The precipitation slowly pattered to the soft, wet grass in Nihon's backyard. Small, rippling puddles formed from the gentle rain drops-merging with the water in the small pond; doused by the half-full bamboo shoot that sprang up and down once every few seconds. The teru teru bozu doll hung delicately from the porch roof.
A small cup of green tea was placed onto the small coaster, clear vapors still steaming from the surface. Once every now and then, soft hands would gently place themselves on the side and bottom; gently, they would lift the cup to touch smooth, pink lips. Kiku's lips.
Kiku Honda was sitting on his backyard garden porch, watching the rain fall ceaselessly onto the moist sand. He did not expect such odd weather to come in the middle of Summer-perhaps this was a sign.
He looked up at the sky; cloudy and gray, with a round, weak beam of light piercing the thick mist-the sun, or perhaps, his shining mother, Amaterasu, silently overlooking the archipelago with care. Kiku gazed back admirably, as he prayed quietly in his thoughts.
A light tapping at the door woke Kiku up from his reverie, his mind set to an image of opening the house entrance. Who could it be, with this rain falling? Kiku rushed towards the door, glancing at the rather large silhouette behind the window curtains.
"Ah, Girisu-san, welcome. What brings you here on this dreary morning?" He asked softly as he opened the door and gestured the man to come inside.
Heracles Karpusi, a large, Grecian man, took off his long, tan boots and placed them near the entrance beside a small cylinder-like basket full of umbrellas. Quietly, he slipped off his long espresso-colored coat and held it against his chest. A small kitten laid in the coat, wrapped by the coat arms.
"...Kiku...I'm sorry if I'm intruding...but I found this little one in a small cardboard box, soaked by the rain. Your house was the closest, and.." He paused. "You..are very tender and caring, I thought you could care for her for now..."
Kiku Honda stared at Heracles for a moment, then at the petite little bundle of soft fur in his arms.
"But of course I will help you, and your little friend. Is she okay? She looks rather sick-perhaps she caught cold." The kitten was breathing quite heavily.
Amaterasu slowly decscended, and the night became much more clear, since the ame had stopped to fall and the mist had past.
Kiku prepared a small bed of cloth with a blanket and poured warm milk into a small, elegant bowl for the kitten. Heracles and Kiku stayed past late hours, and kept a vigil over the kitten as she slept, her heartbeat slowly regaining a normal pace.
"...Arigatou, Kiku-san," The Grecian whispered to Kiku, his japanese a bit odd-sounding due to a thick Mediterranean accent. His beautiful emerald eyes looking at Kiku's.
Kiku looked up from the sleeping kitten to Heracles's eyes-they were full of gratitude. He smiled.
"You are welcome, Girisu-san. I am glad to be of service to..um...what is her name?" He glanced at the lump of fluff curiously.
"...You should name her. After all, she and I are indebted to you." He looked at Kiku with a tired grin.
The Japanese man stared at the kitten softly. He thought of many cute girl names that appeared in his mind. Then, he felt that a casual name may not be appropriate and decided to use a name with a symbolic meaning.
"...Sakura," He whispered with a gentle smile on his face. "The cherry blossoms, Sakura, portray the spontaneous blooming of nature, like the mysterious appearance of clouds." He looked up at the darkened sky. Tsukiyomi shone with a magnificent brilliance.
For a while, Kiku had stared long at the moon, then back down to the two. He noticed that both Heracles and Sakura were sound asleep, laying nearby each other under the pale moonlight.
As calmly and quietly as he could, Kiku rose and brought back a large blanket from the closet where he kept his futon, and drew it from Heracles's feet until it finally reached his chest. Kiku slipped in quietly by the opposite side of Heracles, making sure that Sakura and her bed were in between them, and fell fast asleep.