Under the Plum Tree
Chapter 1: Daily Ritual
Light footsteps made their way slowly through the swaying grass to their desired destination. Every step she made was poised and confident, never faltering in uncertainty. Her bare feet feeling a tiny tingling sensation with every stride. She never showed impatience on the outside, though she was eager to get there on the inside.
Her most cherished treasure, one of the very few she possessed, came into view of her viridian eyes. A barely noticeable glint of glee appeared in her hollow eyes, but only for a fleeting moment.
There, on top of a lone, grassy hill, stood a firmly rooted plum tree. Once reaching her destination, she allowed herself to carefully sit down under the tree, her back leaning against the supportive trunk. Reaching her hand down to entwine her fingers with a blade of grass and twirling it absentmindedly, the young woman closed her eyes ever so slowly and took in a deep breath of the morning mist. The soft breezes picked up her long tresses of pink hair and gently brushed them against her cheeks. This simple sensation of being under the tree was one that she was too habituated to, as it was a part of her daily routine. However, she never got tired of the comforting feeling she got whenever she was under her tree.
Uchiha Sakura. This was her sanctuary. The one place that no matter what, seems to always ease her mind of all troubles. The only place where she doesn't feel alone, even though her home is filled with the nonstop presence of her many relatives. The only place she knew was untainted of the world's maliciousness. The whole scene of a lone plum tree on a grassy hill gave off a sense of purity and freedom, and that is what she craved.
She doesn't come to this haven just to relax everyday, rather, she feels a strong unknown bond between her and the tree that seems to call out to her every day. And every day, she answers to its call patiently.
Today was no exception. As her royal family begins their daily busy schedule, doing all the work for the princess without feeling the heed to trouble her, Sakura searched for every chance to make her little escapade. She wakes up before anyone else every day and lets her mind wander as her feet automatically go to where she is now. She walks through the family grove, across the wild flower fields, and up onto the hill of her beloved tree.
The princess let out a small exasperated sigh. Today's results were also no different than every other day. She still had not found what her empty heart had been yearning for; the missing piece. Her face never conveyed an ounce of what she was feeling, however. In fact, it never did for many years. Finding no more purpose in her stay, Sakura gracefully got to her feet. Before leaving her small haven, she looked once more to the horizon, past the view of her village. The sunlight was just lazily stretching its morning hues out, before the sun was even up. Hollow eyes stared at the serene picture for a moment. Deciding she liked what she saw, she carved the picturesque scene into her mind before turning around and lazily making her way back to the manor.
It was inevitable that Sakura was elegant in her movements. Her long flowing red kimono and her knee-length locks of hair smoothly sailed after her as she made fluid motions in her walk down the corridor. Walking from the other end of the long hallway was Uchiha Sasuke, one of her several cousins. However, he was different than the others, seeing as he was the man that Sakura had been betrothed to since birth. It was an old and unforgotten tradition to marry within the clan.
Sasuke was a man of elegance himself. He had a superior aura around him that made him one of the clan's most prestigious men. His inhuman arrogance also made him one of the most feared men in the village. His eyes were closed as he gracefully walked down the hallway. Sakura's eyes were straight ahead. She didn't care who she ran into, even if it was her own fiancée, she was not one for casual greetings. But then again, neither was he.
They had passed each other without a care in the world and Sakura kept on walking, but stopped when she heard his voice.
"Sakura-hime." Sasuke was already standing behind her within a blink of an eye, his lips lingering next to her left ear.
"You really shouldn't stay out in the cold morning," he whispered darkly into her ear as he out his hands on the collar of her kimono and slipped it back up to her neck, covering her bare shoulders (it had slipped off her shoulders when she first put it on in the morning and she hadn't bothered to fix it).
"You'll catch a cold." He finished with a slightly amused tone in his voice.
"You underestimate me, Sasuke-sama." Sakura replied back, just as darkly. And with that, she continued down the hall.
Sakura had no feelings for her extremely handsome fiancée. In all honesty, she didn't like the marriage because she knew her cousin. She knew he was a sadistic bastard to her, always playing mind games with her to get her to admit how "weak' she apparently is. She knew he thought she was too weak to handle the responsibility of being the leader of the clan. When they were little, he had always seen her cry, thus leading to his theory today. But over the years, Sakura learned how to play his games right back at him. And though she didn't know it yet, it had always been Sakura's unspoken goal to prove the cold bastard wrong. She wouldn't ever give him the satisfaction of being right; she'd die first.
Sakura was back in her own quarters. Her room was in the east wing of the manor. It was truly a grand room, perfectly fit for a princess. She walked over to the French doors on the other side of the room and slid them open, revealing an enticing full view of a Japanese garden. The pond glistened under the early rays of the sun as the koi fish playfully skimmed around. Her father had cherry blossom trees planted all around the garden, in dedication to her name. The freshly budded flowers gently swayed in the cool air as a few petals flew over to where Sakura was standing. Though she had an entirely beautiful garden in her own backyard, the feeling of basking in it did not compare to the satisfaction of relaxing under the plum tree for Sakura.
She sat down in front of her rather large and too-bold-for-her-taste vanity and began preparing herself for her katana training. Being the next successor of the whole clan, it was necessary for Sakura to become skilled and glamorous in the clan's most honored form of art. She was expected to be the best female katana wielder, as it is a title of pride and symbolizes the power of the clan.
A dark silhouette of a man appeared on the porch kneeling on one knee, head bowed in respect.
"Are you ready to start, Hime-sama?" the stranger asked.
A small smile came onto Sakura's face as she recognized him.
"Ah! Itachi-niisama, ohaiyou." Itachi was one of the very few people that seemed to have captured Sakura's affection. She was always delighted to see her older cousin; brother to Sasuke. He seemed to relate to Sakura's personality, thus the reason for Sakura's liking of him.
Sakura set down her brush she had been using to untangle her hair, and answered his question.
"Forgive me, I need some more time. I'm afraid my little walk this morning took longer than usual."
"I understand." Itachi gave her a small smile, "I shall be waiting in the courtyard then."
"Hai."
Itachi then vanished a few seconds later. Itachi and Sasuke may be brothers by looks and blood, but definitely not personality-wise. Sasuke can be defined as the arrogant younger brat of the two. In contrast, Itachi is the gentleman of the two. He took it upon himself to protect his little cousin/sister with his life. Around Sakura, Itachi tends to let his big brother overprotective side get the best of him. As long as he's around, no male, save for her relatives, dares to go near Sakura; they'd be signing their own deaths.
Sakura slipped on her proper attire and fixed her hair up into one, flowing ponytail. After she found everything to her satisfaction, she took her special katana and tied the sheath to her waist. It was special because it had been made with real ivory, diamonds, and silver, to assure that breaking is not an option. Her trademark symbol, a single cherry blossom, was engraved onto the tip of the sword, to show off the beauty of the sword as well as leaving the unfortunate soul to ever come in contact with the sword a bitter but vivid memory of exactly who it was that twisted up their life. It was a constant reminder.
The Uchiha courtyard was a large circle of lush greenery in the middle of the whole manor. The enormous spaced allowed for a versatile use of the courtyard; parties, ceremonies, sparring, meetings, etc. The open space was perfect for Sakura's training session.
Itachi was sitting on a step that lead to the manor. He had been waiting patiently for his little sister. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong bond between him and Sakura. He didn't even know how they got to be so close over the years. All he knew was that no one would or should mess with her because she's had enough to suffer about already; even though she's been in this world for a mere 17 years. He'd be damned if he couldn't ease her heavy burden and pain. He heard footsteps and looked up to see his precious blossom walking his way; her gait mesmerizing every onlooker.
"Nii-sama," Sakura stopped a few yards away from him in the open area, "shall we begin?" and she fell into stance.