AN: yay! Chapter Two! We'll see how long it takes for me to write the next chapter! Enjoy!
At that time I didn't even know what the name of that flower was. I thought that I want to get closer to it, but that flower seemed like it didn't want me to get any closer…
A Rose By Any Other Name
Chapter Two
"I will not be long. I promise you." Eisuke told Sumi. It was time for Eisuke to depart on his journey.
"I know. Just please return safely, all right?" Sumi told her elder brother.
"I will." He promised her. He looked down at the children and knelt to their level. He placed a hand on Atari's head. "You're the man of the house now, Atari. Protect Sumi and the other, all right?"
"You can count on me!" Atari said proudly.
Eisuke smiled. He placed a hand on Tomi's head. "Help Sumi out, all right?"
"I will, Brother Eisuke."
"Fuku," Eisuke placed a hand on Fuku's head, "Look after the others, all right?"
"I will!"
"Now, what do you want me to bring back for you?" He asked the children.
"I want a sword!" Atari exclaimed.
"I want a pretty dress!" Tomi giggled.
"I want Danishes!" Fuku exclaimed, drooling a bit at the thought of how they would taste.
Eisuke laughed. "All right, a sword, a dress, and Danishes. I'll bring them for you." He looked at Sumi. "Any thing for you?"
Sumi shook her head. "Just come back safely. All right?"
"I know." He said as he turned to his horse. He mounted the horse and waved goodbye. "Goodbye!" He told them as he dug his heels into the horse's sides. The horse stood up on his hind-legs and let out a whinny.
"Goodbye!" Sumi and the children shouted and waved.
Then the horse galloped toward the woods.
-
A few days had passed since Eisuke's departure. One day, while Sumi was sweeping the floor and the children were off looking for wild vegetables, a knock was cast on her door. With a confused expression, she walked up to the door, leaning the broom up against the wall, and opened the door. There at her doorstep was Nozumo, dressed in his best clothes. "Good morning, Sumi."
"Morning, Nozumo. What brings you here?" She asked, quite confused.
Nozumo let himself in. "I have come to see you, my beloved."
Sumi raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked slowly.
Nozumo smiled. "I have come to ask your hand in marriage, my dear."
"Marriage?" Sumi repeated, shocked.
"Yes, marriage. I have finally gotten permission from my father. We are too be wed at once!" Nozumo replied happily.
"Am I to have no say in this?" She asked.
"What do you mean? Aren't you happy?"
"I'm flattered, really, I am, but don't you think that I have a choice?"
"What kind of choice do you want? I am the wealthiest, most handsome man in the village. What more is there to want?"
Sumi thought for a moment. "Someone who isn't conceited." She replied. She picked up her broom and pointed to the door. "Please, leave."
Nozumo knitted his eyebrows together. "You won't marry me?"
"If you want me to say it, then yes. I won't." Sumi told him stubbornly.
Nozumo slammed his hand onto the wall right next to her face, pinning her against the wall a bit. "You're making a big mistake."
"No, Nozumo. You are." She told him.
"Fine. You'll change your mind later." He told her; then he left her house.
When Sumi finally thought that Nozumo had left, she poked her head out from the door. "Is he gone?" She wondered out loud. She fully exited the door. She looked around, but she couldn't see Nozumo anywhere. She let her breath go. Then, suddenly, she felt that someone was watching her. She gasped as she spun around, but saw no one except a large raven sitting on one of the branches on a near by tree. She let her breath go once again.
-
"Sister Sumi! Sister Sumi!" Fuku called out as he stood in the doorway.
Sumi and the others rushed to the doorway. "What is it?" Sumi asked.
"Brother Eisuke is coming! Look!" Fuku said as he pointed at the path that entered the woods. There was a black and white horse with a rider exiting the woods. The rider and the horse began to ride up the hill toward the cottage.
"Eisuke!" Sumi gasped.
"Brother Eisuke!" The children called as all four of them ran out to meet Eisuke. Eisuke greeted them with a warm smile as he dismounted the horse and hugged them all.
"We missed you, Brother Eisuke!" Tomi told him.
"I missed you guys too." Eisuke told them.
"Did you bring back our presents?" Atari asked excitedly.
"Of course, of course."
"Come, let's go inside and get something for brother to eat." Sumi suggested.
"Oh, yes. I'm starving!" Eisuke declared as he led the horse toward the small stable and locked the horse inside. Then he followed the children into the cottage with a sack slung over his right shoulder.
When they entered the kitchen, Sumi had a basket of bread and an apple set out for him as she boiled some water for some tea. Eisuke sat down in the chair. "Food! Thank god!" He grabbed the apple and took a large bite out of the apple, enjoying the sweet juices.
The children gathered around Eisuke. "Presents?" They asked.
Eisuke chuckled as he finished off his apple. "All right, presents it is." He set his sack on the ground and opened it. He pulled out a toy sword. "For Atari." He handed it to the wide-eyed child.
"Wow! A sword!" Atari took it from him and held it up in awe. "Thanks, Brother Eisuke!"
Eisuke reached into the bag once again. This time he pulled out a small purple dress. "For Tomi."
Tomi took the dress from Eisuke and stared at it amazed. "For me? It's so beautiful! Thank you!" She held it up against her chest and spun around.
Eisuke reached into the bag and a pulled out a little basket. "For Fuku."
Fuku, with sparkling, grateful eyes, took the little basket from him. He opened the lid and saw pastries in the basket. "Danishes! Thank you, Brother Eisuke."
Sumi smiled at the joy of the children as she placed a cup of tea on the table next to Eisuke.
"There's something for you too, Sumi." Eisuke said.
Sumi looked down to see the fresh-picked, beautiful, unique, sapphire-blue rose. Her eyes widened. "It's beautiful." She said as she took it. As the rose touched her fingers, she felt this source of power and energy run through her veins. She looked at the rose confused and then back at Eisuke who had on a sorrowful expression.
-
When the children had fallen asleep, Sumi asked Eisuke about the rose. "There's something odd about that rose, Eisuke, and it's not just its color."
Eisuke leaned against the tree next to the house as he looked up at the sparkling stars and the full moon.
"Tell me, Eisuke. What is this rose about? Where did you get it from?"
"I sort of stole it… from this castle in the woods. There was a terrible rainstorm and I stumbled across the castle on accident. I sought the castle for shelter and I stayed only in the stables with the horse. I fell asleep until the rain had let up.
"After the rain let up, I decided to explore the castle a little bit. However I never reached the castle, because I had spotted these beautiful rose bushes that were still blooming the most beautiful roses. That's when I spotted the blue rose, shinning in the spotlight of the moon. I thought of you. The rose is the same color as your eyes. So… I picked it.
"Then I found the owner of the castle. Or more like, he found me. I couldn't see him clearly as he was standing in the darkness under the shadows of the clouds, but his voice was scratchy, almost inhuman. He told me that that rose was his most prized possession. He was clearly angry with me for picking it.
"I told him that I was sorry and that I had picked it for you, my sister.
"Then he told me that I had two choices: I would say there with him forever, rotting in his prison cell; or I would bring you to him in exchange for me ."
Sumi's face grew horrified. "Obliviously you choose the second option! I can't believe you, Eisuke! You're always so selfish. I can't possibly go and live with a stranger. The children… the children need me right now, Eisuke!"
Eisuke's head dropped. "I know that, Sumi. I'm sorry. I wish that I could go back in time and not have even taken this job."
Sumi took a deep breath. "When am I to leave?"
Eisuke looked back up at the sky. "When the moon is at it's highest."
Sumi looked up as well. The moon was nearing the top of the sky. There wasn't much time left.