Disclaimer-I don't own anyone in this story. Everyone belongs to his or her respective owners and producers.
Sakura
Isabel Night
The inhabitants of the Nether Realm will tell you, without hesitation, that springtime is the most beautiful and awe-inspiring time of the year. The Cherry Blossoms that bloom in the month the Western Mortals call "March," have been the subject of many paintings, poems, and myths. However, when I see a Cherry Tree in full bloom, my mind unconsciously drifts back to one of the conversations I had with Anubis almost 400 years ago.
I remember the both of us walking along the paved pathway that covered the entire area of the Castle Gardens. Anubis and I had nothing better to do at the time, so we decided to take a walk and look at the beauty of the Cheery Trees that were, at the time, shooting out their new blossoms. As we made our way around the garden pathway, Anubis left the path and walked over to a wooded area that not only had Cherry Trees, but Pine Trees, Maple Trees, and some imported trees we received from the western part of the Mortal Realm called "Dog Wood" trees. I had followed him off the pathway where I eventually found my leader sitting on the grass, holding a small blossom in his hand. As I approached Anubis, he looked up at me and said, "This flower is so delicate...just like a..."
"A mortal's life," I remember answering for him. "Maybe so; however, I highly doubt that all four of us are that fragile."
"No," Anubis had insisted, "we are that fragile. You see...every person's life is just as delicate as this blossom. Many factors go into helping this flower grow: the sun, the rain, and even the air we breathe helps all flowers, including this one, grow and reach its full beauty. Moreover...just like this flower...other forces help people grow. People such as friends, family, and acquaintances help us grow and reach our full potential. Then...once we have reached our zenith...we die and fall away."
"You don't really believe that any of us will die?" I had asked, knowing full well that Talpa had given us both the gift of immortality.
"Maybe not physically," Anubis had answered, "but we are still human. One way or another, we will cycle, learn, reach our full potential, and die, just like the mortals do."
I had said nothing after that, but helped Anubis get up off the grass and walked with him back onto the garden pathway. It didn't occur to me until now, almost two months after your death, that you were right. Each of us blossom and develop in our own way; so I guess it's only fitting that with the coming of spring, I must learn new things and try to reach my full potential. Moreover, even though you're not physically here with me, I can still feel your presence.
As I walk along the garden pathway, I see a small Cherry Blossom land in front of me. As I bend down to pick it up, I think of how you reached your full potential, and in that final act...saved our lives.
Absently, I put the blossom in my hand and throw it up into the air. The wind catches the flower petal and pushes it past me and eventually, takes it beyond the castle grounds. As I watch the flower being blown by the wind, I look back and smile at the words you spoke to me on that day. All life is delicate, you had once told me, but now, two months after your death, I finally realize that those words ring true. All life, I have realized, can be just as delicate as that Cherry Blossom being carried by the breeze.
THE END
Sakura
Isabel Night
The inhabitants of the Nether Realm will tell you, without hesitation, that springtime is the most beautiful and awe-inspiring time of the year. The Cherry Blossoms that bloom in the month the Western Mortals call "March," have been the subject of many paintings, poems, and myths. However, when I see a Cherry Tree in full bloom, my mind unconsciously drifts back to one of the conversations I had with Anubis almost 400 years ago.
I remember the both of us walking along the paved pathway that covered the entire area of the Castle Gardens. Anubis and I had nothing better to do at the time, so we decided to take a walk and look at the beauty of the Cheery Trees that were, at the time, shooting out their new blossoms. As we made our way around the garden pathway, Anubis left the path and walked over to a wooded area that not only had Cherry Trees, but Pine Trees, Maple Trees, and some imported trees we received from the western part of the Mortal Realm called "Dog Wood" trees. I had followed him off the pathway where I eventually found my leader sitting on the grass, holding a small blossom in his hand. As I approached Anubis, he looked up at me and said, "This flower is so delicate...just like a..."
"A mortal's life," I remember answering for him. "Maybe so; however, I highly doubt that all four of us are that fragile."
"No," Anubis had insisted, "we are that fragile. You see...every person's life is just as delicate as this blossom. Many factors go into helping this flower grow: the sun, the rain, and even the air we breathe helps all flowers, including this one, grow and reach its full beauty. Moreover...just like this flower...other forces help people grow. People such as friends, family, and acquaintances help us grow and reach our full potential. Then...once we have reached our zenith...we die and fall away."
"You don't really believe that any of us will die?" I had asked, knowing full well that Talpa had given us both the gift of immortality.
"Maybe not physically," Anubis had answered, "but we are still human. One way or another, we will cycle, learn, reach our full potential, and die, just like the mortals do."
I had said nothing after that, but helped Anubis get up off the grass and walked with him back onto the garden pathway. It didn't occur to me until now, almost two months after your death, that you were right. Each of us blossom and develop in our own way; so I guess it's only fitting that with the coming of spring, I must learn new things and try to reach my full potential. Moreover, even though you're not physically here with me, I can still feel your presence.
As I walk along the garden pathway, I see a small Cherry Blossom land in front of me. As I bend down to pick it up, I think of how you reached your full potential, and in that final act...saved our lives.
Absently, I put the blossom in my hand and throw it up into the air. The wind catches the flower petal and pushes it past me and eventually, takes it beyond the castle grounds. As I watch the flower being blown by the wind, I look back and smile at the words you spoke to me on that day. All life is delicate, you had once told me, but now, two months after your death, I finally realize that those words ring true. All life, I have realized, can be just as delicate as that Cherry Blossom being carried by the breeze.
THE END