Love Blossom

Love Blossom is the slash ship between Ainosuke "Adam" Shindo and Kaoru "Cherry Blossom" Sakurayashiki from the SK8 the Infinity fandom.

Passionate Dancing Night!
While Cherry does a live calligraphy display, he explains his calligraphy to the audience and says that it means no one is too far away for redemption. As his eyes fall, it becomes a little clearer that he is referring to Adam and how he feels that Adam can still redeem himself from the damage that the other man has done.

We Don't Balance Out
Cherry is thinking back to his time a teenager, right before Adam left. He asks why he's changed so much, but Adam just says that he's allowed to. Cherry tells him to change back, and to never skate like that again. Adam says he won't, and that he's leaving for America tomorrow. He has to move on from Joe and Cherry.

We Were Special Back Then
As Cherry and Joe reminisce on their teenage years, Cherry brings up how they've challenged beefs to Adam before, but he's never answered. Joe says that it's because he's scared of loosing. Cherry says that it isn't, and that he'll see for himself.

At the tournament, Adam pulls out the card for he who will be facing. Instead of his normal over excitement, he is quiet as he see's that it is Cherry. As they set up, Cherry says that he'd been looking forward to this day. Adam says that he didn't want to fight Cherry, but Cherry says that he's been dodging it for too long. Adam asks if he has, and Cherry tells him not to act dumb. Joe interupts them, but Adam just wants to get started. Joe says that Adam isn't the same as he was before, and Cherry says that he didn't need to tell him that.

They start their race and seem to be neck and neck. As their about to make the first turn, Adam decides that it's time to use the love hug. As Adam does his move, Cherry shuts his eyes and uses Carla to avoid it. He rushes forward, with Adam close behind. He knows that Adam did the love hug so early because he knew Cherry would dodge it. As they continue on, Cherry starts to push his board into Adam's. He wants to look Adam in the eyes and see if he's the same person that he knew.

Cherry starts to think about when he and Joe first met Adam as teenagers. They were showing off tricks in the mall, with Cherry very impressed by Adam. He then thinks of more of their time skating together, and how everyone was enamored with him. He remembers the time when they had to out skate the cops, and he ended up falling off his board. Adam had caught him and held him steady, forgetting about his own board in the process. Adam eventually revealed his face to Joe and Cherry, since they are special.

Back at the tournament, Adam starts to pull back, and Cherry starts to gain more speed. Adam pulls ahead, but Cherry knows that Adam can't take him down. Adam doesn't think Cherry should be so sure, and grabs his skateboard. He then uses it to smash Cherry in the face. Cherry's entire perception of Adam breaks as he falls to the ground. Adam calls Cherry's skating boring and over calculated, it's the reason he never accepted his beef.

Moments
Adam, The Matador of Love
 * Cherry says that he will get his revenge of Adam from 7 years ago.
 * Kaoru tells Kojiro that he plans to challenge Adam to a beef.

We Don't Balance Out
 * Cherry decides he can fight Adam when he announces the tournament.

The Fated Tournament
 * Cherry can't believe that Adam was doing the dangerous races.
 * Cherry says that they'll just have to keep winning to get to Adam.
 * Cherry asks for Adam's time.
 * Joe tells Miya and Lanka that Cherry plans to beat Adam's time.

We Were Special Back Then
 * Cherry says that Joe needs to be more precise if he's going to face Adam.

DAP Not Needing Words
 * Adam stands over Cherry as he tells Joe that Cherry is boring.

Fanon
Due to the similarities and parallels of Cherry's relationship and admiration for Adam in high school and Langa for Reki, and that Langa has admitted to having romantic feelings for Reki, it is suspected that Cherry may have felt something more for Adam in the past besides friendship, such as a possible crush.

Fans theorize that Adam was actually Cherry's lover in the past, but then with the time they had broken up, making them exes. Although not confirmed, it's one of the most known and popular theories around the SK8 fandom and the most accepted one, although they use to pick MatchaBlossom instead of Love Blossom because of Adam's unpopular rate in the fandom.

On AO3, Love Blossom is the second most written ship for Cherry, and the third most written for Adam. It is also the ninth most written in the Sk8 the Infinity tag.

Fandom
FANFICTION

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * The name "Love Blossom" is a reference to Kaoru's S' nickname; "Cherry Blossom", and "Love" because of Adam's obsession with it (and also referencing it every time when he's thinking about Langa).

Variations

 * MatchaLoveBlossom refers to the ship between the two and Kojiro Nanjo