It was final. The two clans, Nakatsukasa and the Star Clan were over. Black*Star saw him only once. That tall, quiet boy. Silky black hair in a low yet very long ponytail swayed in the breeze. He had wrappings on his arms like her. From the elbow to the tips of his fingers. His feet, ankles, and a part of his leg were wrapped up also. He wore black pants with a sleeveless black top that matched. A wide white belt was around his waist. His head hung down. He wore a sugegasa. She couldn't see his face or his eyes. She could quietly hear him sigh. He was the only one in the whole argument that was quiet. He didn't like this at all. He held in his right hand a spear for spear fishing. Sakura blossom pedals dance around him. It was almost like a dream.
She takes in a big sigh remembering that day a few months ago. Her light blue hair hardly moves in the breeze. She was an a large smooth rock on a hill. It was a pretty view right there. She looks up hearing footsteps and saw him close to the bottom of the hill. The air was filled with the scent of assorted flowers.
He walks past, still wearing the sugegasa, not seeing her at all. He still carries the fishing spear. It came to her. She was in their territory. Near their river. She had forgotten. He walks down to the bank she still could not see his face.
She decided to follow.
He walks in the steady flowing blue river. It was about waist deep for him and sighs softly watching the water.
He doesn't move. It was like he was a statue in the water. His ponytail whips some It got caught in the breeze.
She walks over to him carefully thinking he was different from the rest, "Excuse me?"
He turns around his indigo eyes shrinking. He moves quickly; pinning her to a tree with one of his arms pulling out a kunai.
He felt something press against his chest. She had her kunai out and ready.
With a snappy movement of his arm and wrist, her kunai flies and sticks to the branch of the tree above them. His eyes narrow.
She shoves him off of her.
He steps back then pins her again, "Filthy Star Clan," He hissed under his breath. He makes a large gash on the star on her shoulder.
"I thought you were going to be different. I thought I could be able to talk to you," She growls. She had done nothing yet was treated like she had done something.
"You see, this area it's the Nakatsuksa's Territory. So, scram. Next time I see you on it, I'm going to kill you without a second thought."
She runs off. She held onto her shoulder. Blood staining the wrappings on her hands.
She left but the next day returned, her shoulder bandaged.
He wasn't in sight.
She sighs and sat under a tree not realizing he was listening to her in the tree, "Why.. Why am I even back here... I saw how he was. He's no different from the others."
He was sitting on the tree branch. Then jumps onto another silently getting closer to her.
She sighs.
He then pins her to the tree; a lot more softly than yesterday.
For some reason she didn't try to shove him off, "So, you're going to kill me huh?"
He spoke in a soft voice which rather made her hair on her arms stand on end, "I did some snooping last night and put the pieces of the puzzle together. Someone lied to both clans."
"What are you talking about?"
"Someone had lied to my clan and your clan and we are basically almost at war."
She frowns and pushed him off of her.
"You don't believe me?"
"After you tried to kill me yesterday?"
He flinched little, "I only cut you. Not kill you."
She sighs annoyed.
His violet eyes soften, "I'm sorry... I'm Nakatsukasa Tsubaki... named after the… the Camellia. The flower without fragrance. It silently blooms and when it's pedals scatter.. it's tragic."
She sighs, "I'm Black*Star..." She began to think to herself wondering if he was the same as all the others and not trying to trick her.
As if he read her mind, "I'm not like the others. I was only defensive yesterday. You don't think I'm sorry, do you. I was having a bad day yesterday."
"No I don't and I'm leaving."
She walks to her house not realizing he followed her.
It was nightfall and he enters the house once everyone was asleep. He walks as if he walks on air he was that silent.
He quietly opens the door to her room. He sneaks over to her. He knelt down; breathing had dissolved. He made sure he stayed in the shadows.
His soft indigo eyes trace her outline. He blinks.
He thought, 'Maybe I should of let her talk the first time. I am dearly sorry for doing that to you, Black*Star.' Then, he left out her window. He had no clue that she was awake. She followed behind him. He jumps onto a tree branch and flees going back to his territory through the Momiji trees.
She follows on the ground. Tsubaki moved so quickly. So... elegantly.
She watched with amazement. 'A lot like a sika deer.'
Soon enough Tsubaki switches to the ground. He jumps across rocks swiftly to cross the small river.
She couldn't even hear his feet touch the ground.
Was he just that good? Was he more than a spear fisherman? He had to be. He had to be also an assassin. An excellent one too. She wondered how fast he could take someone down and kill them.
He gets back to his territory. The Ume and Sakura trees welcoming him back.
He starts to walk. Black*Star stops and starts tiptoeing. Tsubaki picks his spear up and continues walking. There was a path wore down by walking. The grass was tall around it. He walks to a pond. There, he digs out a small bonsai tree. He picks it up then turns away from the pond and heads to his village.
Black*Star was amazed at this. He seems so gentle and caring. Her green eyes watch the quiet boy walk. She then turns and flees so she isn't spotted and so none of her clan members think she was kidnapped.
She gets back to her house as quickly as she could. she jumps into the window, closes it, then gets on her bed and falls asleep.
Dream...
She was walking in an area surrounded by Sakura pedals flying in the breeze. The air was sweet smelling of the cherries to come. She noticed she was in a light blue kimono wearing sandals. She saw someone in the distance. The person's shape was familiar. She saw their hair caught in the breeze. Also, they wore a sugegasa. She gasped.
Tsubaki's back was facing her as she approached. She could see camellia flowers scattered on his pale, yellow kimono. Then, he turns around facing her. He didn't speak. He only blinks. The shadow that casts on his shadow makes him look a little frightening. There was a gleam in his eyes.
He then tilts his head to the side a little. Black*Star could only stare back at him. Then, he takes a step forward. she backs up some.
"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
His voice didn't sound like what she heard in this dream.
The pedals turn into white doves and fly off. The living trees turn into dead ones.
Black*Star turns and starts to run. The ground below turns into murky dark water.
She screams sinking into the water. Once under, she turns her head thinking, 'Where am I? Why was it so peaceful then it turns into this?'
Tsubaki plummets into the water grabbing Black*Star by the throat. His eyes looked dark. She whimpered.
He growls,his teeth looked sharp and stained of what to looks like to be blood.
"Is there something scaring you? I thought the Star Clan never backs down from anything. Are you really this weak? Foolish girl."
Black*Star whimpered some more. She wraps her hands around his wrist trying to pull out of his grasp.
He chuckles deeply. He pulled out his kunai and was about to strike...
She jolts up in a cold sweat breathing hard.
She looks around. It was only a nightmare. She sighs relaxing.
Was this a warning sign of what was yet to come?
It was still dark out. She gets up afraid to go back to sleep. For only seeing Tsubaki a few times, she was frightened by him now.
She starts thinking to steer clear of the Nakatsukasa Territory.
Yet, in her heart, she still wanted to get to know Tsubaki more.
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Back at the Nakatsukasa Clan, Tsubaki goes inside his home and puts the bonsai in a bowl. He goes outside and collects dirt and puts it in the bowl when he walks back in. His mom and dad silently watch. His older sister peeks from her room and sighs very quietly. Tsubaki heard her sigh but acts like he doesn't.
He pats down the dirt gently. His sister was envious of her young brother. He could do so many things that could not be explained.
First off.
He can work with plants. For example. The bonsai that he is potting in the bowl right now.
He has good navigational skills.
The clan members tend to go to him to watch their young ones on hunts he doesn't go on.
He tended to injured animals. Domesticated or wild.
He is the quiet one. He understands most of everyone's problems and does anything he can to help.
He's apparently the most cheerful and gets everyone's hopes up with his smile of his.
He's apparently the luck of the village despite his name.
…
After this little silence he says, "Yes mother? Yes father? Is there something wrong," he doesn't look up to look at them.
His father sighs a little, "You haven't had much sleep lately. How come?"
Tsubaki doesn't answer.
His mother puts a hand on Tsubaki's father and shook her head, "It's his own problem. He can figure it out on his own."
Masami closes her door with a very quiet huff. She didn't get it.
Why is heso special?
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When the sun rose, Tsubaki was outside yawning a little. He rubs his face. He was sitting on the roof of his house.
Today was another day to hunt. He wasn't going. He jumps off when Miki and Minori run up.
He gave them a small smile, "Good morning girls. What brings you out this early?"
Minori replies, "Parents left early."
Miki nods.
"So then, the early hunt begins."
He then scoops the girls up and brings them inside, "Look what I've got!"
Masami rolled her eyes not amused by her brother.
Tsubaki's father chuckles, "Brought two younglings home, haven't you. Y-"
Tsubaki smiled putting the two down and they run to his mother and father, "Yes sir. I'm going to have a busy day. but, first. We are going to have breakfast."
The two little girls hop up and down. They were pretty hungry.
As Tsubaki's mother made breakfast, Tsubaki decides to play with the girls.
"Imma gonna getch you!"
The girls squeal.
…
Black*Star had stayed up the rest of the night afraid to fall asleep. White*Star walks in and looks at her daughter.
"You don't look like you had slept well. How come?"
Black*Star was going to have to lie.
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking on how we could ambush the Nakatsukasa Clan."
Bad lie. Horrible. Horrible. HORRIBLE lie.
"That's my daughter. Tell me the plan when you get it all finished," White*Star walks out.
'Great, just great Black*Star.NowI have to think of a plan. She grits her teeth.'
Black*Star comes out about an hour later.
"Mother. I thought of a plan."
The plan was:
That when most of the Nakatsukasa Clan goes to hunt in a few months, the kids and elderly will stay during that hunt. So, they'll come in and kill the children and elderly and leave their mark. That's the plan made short.
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White*Star chuckled at her daughter's idea.
Black*Star turned away, she really didn't want to do that at all. Yes, she didn't like the Nakatsukasa Clan too well since she had Tsubaki notice her presence when she had returned. Yet, that boy was different. He was just doing what he had to be told what to do.
When she got to her room, that was all she could think about.
Tsubaki... Tsubaki... TSUBAKI!
She could feel a little click that went in her. A faint warmness.
She shook her head trying to get the feeling out. Did she love this quiet, tall, handsome, shy boy? She couldn't. He was a Nakatsukasa. Why fall in love with the enemy?
Tsubaki sat at the table. Miki on one side. Minori on the other. The twins smiled at Tsubaki when he gave a smile at them. Tsubaki's father then leaves to go after some villagers that are in the hunt. Masami helps her mother with the dishes as Tsubak started playing with the twins again. They were chasing him.
"Now. don-" His mother was interrupted by a….
THUCRASH!
Tsubaki had hit the table and flew over it hitting the ground. Miki and Minori ran to him doing their best to help him up. He got on his knees putting hands on his upper legs leaning forward and huffed.
"Sorry, mother."
Masami sighs. When he is sorry, they forgive him. But when she does, they punish her hard. He doesn't get such a bad punishment. All he has to do is train even more than normal.
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That night, Masami went off taking a few things with her. She started to head down to the Star Clan Territory.
She walks straight into it yelling, "I wish to speak to White*Star!"
There was only silence and then White*Star grabs her from behind, "What do you want foolish Nakatsukasa girl."
"I-I'm willing to join with you," Masami gulped a little, "I know some things that may come to help you."
White*Star raises an eyebrow, "Really, like what?"
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Tsubaki woke the next day and looked around seeing everyone was asleep but Masami was gone.
'Oh no...'
Tsubaki runs to his parents room, "Mother! Masami is gone!"
His mother wakes up, "What?!"
Tsubaki's indigo eyes reveal worry for his elder sibling.
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Masami blinks. Why did she do this?
ENVY.
She envied her younger sibling. He could do just about anything.