When the world began, the Divine created man above all else. Nothing had the beauty of a human. The Divine created trees and plants and animals, but they were dull and lifeless compared to the Divine's most treasured creation.
The first humans were filled with hate, because the Divine formed them from it's fury. The first he made was the most powerful, with pale skin and raven hair. He killed many innocent people, but the Divine loved him with all of it's essence. He was handsome, but that lead to unprecedented pride. The Divine named him Sasuke.
The last human the Divine created was a young girl, weak in the eyes of many, including Sasuke. The other people ridiculed her, teasing her for her flaws that made her who she was. The Divine was not satisfied with her, so he left her to fend for herself. Her pink hair and green eyes were a mistake, an accident, not meant to make her look like an exotic beauty. The Divine would not let her overtake Sasuke's exquisiteness. She had no name.
Years later, on a summer day, Sasuke decided to find himself a mate for life. As he crested a hill, a flash of pink caught his eye. Next to a stream sat a wondrous beauty, singing quietly to the bird perched on her finger. He strode up to her and grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her up with a cry. Her eyes stared, frightened, into his.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, terrified. He did not answer, but began tearing her clothes from her small body. "Stop!" she cried, but he ignored her. She struck him across the face and he spun away with a growl of rage, drawing his sword. "O Divine One!" she cried.
In the Heavenly Realms, the Divine heard her cries and looked from his throne to the Earth below. What was seen sickened the Divine. The humans had been taught better than to take advantage of the weak. As the Divine looked closer, he saw a beautiful young woman with pink hair. There was only one girl with pink hair, and the Divine had deserted her since the day she came into being. And now, she was calling out to the same god that had forsaken her. The Divine was saddened.
"O Great Divine, I plead that you save me from my fate!" Her screams did nothing to stop Sasuke's advance. "Please, Master of the Heavenly Realms, if I must die, shine your face upon me so that I may know I am loved!" The Divine whisked to earth, just as the sword lodged itself in her chest. The Divine halted when the sound of ragged, wet, and labored breathing disturbed the air. "Divine Spirit, do not abandon me," she begged, tears staining her face, which was turned toward the pulse of the Divine. "I beg that you let me watch over the world. I wish that I had done more in my stay here. I – I believe…"
The Divine was angered beyond belief. That one of the created beings killed another. The boy must suffer as I do, the Divine thought. "Sweet girl." Thunder pounded out the words of the Divine. "I regret my treatment of you, child. I will grant your dying wish, for you have proved me wrong. Wrong that there is a better among my people, wrong that I should judge what I made. I give you the gift of eternal beauty, to watch over the world as none but myself have done. Time will pass, but you will stand strong. You will be Sakura."
Calling forth the power of the Divine, Sakura's body rose, and in one fluid motion was standing on the crest of the hill, right above where her blood was spilt. A ghostly voice echoed, startling Sasuke, who had stood, oblivious to the Divine, watching the life drain from her.
"I thank you, Great Divine. I cannot thank you enough, there is nothing I can do to thank you. I can already see what you have in store for me, and I am eternally grateful. I will stand tall and proud to declare your peace throughout the ages." After she spoke, a glow surrounded her, and she began to change. Her brown peasant's dress lengthened and attatched itself to the earth. Her arms raised and tanned, while her hair grew and formed beautiful pink flowers, supported by many branches that split off from the trunk. Her green eyes smile before folding and turning, and creating leaves. A Sakura tree stood in front of Sasuke and the Divine.
Sasuke watched in awe as the beautiful woman became the most beautiful tree ever seen in the world. But he also felt a deep sense of loss when he realized that the woman he would have like to share this with was dead, and he the one who killed her. A harsh cry escaped his lips. The divine let a sad laugh loose that sounded like waves cresting on a beach.
"Do you understand, boy? This is partially my fault. I gave you much more attention than you needed, and that made you conceited. But even you should have know to respect women. She has the one that I subconsciously chose for you, but you let your need to be in control ultimately tear you apart. As much as I hate to do this, my son, I must. Your curse, this unbroken curse, is that you must see this tree," the Divine said as a soothing wave washed through the trunk like a caress, "and know that she is your mate, your lover that you can never claim. Every time you see her, sorrow shall grip your heart, for you know you did the job of the Divine, by choosing when another's life was over. When anyone asks about this tree, you shall introduce her as Sakura, a name as beautiful as she was before her eternal watch was set."
With those closing words, the Divine brought both discord and harmony into the world, and with it, the gift of the Sakura Tree. The tree that was a gift of flesh to nature, that the world will look up to beauty- not as a necessity, but as a way of life.