Catching A Falling Cherry Blossom
Sasuke rose from his lounging position on the bed; his feet hardly even seemed to touch the floor as he swept out of his room, sparing the upright Team Seven photograph on the windowsill he had repositioned upon entering the place after his unnoticed return to Konoha an hour ago only a passing glance. Outside, clouds scudded across a waxing crescent moon hanging suspended in a starless abyss. The relentless breeze nipped at his exposed skin. Only the rustling and creaking of the boughs overhead disturbed the tranquillity. The village behind him slept on in the embrace of its beacons.
His sandals were soundless even on the rugged cobblestone path. He kept his posture stiff and poised on alert as always yet his strides were measured and resolute. Dark irises constantly scanned the immediate area despite his countenance remaining unreadable; one sudden movement would be enough for scarlet to bleed through. He was on edge more than usual. Whether it was because everything seemed like that night, he could not say. One thing was for sure though. It appeared that his feet had gained a mind of their own and were leading him someplace of their own accord, for he found he could not alter his course. It was as if some unseen force were gravitating him toward an unknown yet inevitable destination.
It was when he rounded a corner that he saw it. The bench. The place where the cherry blossom had wilted beneath the intensity of the burning rays cast by revenge.
But something was different. The cherry blossom had bloomed bright and beautiful once, that much was certain. Now her beauty seemed lacklustre. Her glow was gradually fading out, her petals brittle and frail. She lay against the unyielding stone. Her form looked so small and fragile. The flower was withering away; dying from an eternal, harsh winter of solitude.
Dishevelled magenta hair was plastered to a drawn, pale complexion taut and sticky with tear stains. The moonlight bathing her inert figure made her appear to be an almost deathly white hue. Dark circles weighed down eyes which were squeezed shut tightly beneath furrowed brows. A once-smiling mouth was twisted into a grotesque grimace. Anguished agony marred her countenance. Her entire posture was rigid and had adopted a foetal position, wracked with shudders from head to toe. Ragged breathing disturbed the stillness, sounding as if she were sobbing or retching.
It was clear with her being out at this time of night she had had trouble sleeping and so had come out here in the hopes of remedying that. Something told him that this was not the first time she had ventured out like this; he suspected she had not slept well in a long while. For some reason, he felt a sharp pang. She had been waiting for him on the bench all this time.
His chest constricted. This must have been what it was like for her lying there that night after I had gone. Guilt made his jaw clench. In hindsight, it would have been better back then to leave her somewhere more comfortable, not to mention sheltered and warm. Instead, he had walked away with her sprawled unceremoniously across cold, solid granite, laying open to the elements, especially those of pain and loss.
But this time, it was different. He was not going to abandon her and stride off to let her suffer. He would be staying with her, never straying again so she would not have to face it on her own anymore.
Sasuke lifted her prone form carefully into his arms. Her shivering gradually ceased, her sobs fading away as he retraced his steps down the path back to his apartment. Sakura snuggled closer to his warmth, a beam on her sleeping face as her cheeks flushed with delight and she let out a contented sigh. It was like the sun breaking through cloud; the serene warmth her grin and her presence exuded reflected that of the sensation flooding his chest at the sight. Everything seemed brighter somehow; her smile lit up the darkness both within and around him, driving out the chill and thawing the frigid void enclosing his immovable heart.
The corners of his mouth curved upward into a soft smirk as he held her tighter and squeezed her gently. He realised that was what had been missing ever since he had left.
The endless winter of separation had finally passed.
Feeling her presence and with her smile reaching him at long last, a spring of reunion, rebirth and rejoicing was just around the corner.
The cherry blossom would be in full bloom in all her glory and splendour once more. He would make sure of it.