Summer Rain
I.
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a kind-hearted king and queen. They ruled over the Land of Fire justly and with their subjects' well-being first and foremost in their minds. One day, however, a dreadful drought came upon the country. The people's crops died and many fell sick due to the extreme heat. Rivers dried up and both humans and animals perished. The king and queen were distraught. Their subjects were dying right before their eyes. Could they not do anything?
It was at their most desperate moment that their royal advisor told them of a rosette-haired witch that resided within the outskirts of their land. Perhaps the king and queen could ask her for help? Spurred on by the will to help their people, the king and queen agreed.
II.
When they said 'Land of Fire', Sakura didn't think that they meant it quite literally. However it still remains true that, in her centuries of existence, she has never experienced summers and droughts more unforgiving than in this godforsaken country. She still thinks it's a beautiful place, though, which is why she decided to settle here and put up with the sweltering summers.
Witches, like Sakura, tended to live in seclusion. It was nothing personal, really. It was just annoying to live with non-magical humans and have them ask you for magical solutions to their everyday woes. Oh, Sakura, my herbs aren't growing well or can you brew a potion that will make my husband stop being a useless piece of dead weight? When she was younger, around her first century or so, she used to live smack-dab in the middle of a bustling town. At first, helping people felt nice. She felt like she was actually doing something useful with her talents. However, after years and years of curing people's warts and their grandchildren's warts and their great-great-grandchildren's warts, helping people becomes old. No, Sakura was out and so done with the 'helping humanity' gig.
III.
"Can you do it?" The king had asked after he relayed the situation, "can you make it rain?"
"Of course," Sakura said nonchalantly as she was boiling water for her morning tea, "rain, storm, manipulating the weather is child's play."
The relief on the faces of the royal couple shone and Sakura almost felt bad for her next sentence. Almost. "I could do it. If I would is another question altogether."
Their faces crumpled, and from over her pot, Sakura saw the pregnant queen weep quietly.
"People are dying!" The king exclaimed.
"As they have for centuries." Sakura deadpanned. "Plague, drought, war, I've seen them all. Humans live and die. It's natural."
To her utter surprise, the king fell to his knees, prostrating himself in front of her. "I beg you," he whispered, "these people are good people. Please, show them mercy."
Following her husband's lead, the queen also knelt before Sakura and cried at her feet. Now, contrary to popular belief, witches are not evil. At least, Sakura likes to think she isn't. They just happen to lead completely different lives from mere mortals. Their lifespans are centuries to mortals' mere decades. It's only natural that they develop a rather apathetic response to human death, especially someone who has lived centuries like Sakura. Sometimes, though, something will tug at their heartstrings and make them remember what it was like being young and idealistic.
"Fine," she sighed, "please get up, your Majesty, it can't possibly be good for your condition to grovel like that." She said, assisting the queen back into her seat.
"Thank you," the queen sobbed, grasping her hand like a lifeline, "thank you, oh, thank you!"
From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw the king stand up and before he could make any motion to thank her, she raised her palm and said, "no, stop. Don't thank me. My services won't come for free."
Because magic always comes at a price.
That very night, rain had come to the Land of Fire. Crops were watered, rivers were filled, and the people rejoiced. The royal couple, however, wept along with the skies. They had twenty years. After that, the debt is to be repaid.
IV.
Sakura had always wondered what the promised child looked like. The child whose life was inexplicably tied to hers by a force greater than her own. The price of the kingdom's safety, to the king and queen's horror, was the child in the queen's womb. Having no choice, they succumbed, and Sakura had been waiting for twenty years for the promised time for payment.
To be honest, she had no idea what to do with the child. She had never liked children in general, and she only hopes this child was taught basic housekeeping so that she could have a use for it, particularly for doing her laundry. In her estimate, the child should be here in roughly a week. She should get the spare room ready by then. After that, maybe she could set aside some time to check out what the child looks like.
V.
From a young age, it had been drilled into Kakashi, prince of the Land of Fire, that there was a higher purpose for him. That someday, he would have to make sacrifices to keep his people safe. At that time, he thought that his mother and father were speaking in riddles. He now understands that it was an introduction to his life sentence.
His twentieth birthday is coming soon. And it was on that day that he was supposed to give up life as he knew it and offer himself to the rose-haired witch. His father said that she was a good person – as much as a person as a witch could be. That she was the one who saved the Land of Fire from certain destruction. Kakashi thought that if she really was a good person, then why did she feel the need to ask for his life as a form of compensation?
A ride in the mountains to clear his head. Yes, that's exactly what he needed.
VI.
Sakura found it rather annoying that for all the effort that she exerted in walking around town all day, she has yet to see the queen's child or at least find out what he looks like. Granted, she never really expected anybody of royal pedigree to be walking around town among commoners, but a portrait at the town square was not unheard of at this age. Irritating her further was the fact that people didn't actually know what he looked alike. Apparently, the prince was a sort of recluse who rarely, if ever, went out of the castle walls.
"What an utter waste of time," she grumbled under her breath.
"What is?" Said a voice from behind her. Tightening the shawl wrapped around her head, Sakura turned around.
VII.
He had been riding far longer than he normally would when he stumbled upon a lake. It was at the edge of town and he really hadn't been here before, always opting to take more mountainous routes in his rides. Tethering his horse to a nearby tree, he had wanted to relax by the lakeside and think about his situation, and perhaps dip his feet in the water for a bit. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice mumble, what an utter waste of time.
He wondered what it was that got the person sounding so annoyed and he didn't realize he actually asked that out loud until she turned and presented him with the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen.
They were green as the freshest sprigs of grass on warm spring day. Spring had always been Kakashi's favourite season.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he sat down beside her. The woman scoffed.
"I don't know you. Why should I tell you anything?"
Kakashi shrugged, "you don't have to. Maybe it'll make you feel better, though."
The woman's gaze softened, "it's nothing important. Just disappointed that I didn't get to see what I came to town for. What about you? You don't look too happy yourself."
It was then that Kakashi realized that he was still frowning. "I don't know you. Why should I tell you anything?" He said, echoing her earlier words and shifting his features into a lopsided grin.
This made the woman smile. "Sakura. My name is Sakura."
Kakashi smiled back. "Kakashi."
VIII.
That day had been the mark of the beginning of a friendship. Other than names, they exchanged no other information about who they are, yet conversation flowed as freely as river water. They talked about plenty of things: current events, politics, history, literature, and sometimes, they just sat next to each other, enjoying the company. The lakeside had been their place, and meeting there almost everyday became a routine.
"You know," Kakashi told her one day as they sat next to each other in quiet, "you never told me why you always wear that shawl." He asked, gesturing at the piece of cloth completely obscuring Sakura's hair.
Sakura pouted as she thought of a response. Hiding her hair had been a habit she acquired when she decided she was done helping humanity for good. Being identified as a witch by her unique hair color had presented all sorts of problems before. "I just like it." She lied.
"What color is your hair?" He asked again after a long silence.
"Brown." She replied quickly, "horribly boring, normal color if you ask me. Why do you ask?"
Kakashi grinned, "nothing. I just want to know so I can imagine you better when we're apart. That's all."
Sakura turned her head so he wouldn't see her smile.
IX.
The next time they met, Kakashi presented her with a shawl of deep emerald green. Just by looking at it, Sakura knew it was made of the finest fabric.
"I saw it and thought of you." He said.
The next time they met, she was wearing the shawl.
X.
The thing about living for centuries is that one reaches a point where one really couldn't care any less. One city is the same as another and what's another plague in the grand scheme of things anyway? Events blur into one huge mass and human lives were fleeting and it would do no good to get mixed up with them. Sakura learned this the hard way when she was but a tender young bud of a century. She was a pretty young thing back then, same as she was now in terms of appearance, to be honest. She had fallen in love with a mortal despite the warnings of the elder witches in her coven. He was a boy with hair like the darkest night and eyes that match. And he loved her back.
They lived in the middle of the town, him being a woodworker by trade, while she lent her skills to the populace as an herbalist who had strangely effective, almost magical, cures. It was five years of utter bliss. Five years of utter bliss until he fell sick and died. Plague had come to their town, and sometimes, death's calling was so loud that no magic could beckon the soul back. Sasuke died and part of Sakura died along with him. She cried and mourned and realized that her coven was right all along. To a witch like her with centuries to live, humans are specks of dust in eternity.
And that had been her way of life for years. Yet, why does her heart skip a beat whenever Kakashi is near? Why does she anticipate their meetings and why does his face never leave her mind? Fraternizing with humans never brought her any good and now, she was repeating that mistake again. This thing with Kakashi, whatever it was, had to stop. Resolved, Sakura marched on to their place by the lake and promised that today was the day they would say goodbye.
He was already there when she arrived, his eyes downcast and seemingly absorbed in his own thoughts. He still sensed her approaching, though, and turned his head towards her to smile.
Sakura had wanted to make this quick, to be honest. She just wanted to see him for the last time, then say that they can't possibly see each other anymore. An exchange of no more than a minute, and then she leaves forever. His eyes, however, stopped her in her tracks. They were melancholy in a way that she never saw before. The mischievous twinkle in them was gone, and his smile didn't quite reach them. Abandoning all thoughts of farewells for a moment, she sat down next to him.
"What's wrong?" She asked, concern clouding her features. She extended her arm to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but suddenly, he snatched her wrist and pulled her to his chest, caging her lithe form in his arms.
"I'm leaving." He whispered, "in a week."
Sakura's breath hitched. Her plan all along was to say goodbye, yet when the perfect excuse presented itself, she felt devastated. "How long?" She asked, though she didn't knew why she did.
"Possibly forever."
And it was at that moment that the fear of losing Kakashi completely hit Sakura like a pile of bricks. She had wanted to keep her distance for fear of getting hurt. Well, it's too late. Slowly, she snaked her arms around his torso to return his embrace. "Why?"
She felt him sigh, "it's my duty. Long decided, before I was born."
"Duty be damned." She whispered into his shirt. She felt like crying and bit her lip hard in order to stop the tears in its tracks.
"I'll be here everyday until the day I leave," he said. "Will I see you?"
She didn't reply, only stayed in his arms in silence. He let her lack of response pass and that was how they stayed until the moon shone from above.
XI.
Kakashi absolutely dreaded the day he would turn twenty for it would be the day he would turn over himself to the one who held his life ever since he was born. He abhorred the rose-haired witch, no matter how much his father told him that it was she who saved their land many years ago. He hated her for reducing his life into a commodity, a form of payment for a favor done. But most of all, he hated her for taking him away when he finally found love.
Kakashi wished he had met Sakura earlier. He wished he had more time with her. Wished that they had forever to spend with each other. It was just tragic that their story ended before it could even begin. And it was all the fault of the rose-haired witch. How he could spend the rest of his days subservient to someone he despised, he didn't know. Maybe I should run away, he thought, with Sakura. And it was a pleasing idea, one that he would entertain when the nights are dark and he was alone with his thoughts. However, it would only remain an imagined indulgence, for he was a prince to his land, bound by his duty, and nothing could ever change that.
Nothing.
Not even love.
XII.
For the rest of the week, Sakura didn't show herself to their place. The promised child would arrive any day now and she used the excuse of preparing for his arrival in order to avoid seeing Kakashi. She didn't want to see him. She was scared that she won't be able to let him go. On the night before his departure, however, she decided that she couldn't take it any longer. She had to see him one last time and then she would finally let go for both of their sakes.
A witch and a mortal could never be, after all.
She only hoped that he would be there tonight, waiting for her.
XIII.
Kakashi's eyes lit up when he took in her petite form in the shadows. For days, he had hoped she would meet him only to be disappointed. He even tried searching for her home within the area to no avail. He had thought that he would never see her again, but to his pleasant surprise, here she was.
She looked as she always did. Beautiful, with her green eyes that shone with unshed tears and her hair carefully wrapped in the emerald shawl he gave her in what felt like an eternity ago.
"I never thought you'd come," he whispered as he cradled her face with his hand.
"I never thought I would too," Sakura replied, savoring the feel of his hand against her cheek. "When are you leaving?"
"First thing in the morning," he replied. "Will you stay with me until then?"
Sakura smiled, "of course."
That night, they pretended. Pretended that today was just another day and that tomorrow, things would be the same. Sakura pretended that she was a mortal woman who was with the man she loved. She talked about what kind of house they would build and what herbs they should plant in the back garden. She talked about what they would name their children and how they would have their father's beautiful, silver hair. Kakashi pretended that he wasn't a prince bounded by duty and simply a man holding the woman he loves. He told her how he would find work in the marketplace and come home tired and longing for her touch. He told her how he would gaze into her eyes and make love to her in the darkest of the night. He would teach their children how to ride horses and they absolutely have to have their mother's beautiful eyes.
The night wore on, and they talked until they were tired, and they fell asleep in each other's arms. The first rays of the sun was soon peeking over the horizon, slowly waking Sakura from her slumber. The morning sun's heat that felt like a warm, welcoming embrace before now felt like a sentence as it heralded the end of their final night. She gazed at his sleeping face and couldn't help but smile. He was truly beautiful, and even though it hurts so much right now, she does not regret falling in love with him at all.
Slowly, she unwrapped the shawl covering her hair and folded it neatly beside him. It would do her no good to have something to remember him by. She lowered herself to his sleeping form and touched her lips upon his cheek before disentangling herself from his arms and finally walking away.
She never looked back.
XIV.
When Kakashi woke up, Sakura had been long gone. And he supposed it was for the best too, since he didn't think he could bear to be the one who'll walk away from her. Suddenly, his fingers made contact with smooth fabric and found that Sakura left her shawl. He gently gathered the garment in his hands, holding it carefully like it was the most precious of diamonds. As sunlight bounced off the fabric, he noticed a glint from the corner of his eye.
Quite a few pink hair strands clung to the shawl, an evidence of the frequent use of its owner. Suddenly, stories he heard during his childhood passed through his mind. Stories of a powerful witch who lived in the outskirts of the Land of Fire with hair the most unnatural shade of rose. Enlightenment came with the memories of boyhood tales flashing in his consciousness, and in that moment, Kakashi knew just who exactly Sakura was.
XV.
Sakura was finishing up on a particularly complicated potion when she heard a knock. As soon as she arrived home, she began to immerse herself in magical study as a way to remove her mind from Kakashi. The distraction had been working well so far when the interruption arrived. Given the obscure location of her home, she doesn't receive visitors all too often, however, she'd been expecting the arrival of the promised child for quite a few days now. Thinking it's probably him, she got up to her feet and walked to the door.
XVI.
Kakashi had figured out who she was the moment he had known her hair color. Yet seeing her in front of him, her green eyes wide in shock, had been a rollercoaster of emotions for him as well. He guessed that perhaps, some part of him had hoped that it wasn't her after all. That he was mistaken, and he hadn't unwittingly fallen in love with the woman he thought he loathed. Yet part of him was glad for this means that he didn't have to be apart from her after all. The witch owned his body, and this fact was set in stone way before he was born. Meanwhile, Sakura owned his heart, and Kakashi can't help but feel a twinge of gladness that she was the one who owned him wholly and completely.
"You left early," he said with a smile.
"I was too afraid to say goodbye," she whispered, still unbelieving at what was unfolding right before her eyes.
"I really don't think you need to after all," he said as he reached for her hand, entwining their fingers with each other. "Hatake Kakashi, crown prince of the Land of Fire, at your service."
Sakura let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding, "is it really you?"
"The reason why I had to leave." He affirmed. "I was part of a bargain to save my kingdom."
Suddenly, shame clouded Sakura's face, "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to take your life from you. But all magic has to be paid for, and the one that called for summer rain required a life bond between the caster and a sacrifice."
Kakashi smiled, "I won't deny that I felt bad about it at first."
"At first?"
"How could I continue feeling bad about it when it lead me to you?"
A smile slowly crept up into Sakura's face. Try as she might to suppress her grin, her happiness at this turn of events was too much. It is true that human lives are fleeting, but a lifetime with Kakashi was more than she could ever hope for. Perhaps she is stupid for getting close to the flame once more after being burned before, but Kakashi was more than just a flame. He was warmth and the sun and the birds singing in the sky. He was spring and the freshest grass and the most vibrant of flowers. He was the refreshing cool water of the river and the tears of the sky that fell to nourish the earth.
He was everything, and then some more.
He was the rain that quenched her heart's drought.
He was her summer rain.