it."

He stroked his chin with a week's old beard. "Some people think that their actions are based on logical thinking. But at the end of the day, it's all affected by their emotions," he explained, meeting her eyes. "Those who wished not to be trusted are the ones who needed it the most, for they are the ones who chose to carry the burden while walking down the path with no hope for redemption."

"Then why did he let me walk right into a cliff? In the end, I became nothing more than a failure!"

"It would only be a failure if you consider it as one," he answered. "Perhaps, it was set out to happen in order to prepare you for a path that offers much bigger purpose."

"But he made me hope for a foolish dream, only to watch somebody else snatch it!" she said with a tinge of bitterness. "Right in my face!"

He sighed with no sign of impatience, but like an old man listening to a kid's rant. "Maybe Fate is telling you, that that dream isn't meant for you to fulfill," he said as though it was a fact. "But that doesn't mean it was the end of you. Just look for another dream."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to confine yourself in one dream. It's free for a reason."

She gaped at him as though a hammer came knocking at her head, lending her some sense. Her eyes widened as if they would pop out from their sockets any moment, but she opened them wider to reflect her shock. The spell of silence befell them as his words rang in her mind. Her thoughts went wild as she desperately tried to find as grand as a dream, to fill the that hole inside her.

Then suddenly, it hit her.

Why hadn't she thought of it before?

It was the bridge that brought her into this mess, so she had to turn back and shed it some light to find answers.

Zoe chuckled and before she realized it, she was clasping the man's hand. "Thank you for giving me the idea!"

He laughed and scratched his head. "That was fast! Mind telling me?"

She let go of his hand, inviting herself to sit across him. "It's not a big dream, but it could be a start," she said with stars in her eyes. "I'm going to complete it."

His brow reached his forehead. "Complete what?"

"Hachal Deidrei's theory."

For a moment, his face flashed with a pained expression, but it quickly vanished when a smile broke on his face. "Not bad, duckie." Then he patted her head.

It was a strange feeling. No one had ever patted her on the head for a job well done. But that kind of gesture, coming from a person she just met should have sent her alarm bells ringing. Instead, she enjoyed it and gave him a genuine smile.

He shot on his feet and offered her a hand, but she was already in the middle of standing. He brushed his checkered black and white pants and slung the basket on his strong shoulders.

"That would be a lot of work," he muttered with a restrained voice as he adjusted the basket. "We should go now."

"You could go ahead. I still need to find where I came from."

His mouth formed into an O as he hit his fist on his palm. "I forgot to introduce myself." He stretched out his hand and said, "I am Reonan. Chef and owner of Roshan's Cake Shop."

It took all her brain cells to process his words before reality slapped her. "Don't tell me--"

"You were asleep for three days so we didn't get the chance to formally meet. But I already told Krista that you're with me. They must be waiting for us." His smile widened. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

All possible words left her, except for one.

"Sunufabech!"

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Dedicated to d_jacques

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XOXO