(Yoshino's POV)
As months passed Yoshino became very distracted and distant with his life in the army. All he could think about was his beautiful bride-to-be Ayame and how it would have been if they could be together again.
He wondered if she still felt the same way about him as he felt for her. Not seeing her every day for the last seventeen months made him feel insecure and he doubted whether or not he and Ayame would feel the same once they met again.
He hopes deep down in his heart that when they meet again she would still be in love with him and that even if she wasn't, he would make her fall for him once again and hold her hostage!
Marry her and make her his because she already stole her heart but...
"I don't know if I should make her suffer with me! I don't want my woman to die... I want her to live!"
(Ayame's POV... A few months after Yoshino left)
Since the day Yoshino said, "goodbye" to her she wondered and wondered about him all day long; she could never think straight and was always had her mind up in the clouds daydreaming about him and wanting to be held by him once more and to be kissed by him.
Ayame's mother Etsu Tachibana became worried about her daughter because her daughter just seemed distant and this was something new to her.
Etsu made her way outside to the tree where Ayame was sitting and looked at her daughter gazing at the sky while sitting on the swing next to her sister Gin-Dai.
"Mommy!" Gin-Dai screamed, jumped off the swing and ran into her mothers embrace.
She picked little Gin-Dai up and walked over to Ayame that was dazed and asked her, "My darling daughter, are you doing well?"
"Why does it seem like you don't know who your mother is?"
"Daughter, if something is bothering you please do trust mother more and tell me what it is, if you don't speak about your troubles; you will never marry!"
"Child, this really isn't like you and mother is worried."
"Gin-Gin is worried too mommy; nee-chan doesn't like me anymore!"
Ayame turned her attention to the two of them and smiled, with tears forming in her eyes; "Gin-Gin don't say that! You and mother are the ones I love the most; come here!"
Gin-Dai left her mother's embrace and walked over to her sister that was kneeling on the grass by the swing waiting for her; she hugged her little sister tightly then let go of her and stood up.
She looked her mother straight in the eyes and said, "Mother your daughter's heart is broken."
Etsu's eye's widened and her heart started beating fast, and thinking, "What could this daughter of her's be talking about?"
Ayame saw the worry in her mother's eyes and noticed the change of expression she made and smiled at her mother. "Mom I'm sorry for being distant, I never meant for what I feel inside to affect you and my little sister, the reason why I'm like this is because I met a man and I miss him! I only saw him for a week and then he left again and I don't know when I'll see him again."
The tears started falling from her eyes, she covered her face with her hands and ran to her mother. Etsu held a crying daughter and the tears started forming in her eyes while she comforted her daughter.
After she calmed down she spoke again and continued, "Mother, I met him seventeen months ago in the park by the fountain; he came up to me and introduced himself and after that every day for each day he bought me white roses and on the 9th day he bought me a red rose."
"At first I didn't understand why but he explained to me that he loved me even tho we just met and that I was the one he wanted to be with! And mother I too love him!"
"He's the first guy I got to know and got to know so well; I fell madly in love with him every second we were together and I still am in love with him; no I love him!!" Ayame said while looking down at the ring on her finger then moving it to where her heart was and continued
"But he was only on holiday when we met and he left", Ayame looked at her mother and added with tears in her eyes, "On the last day he gave me the red rose, and he gave me this ring...It belonged to his deceased mother".
(Meanwhile)
Etsu lost her words as her daughter opened up to her, she carried on listening, and soon realised that she knew the young man, whom her daughter was talking about; she's the one who sold him the roses!
Ayame noticed tears falling from her mothers' eyes and stopped talking for a moment and then asked her mother: "Mother what's the matter? Did I say something to upset you?"
Etsu took her daughter's hands and said, "My beautiful daughter, I know who you are speaking about, the young man bought the roses from my store, and by the looks of things he got into your heart!".
Etsu stopped and smiled and carried on saying, "I had no idea he was giving the roses to you my child, but I especially had no idea you'd receive a ring that resembles the heart of the ocean!!"
Both Etsu and Ayame laughed with tears in their eyes and hugged each other.
She thought to herself, "My daughter found someone worth giving her heart to like I did with my late husband."
Feeling better now, Ayame went to her baby sister Gin-Dai and gave her a hug, then played with her for the rest of the day till it was time to go to bed.