Disclaimer: We don't own Sakura Taisen or any of its characters. They belong to Ohji Hiroi. We are just very big fans:o)
Flowers Blossom In Spring
The heavy-sweet aroma of the late spring flowers filled the night air. The enchanting song of the crickets made you feel as if you were in another world. It was long since Teito had fallen asleep when the clock tower rang for midnight. The shinning moon was reining in the cloudless velvet sky, peering in an open window on the second floor of the TeiGeki. Kanna and Ohgami were lying close together in the Hanagumi captain's bed, the silver rays tracing their sweaty bodies.
The tall redhead cuddled close in his embrace, while Ohgami was playing with her hair, savoring the beauty of the moment after an amazing night.
He pulled her closer, tenderly kissing her lips and whispered in her ear, "I love you... Thank God I found you."
"I thank God I've found you too," Kanna replied, cuddling closer to him.
"How did I live before you? No… it wasn't life... it was just existence, without you, my beautiful flower, to lighten up my days..." said the young man looking tenderly in his lover's eyes, as he caressed her cheeks with the back of his palm.
"Mmmm...Could you please stop it? Hmm... You're melting me down... mmh..." lovingly chuckled Kanna, as her face turned crimson.
Ohgami smiled softly. "But why my love... I love so much seeing you blush. And I would like nothing more than to have you melt in my arms and become a part of me... not that you aren't already a part of me..." he kissed her forehead softly. "You run down my veins..." then he kissed the tender skin above her heart, "You beat in my heart..." and then he whispered in her mouth just before kissing her passionately, "You're the very air I breathe."
"You're my candy, my chocolate... my never ending source of sweetness..." Kanna replied, not knowing what else to say. She pressed her body against her lover, enjoying the sensation as they got closer.
Ohgami kissed her deeply and passionately once more, running his fingers down her spin, barely touching her skin.
"You'll never leave me, right?" she asked him.
"Never..." he whispered without hesitation, drowning in her eyes.
"Promise me you will never…" Kanna asked like a little child, softly pressing her lips against his.
The young Hanagumi captain responded to her loving gesture and in between kisses whispered to her "I promise... I'll be crazy to run away from my happiness..."
On the next morning all the girls enjoyed breakfast in happy silence. Ohgami's tray stood lonely before his empty chair in the dinning room.
"I wonder where oniichan is," Iris suddenly asked.
"That lazy good-for-nothing Japanese man is probably still sleeping." harshly replied Orihime, "or maybe he hasn't come back from circling the whore-houses in Teito... low-life sailor..."
"Shush...Orihime!" Maria warned the Italian to mind her language, pointing at Iris.
"Do you think he would really do that?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"He's a man," answered the Italian.
"I agree with you, Orihime." said Sumire, "what else could you expect from the likes of him than to have some slut or maybe sluts...? What could he do when he is no match for the likes of us…" she added conceitedly after assuring herself that Iris won't hear her.
"Sumire...," Maria muttered, giving her friend another scolding glance. "Sumire and Orihime, both of you shouldn't speak like that." she continued.
Though she appeared to have been eagerly eating, Kanna was listening carefully to every word they said. Somehow, she felt something strange. Something she had never felt before.
'A... are they right?' the Okinawan questioned herself.
The quiet breakfast turned into a fierce battlefield. Orihime continued to speak ill about their captain, Sumire eagerly supporting her while Maria was trying to calm them down.
Kanna's blood started to boil.
'They don't know him, how can they speak like that... He's our captain... He's my Ichiro... What should I do… ?' The redhead's mind struggled in frustration.
Kohran noticed the small change in Kanna's gestures and expression.
"What's up Kanna?" she asked the tall karate master.
"Eeh...? What did you say?" snapping out of her thoughts, Kanna asked her back.
"You look strange... I'm just worried that something might be wrong with you..." the Chinese mechanic explained with care.
"Eeh...? How can you say that there's something wrong with me?" Kanna waved off the freckle-faced girl's comment laughing. "I'm alright. Don't worry, don't worry..."
She continued eating, but deep inside her heart was being torn to pieces. The rest of the girls were too busy keeping track of the verbal struggle between Maria and her two teammates to notice the nervous flicker in the corner of the redhead's eyes.
"Why don't you leave taicho alone." coldly replied Reni, trying to act as a referee. "He has his own life, who are we to judge him."
"But, Reni, that sort of life is...," confronted her Orihime.
"You don't know anything Orihime. You can't say for sure if he even has someone. You're just making suggestions." Maria cut her off emotionlessly.
"Ohohoho... but Maria, Orihime is right!" Sumire said slyly. "He's a man. He can go and leave without any remarkable traces...Who knows what he does when we're not around?"
Kanna stopped eating and glared at Sumire, gulping down the words her mind had for the Kanzaki heiress.
"Why are you looking at me like this, stupid ape woman." asked Sumire, poison dripping from her voice. "Did I say something your puny little mind couldn't comprehend?" the brunette mocked her.
As slow as she could, Kanna stood up. She rested her hands on the table, trying hard to stop the nervous shake that was running down her entire body.
"What did you say, snake woman?" the red-haired Okinawan asked her emotionally.
"I just remarked that you didn't have a brain, you senseless monkey." fiery replied the sole heiress of the Kanzaki Empire.
"It's you who doesn't have a brain, not me." Kanna replied. "If you had a brain, you wouldn't say things like that."
"Like what, ape-woman?" a bit confused, the brunette teased her.
"How can you say that our captain is doing something like that?" the red-haired actress barely managed to ask her.
"He is a low-life sailor like Orihime said... It's in his blood." answered with mockery the young woman.
"He's not an ordinary sailor!" Kanna stated her argument, "He's our captain! He saved many of us in critical situations... How dare you two talk like that!"
Sumire was taken aback by the fire with which Kanna defended Ohgami, as were all of the girls. But this didn't stop her from continuing her poisonous harangue.
"Ohohohoho... you brainless ape-woman, what do YOU understand..." she mocked the redhead.
"At least I understand much more than you," answered Kanna, mocking the self-proclaimed top-star back.
"Ohohohohoho... and what makes you think that?" sneered Sumire.
"At least, I'm thinking before opening my mouth!" the tanned Japanese struck back.
"You... ohohohohoh... don't make me laugh!" slightly offended replied the brown-haired actress.
"Who is making you laugh, you cactus?" Kanna raised her tone an octave. "You are making ME laugh."
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, you ape!" fumed with anger Sumire. "And why are you defending him so much... it's not like he is your boyfriend or something. He's just a low-life male that was assigned as the leader of the Hanagumi because he had some spiritual energy... Not that I accept that." she added with ridicule.
Kanna punched the table hard, making some food spill. Her face was red with anger.
"Don't you dare speak like that about my boyfriend!" she shouted loudly.
All the girls stood stunned. For a few tense moments silence reined in the dinning room.
The tension was so tick that you could cut it with a knife. No one expected an answer like that. Even though none of them would admit it, each of the Hanagumi girls had a crush on their spike haired captain. They were all amazed that one of them had the courage to take the next step.
After she regained she cool, Sumire started laughing hysterically.
"Hahahahaha... What? You! This is not possible. What man would look at you, you're such an ape!" she managed to say in between the heavy laughter which drove her to tears.
"Men would better look at an ape than at a snake like you!" Kanna screamed loudly. "If you're jealous, just say it! Stop saying messy things!"
"Me?" exclaimed Sumire. "Jealous! Of you! Don't be ridiculous! How can I, the top star of Teito, be jealous of someone like you...? You're so pathetic..."
"Ahhh... I see it now." added Orihime. "He's such a lowly creature. He doesn't want to pay for services like this and cheated you to give him this for free. Ahhh... poor Kanna, how can you fall in a trap like this. Japanese men are such jerks."
A loud bumping sound was heard. Kanna had just kicked her chair down. Her whole body was shaking in tension and frustration, her teeth were grinding but she couldn't find words to fight the two noble ladies back.
Sakura looked at her in surprise. "Ka...Kanna..."
But the red headed wasn't there anymore. She had dashed out of the room, bitter tears running down her face.
"See what the two of you have done?" Maria scolded Sumire and Orihime. "Don't you think you went a little too far!" the Russian added. "How can you speak about two of your comrades, two of your friends, like that? You don't even know if anything you said is true. How can you do this!" her eyes were red with anger. She barely prevented herself from slapping the two girls.
"But... it's..." tried to say Sumire.
"No buts..." Maria shot her with a pair of cold emerald eyes. "I don't want to hear another thing from the both you."
"Mari..." tried to oppose Orihime.
"If you say another word, you'll eat a bullet for breakfast." cut her off the Russian.
Maria was furious. She couldn't remember when was the last time she let her emotions show that much. Her mind quickly waved off that thought, letting the concern for her friend take over. Silent as a rock, she left the room, trying hard not to let the others see her anger.
"Bad, bad...Everything is getting worse and worse now," Kohran muttered, looking at all her remaining teammates.
"I think you two must clear this up," Reni said, looking at both Sumire and Orihime.
"Hmmm... I only stated facts" said Orihime.
"A star like me doesn't deal with cleaning ups." added Sumire.
Both of them waved their heads conceitedly and left the room together.
"This is very bad... what are we going to do?" asked Sakura in frustration.
"What has really happened?" Iris stomped, looking at her older teammates in confusion.
There was no answer. Reni was facing the window with an emotionless expression, deep in her though while Sakura and Kohran were trying to understand themselves what exactly had happened just now.
Kanna rushed to her room and slamming the door behind her, she jumped on the bed. Her pillow soaked with her bitter tears. When there were no more tears in heart to cry, she turned around and stared at the ceiling. Her troubled mind started thinking about Sumire and Orihime's words.
'Could they be right?' the red-headed asked herself.
The more she thought about the incident in the dinning room, the more confused she got. All of a sudden she jumped on the floor. She clung at the door and then sat on the window sill, gazing at spring Teito.
Infuriated, Maria paced round the halls of the theater, not knowing exactly what to do. 'Orihime and Sumire really did it this time. But how could have Kanna never told me she had something with the captain. I really need to talk to her before she does something stupid.'
The blond started moving in a hurry to her friend's room.
When she found herself in front of the door, she hesitated for a moment. Was it really her place to talk to the Okinawan right now, maybe she'd better give her some time to cool off? For a few minutes she just stood before the wooden door, wondering what to do.
At last she knocked hesitantly on the door.
"Kanna, it's me... I want to talk to you. Please let me in."
But there was no answer.
"Kanna, please... let me talk to you."
Still nothing... the Russian knocked a few more times, but the result was the same... silence.
"Kanna, whether you like it or not, I'm coming in..." said Maria as she twisted the door knob. To her surprise she found her best friend's room empty.
"Oh, no... Kanna..."
Filled with worry, Maria walked downstairs to the common room. When she opened slowly the door, she saw Reni sitting on the window rail looking at the distance, deep in her thoughts. Sakura, Iris and Kohran were playing a board game but nobody seemed to pay attention to it.
The Russian sighed deeply as she quietly entered the room.
"Reni, can you please find Sumire and Orihime and bring them here. I need to talk to all of you." she said grimly.
Reni looked at Maria for a while, wondering what had happened. But, looking into those green eyes, she knew there's a critical trouble they must solve.
"Alright," said the German, standing up and walking towards the door.
"What has happened, Maria?" asked Sakura, ignoring the game for a while and looking at the blonde.
Maria just lowered her head, closing her eyes and stood in silence.
"Kanna... Has something bad happened to her?" Iris suddenly asked.
"Something really bad Iris... but let Reni find the others," said the emerald eyed woman bitterly, "and I'll explain everything to you."
It was clear to all of them that the Russian was barely holding back her anger and the matter was really serious.
The door creaked opened.
"Is there something important Maria, for you to call me here?" Orihime asked.
The Italian entered the room, taking her usual place. Sumire followed her, and behind the two noble women Reni walked in silence.
The Russian warrior took a deep breath to calm herself and release the anger that emulated in her. Slowly she walked to the opened window and turned her back to the girls.
"You really outdid yourselves this time..." she started slowly. "Sumire... Orihime... Did you really had to go this far? Can't you at least for once swallow your stupid pride and remember we are a team... we are friends... we are family."
She turned around and faced the dumbfounded Hanagumi. Complete lack of understanding shone in both Sumire's and Orihime's eyes.
Maria lowered her eyes so she could avoid those of her teammates and said just under her breath, "Kanna has gone..."
"WHAT!" all the other girls cried in shock.
Sakura walked towards Maria, looking at the blonde. She wished that it was just a lie, that it was just Maria's attempt to clear everything, but... looking into the two green emeralds on the ex-markswoman's face, she knew it was true.
"Maria..." her voice was shaking. She wasn't able to say anything more.
"Maria-han...What exactly happened?" asked Kohran confused.
"What's more to say...?" Maria replied in frustration. "I don't know myself. I wanted to talk to her after the incident from breakfast. When I went to search for her, there was no answer form her room. So I walked in. There was no one there..." she stopped for a moment, trying to find strength to finish the sentence. "Her bag was gone as well."
"Maybe she has decided to go on training," Sumire commented, standing up and preparing to leave. "I'd better go now, I have an important thing to do," she said, making an excuse to leave. "I'll see you all at..."
Maria's whole being began to tremble in anger at the arrogance of Teito's 'top-star'.
"You stay right where you are, Miss Kanzaki!" almost shouted the Russian. "This is exactly why we are having difficulties. Because for you, a team member is not an important issue."
She took a deep breath trying her best to suppress her anger. "Don't you realize it's all your fault? Think a little. Kanna wouldn't go training without warning anyone. You hurt her feelings. I think I speak for the rest of us as well when I'm saying you hurt all of us today with your comments. You don't have the right to speak about our captain in that fashion. Especially when you don't have any proofs of it. And I thought that Kazumi was the one spreading rumors in this theater!"
She glared the Kanzaki heiress right in the eyes, shooting her down with just a stare. "Only Kanna of all of us had the courage to protect him. And even when you found out that they were emotionally involved, you continued with your poisonous darts. Where was your mind! Kanna might look tough, but she has a heart, like each and every one of us. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Stunned by Maria's sentences, Sumire turned back and sat down. She looked strange. Finally she started realizing what has happened earlier and even though she wouldn't admit it, guilt slowly sank in her heart. She just stood in silence, clinging tightly at Orihime.
Tense silence engulfed the room. None of the girls dared say anything. All of them fell deep in there thoughts, trying to comprehend the situation and looking for a way out of it. Right at this moment the door opened widely and a smiley Ohgami entered the common room.
"Hello everybody! Ahh... what a beautiful day, isn't it?" he said happily. The girls turned their eyes to him. Seven guilty stares met his jet black eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked confused.
"O...oniichan...," Iris started speaking, no more loudly than a whisper. "Kanna...Kanna..."
Ohgami's happy expression changed in mere seconds when he caught the worry in the French girl's voice. "Where is Kanna? What happened to her?"
No one had the courage to answer.
"Girls tell me... what happened to Kanna? Where is she?" he asked again, his whole body engulfed in worry.
"Taicho..." Maria hesitantly started speaking. "She... she ran off..."
"NANI?" cried Ohgami. "Maria... what the heck happened in here?" he added forgetting manners, feeling the threat on his love.
"In the morning... they had a little argument with Sumire and Orihime... about you... where you were... it was such a mess... she was forced to tell us about you two... they hurt her feelings... I suppose." Her voice started trembling. "When I went to calm her down, she wasn't in her room... neither was her bag..."
Ohgami was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say or do. He glared at Sumire and Orihime with anger. Both actresses looked at floor. The consequences of their actions had finally sunk in and they were drowned in guilt.
For a few tense moments all of the remaining Hanagumi stood like that, in uncomfortable silence. Then all of a sudden Ohgami dashed out of the room.
"This is not good!" Kohran cried, "I think we must follow him! He's angry now, he might do harmful things. Maria-han!"
"No..." emotionlessly replied the Russian. "We made enough of a mess for one day. Let him be..."
'Go Ohgami-kun... and may God watch over you... bring her back... Pajalusta, bring her back...' she thought as tiny pearls formed in the corner of her eyes.
The front door of the theater slammed as Ohgami ran out of it. He dashed on the busy streets of the city, without even a certain direction. People looked at him as if they were looking at a mad man, but he didn't care. There was nothing more important for him than to find the tall read-headed immediately and bring her back to the theater.
A single thought roamed in his mind right now:
'Kanna...why...why Kanna...'
His mind worked hard, as well as his body. Thinking and running as fast as he could, he started realizing something.
"That place," he muttered to himself, "I must get there soon!"
All of a sudden, he stopped and started running to another direction, once again, gaining curious glances.
He couldn't think more about it. He shook his head and ran faster.
'I hope I won't be late!' he thought, increasing his speed. 'If I'm late...I...I won't be able to...to...'
In the meantime in the other part of the city, Kanna wondered around aimlessly.
'Can they be right... could he really just be using me...'
Silent tears fell freely down her face. Without the tall redhead realizing it, her feet had led her to Teito Park. She passed by an enchanting lake and slowly mounted the small hill with wondrous Sakura trees on top of it, next to nature's silver mirror.
She sat on the ground under the shade of the blossoming trees. A bitter smile formed on her lips.
'It was here... here he told me about his love... here he made me feel like I was the only girl in the whole wide world... was it that long ago?...'
A river of pearls ran down her hot cheeks, as her mind drifted away to that enchanting moment six months ago.
She was taking a walk in the warm autumn night trying to clear her head. Just like today, subconsciously her feet had led her to this beautiful spot. She leaned on the tall welcoming trees and looked at the sleeping city. Little late lights were flickering here and there as the clear velvet sky was covering the earth like a blanket. Even in this serene atmosphere, her heart was troubled. She was sinking deep in her thoughts and she didn't feel the shy shaky hands that fell on her shoulders.
"K...Kanna..." a voice whispered from behind.
Taken aback, the redhead turned suddenly. "Taicho?... What are you doing here at this time?" she asked confused.
"I... I followed you..." answered shyly Ohgami. "I need to talk with you. I need to tell you something."
Gathering all his courage the Hanagumi captain took a deep breath. "Kanna... I... I don't know how to say this and I know that no matter what, nothing will be the same tomorrow... but I can't live anymore like this... keeping this secret in my chest... And even if you hate me in the morning, I'm willing to take the risk, because it's worth it... because you're worth it..."
Endless confusion could be read in the Okinawan's eyes, she was so stunned that she couldn't utter a word.
Ohgami gathered all his courage and continued now firmly. "Kanna... I... I love you."
What followed confused the Japanese man even more. For more that he expected a punch, he received a soft kiss on the lips.
"I love you too." whispered Kanna before he kissed her deeply and passionately.
Two small, clear drops of liquid tumbled down on Kanna's cheeks, taking her back to the present. She closed her eyes, and stood up. Opening her eyes, and looking at the huge, beautiful city, she thought it was time for her to say goodbye.
"Goodbye... Teito... goodbye...everyone... goodbye..." she said just above her breath, sorrow dripping from her voice.
At that point she stopped. There was no strength left in her to continue her farewell.
'I...I can never say goodbye to him,' she thought, biting her lips a bit. 'There are surely lots of sweet memories...I...I can never say goodbye...'
But deep in her heart, she knew she had to leave. Stepping a few steps backwards, she raised her head, looking at the city once more.
'Goodbye...all...'
Just as the redhead started walking downhill, two strong hands embraced her from behind. A soft and weary head rested on her back.
"Don't go... Don't break my heart, Kanna... please don't go..."
Realizing who was embracing her, Kanna jumped forward and turned.
"Please don't follow me, and don't stop me! I'll go, no matter what you say!" she screamed.
Small tears shone in the captain's eyes. For a few moments he was so terrified, he couldn't utter a word.
"Why...?" was the only thing that left his lips. The tears fell down his face at the seriousness of the Okinawan's words.
"No need to ask me why," Kanna replied coldly and even she herself wondered how she could say those words. She turned back and started walking further.
Ohgami grabbed her hand and stopped her movement.
"Why my love... why do you want to leave... I need to know what happened... I deserve to know... if I hurt you somehow I would never forgive myself... Please koi... please..."
Kanna stopped and shook her head. "Do you know what you've done?" she asked him, her voice trembling.
"No... I'm sorry... I don't know... it might sound conceited but all I did was love you... from the bottom of my heart... and this will never change... But if by accident I did something else, please tell me and I'll do everything in my power to fix it... please koi, my life isn't worth anything without you in it..." replied the spiky-haired Japanese, pouring all his soul in his answer.
Kanna stood silent for a while. "I...I...,"
She failed to utter even a single word. She started sobbing, and slowly fell down on her knees.
Ohgami kneeled beside her and wrapped his arms around her. He moved her face so that their eyes would meet and wiped away her tears.
"No more tears... I will make it so you'll never cry again..." He drew her closer to him, crushing their bodies together. "I love you my sweet flower... I love you more than life itself..." he said to her just before kissing her deeply.
Betraying her thoughts, which told her to break the kiss and slap him for this sudden gesture, Kanna replied the kiss.
'I can never forget him! I...I...I love him...Even now...after...after...'
A bit later, they broke the kiss. Kanna slowly stood up, throwing her glance away from Ohgami so that the captain couldn't see her expression.
"Is it true that you're just using me?" she asked, slowly and almost inaudibly.
At first Ohgami was stunned, taking a few seconds to comprehend what the karate master was saying.
"I would never do that... I truly love you with all my being... I can only feel honored that you love me back... because I'm not worthy of you beauty, of your inner soul..." he replied seriously and earnestly.
"Are you sure?" Kanna asked in a rather distinct tone.
"I've never been surer in my entire life... From the moment I got in Teito I was stunned by something in you... and as I started knowing you more and more, I sank in this feeling which took away my sleep, my thoughts... all I could think about was you... all the time... and since that faithful night when I gathered all my courage to let my feelings free and followed you here, I am living in paradise..."
For a few moments all that Kanna could do was just stay quiet. "Y...you...you...,"
The wall she had built around her heart broke into pieces. She turned back to face him, and fell into his embrace.
"I...I can never forget you! I...I love you much, you must know it!"
Happiness sparkled in the young man's eyes. He pulled his lover even closer, whispering in her ear "Never leave me like that, ok?"
"Ok, Ok... I promise I'll never leave you..." she replied lovingly.
He kissed her deeply and broke the kiss after a few blissful moments. He hesitated for a moment but the closeness with Kanna gave him wings. He backed away just a little to reach something from his pocket.
"I finally managed to gather enough for this. Kayama arranged it from abroad and the ship was late... but better late than never." he kneeled down and opened a small velvet box. There was a beautiful ring with a small delicate ruby inside. He placed it on Kanna's finger and whispered. "Will you marry me Kanna?"
Surprised by the dreadful question, Kanna gasped and looked into Ohgami's eyes, hoping to find some naughty sparks there. But there was only love. This time, she knew he was serious.
"I...I...," she made a small pause, just to ease the nervous feeling, "will."
Ohgami rose and pulled her close in a hug.
"I love you." he said just before kissing her deeply.
THE END
Japanese glossary:
koi – my love; lover
Russian glossary:
Pajalusta - please
Hope you like it guys :o) Please read and review, each review will be answered in the same fashion it was posted, so if you don't want rudeness in return, please no flames. Constructive critics are well accepted and appreciated.
A small note from Lia, who wants to say a huge thank you to her wonderful boyfriend for helping her think of the idea for that story and plotting it. Thanks so much baby ;o) XXX
Best wishes to all, Hana Shimai