Sakura POV
The rays of morning sun tickled my eyelids and coaxed them into opening, alerting my body that another day had dawned.
Hopefully Sasuke would be okay with the time I had set up. I decided that today I would conserve my energy so I could endure my first strenuous lesson. I didn't have lessons with Madame, so I would wait by relaxing in the garden with Sai.
The door opened, revealing Nori.
"Good morning M'lady. Hot, warm, or cool?" she asked, referring to my bath.
"Just warm." She scurried in to the adjacent bathroom and I heard the water start flowing.
"Thank you!" I called out while I stretched, sat up, and continued reading the book on my bedside table.
The door opened once more and I sighed, closing my book. "Good morning Akiko."
"Good morning, Sakura." she bit back a yawn.
"Still not quite awake as always." I teased. Akiko's clothes were rumpled and her hair still unbrushed.
"Hey! I just got up. If you would rather fix your clothes on your own, go ahead. More sleep for me." she retorted. I rolled my eyes.
"No, Akiko! I couldn't possibly gather my clothing from the closet all by weak, lonesome, self!" I pleaded sarcastically.
"That's the easy part. Can put on the dress by yourself?" She specified, fully aware of the fact all my dresses had about thirty buttons to make up for the lack of a corset in order keep it in place.
I stayed quiet with my lips puckered. She did not fight fair.
"Ha! That's what I thought!" She said victoriously.
"Fine you win." I rolled my eyes again, causing her to stick her tongue out like a child.
She went into my closet and then popped her head back out.
"Whatcha doing today?" she asked, our banter forgotten.
"Garden." I responded simply.
"Good. You'll be dressed naturally as a lady should. In a dress, not those damned men's clothes of yours." I heard her mutter.
"You only say that because you've never felt the freedom they give you, therefore you don't know any better. You can do everything that would be impossible in a dress: run, climb trees, and ride naturally."
"Hon, I doubt wearing a dress could stop you from doing all of that anyways." Akiko argued.
She came out of the closet, my outfit in hand.
"True... See! And this way I don't show as much skin." I reasoned.
"Sakura, what will you do when you get married? A man won't appreciate a lady that's so brazen. They want someone elegant and refined and who knows not to speak out of turn."
"Well, I won't get married to a man that has those standards." I told her defiantly.
"Then, pray tell, how will your husband be?" She asked with a lifted eyebrow.
I laughed. "I don't know. Maybe a man as wild as I?" I joked.
She just shook her head and presented me a light blue dress that reached my ankles. I nodded in approval.
Nori called out. "It's ready."
I went in as she came out. The door closed and I shed my nightgown. I dipped my foot in to gauge the temperature and let the rest of my body fall into the water. I soaked myself first and then began my bath routine.
Once I was clean I got out, dried my body and put on my underclothes. I came out, hair dripping, and immediately Akiko hurried to put on my dress. She buttoned me up and fixed the sash on my waist.
She looked me over and once she was satisfied, smiled.
I sat down in front of my vanity meanwhile Akiko combed my hair. The relaxing sensation of having the brush glide through my hair always brought me an unidentified nostalgia from my cloudy earlier years. I basked in the warm, tender feelings it brought me for the duration of it and opened my eyes.
Akiko continued and tamed my wavy locks into a tidy braid. I thanked them and headed out of my room. As customary, Sai was waiting for me.
"Morning, Sai!" I ran and encased my arms around his waist.
He chucked and made a show of looking around.
"Your Highness. Remember that you are no longer a child. These embraces cannot be excused anymore and are not appropriate." He looked at me sternly.
I pouted up at him and we both burst out laughing.
"So Sak...what adventure do you have planned out?" We started walking out of the hallway.
"Actually. I had something different in mind for today." I smirked as he glanced down at me, knowingly.
"Should I be worried? If it's anything like that idea you had three months ago, you're not stepping one foot in the kitchens today." he shuddered.
"Ugh! Why do you always assume I'm gonna cause trouble? Besides, it wasn't that bad."
"That bad?! You almost burned down the western wing! I'd hate to know what your idea of a bad situation is. "
"The key word being almost. But no, I just wanted to hang out in the garden." I shrugged.
"Why is that? I thought you weren't gonna tend to your plants until tomorrow."
"I've changed my mind." He regarded me curiously, knowing I would never miss an opportunity to go out of the confines of the palace.
"Sai. Don't think too much into it. I simply don't feel energetic enough to wander out." If he saw through my lie, he didn't say anything and dropped the issue.
"Well, let's go ask Mina to pack us some lunch." he suggested as he steered us in the direction of the kitchens.
I drew my key and unlocked the large wooden door so Sai could push open one of the heavy doors. We entered. The morning sun encased my haven in a soft light. I immediately bee lined to the cherry blossom tree while Sai went to his favorite spot in one corner, most likely to sketch.
It's what he did when he wasn't helping me garden or protecting me from the spiders that sometimes decided to visit.
I settled down at the base of the old tree and traced my hand along its rough bark in greeting, turning my head slightly left facing the only purple flowers in the entire garden, azaleas.
"Good morning mother." I smiled as I looked wistfully at the blooming markers of her grave. Purple, I was told by my father, had been her favorite color. As such, when she was buried in her garden, my father followed all her wishes and personally planted the bright flowers to mark her resting place. I remember the day with fuzziness.
I didn't fully comprehend what had happened, but knew my father was not acting like himself so when he headed out to mothers garden I ran after him.
"Daddy, why do you have that basket full of seeds? Are we going to plant some pretty flowers?" I looked up at him excitedly.
His eyes were dull but he attempted a smile, surely for my sake.
"Yes, my flower. They are for your mother." He told me. I reached for his hand and we bounded over to a special spot in the garden.
"Really? Mommy really likes flowers. Can they be pink?"
"No, hon. Your mommy asked me for purple ones, because that's her favorite color."
"She won't mind if we plant one pink one." I pleaded extending my index finger.
He gave me a weary look and my smile dimmed and fell. I pouted.
"I guess if mommy wants purple flowers, we should plant purple flowers so she won't get mad at us." I consented. "But daddy," he looked down at me, "when is mommy coming back?"
He sighed and knelt down to my level, taking both my hands. I marveled at how his enveloped mine and giggled.
"Sakura. Mommy isn't coming back." My father said quietly.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I threw up my hands, leaving his empty.
"Yes. She is. She's coming back. Just like she always does when she goes to the main temple."
"Sak. Mommy didn't go to the main temple this time. She's resting." He reasoned, his eyes growing watery.
"Then we should wake her up so she can come out to play. Everyone misses her."
"I know everyone misses her, hon." he spoke gently, "But mommy fell asleep forever."
"I miss her a lot daddy. You don't brush my hair as soft as mommy did or braid it. And nobody sings me lullabies or plays harp for me like mommy did." My lip trembled, my voice wavering.
"If you want someone to sing and play harp for you, I can ask the musicians. As for your hair, I can ask Shizune or Tsunade to do it for you." he consoled me.
"NO! I want mommy." I stomped my foot on the ground. Daddy's eyes started to tear up and he engulfed my small body in his strong arms.
"I know you want mommy, baby girl, but I can't bring her back." He cried.
I just stared at the tears that started to stream down his cheeks. I patted his cheeks with my chubby hands and smiled.
"Don't cry daddy. Mommy will come back. I promise. I have faith in her. You should too." I smiled at him and he only blinked more tears away.
He shook his head and stood up probably giving up in making me comprehend. I would come to understand months later that mommy wasn't coming back.
We continued to the garden and I helped him plant the seeds in the only patch of upturned soil.
I came back from my memory. The purple fauna were now in full bloom, marking my mother's grave.
"I've been going to the clearing with Strider a lot. And Madame showed me some new scrolls, but I won't get all of them until I become priestess. I wonder if I will be as great a priestess as you, mother, but I will try." The air ticked my neck.
"Oh remember I told you Itachi's brother came three weeks ago?" I lowered my voice in case the wind carried my next words to Sai.
"He offered to show me how to handle weapons and we're going to start tonight. I'll make sure to ask him about Itachi, I really miss his letters. Well, I think that's all for today. I'm going to care for the plants now. Bye. Oh and I'll play for you after I eat today."
Heading towards the gardening shed, I retrieved a watering can and proceeded to fill it with the fountain water. I returned to the azaleas and watered them, letting them get their share of the refreshing water.
As soon as I called to Sai, he stood up. He knew the routine. We watered all the trees and flower beds and when that was done proceeded to get rid of the weeds. The sun made its trek across the sky and by three our stomachs grumbled. We had not eaten since the morning when we went to ask Mina to pack us some lunch.
"Sai." I called for his attention. "I think we should stop now. Let's eat!"
He chuckled. "As you wish."
Sasuke POV
"So how will you plan to rule Senju when the time comes?" I asked Ino. The kingdom had been known to be ruled by powerful monarchs in the past. Ino met that role entirely, she seemed to take after Tsunade greatly.
"I will rule however the situation calls for. Whether it resemble a nurturing mother or a terrifying military leader." she told me her blue eyes like steel.
"Ino. How will you become a military leader? Are you even trained in any form of fighting?" I questioned.
"Of course. What other way, when compelling words fail, does one get desired results?" she said, incredulously.
"I believe that the sword holds more power than words."
"I am not blind to that, Sasuke. Only a fool would refuse to acknowledge that the thing a person values most is in fact their life. However, using military force comes with a priceā¦then again, I am no mere lady."
She took me off guard and unsheathed my own sword in one fluid motion. The point was at my neck in the next instant. I held up my hands in surrender but I immediately moved behind her when I sensed her hesitation and took my sword.
As I was sheathing it again I laughed.
"It seems every day you show me something new. Who did you learn that from? And why?" I demanded.
Her eyes looked wistfully at one of the well-trimmed bushes.
"I learned from a capable swordsman, the best I've ever seen fight. I did so on orders of my aunt so I would never be vulnerable or caught by surprise."
My thoughts went immediately to Lady Sakura.
"Why didn't Sakura also learn?"
Her hands fisted at her side briefly, but they relaxed while she sighed.
"Lady Sakura," she emphasized, reminding me I was to address her with distant respect. "Didn't learn because she is special. She is physically weak and her future position as head priestess grants her the ultimate protection. No one would dare harm our only connection to the divine."
"Then why does she have Sai? Surely if her position grants her such security she doesn't need him."
She had a contemplative look in her eyes and she spoke softly as if this was the first time her brain took in the idea.
"I don't have a clue. I've never cared enough to ask why." she trailed off, confusion marring her beautiful features.
A set of rushed footsteps came and bowed before us, interrupting my next assault of questions.
"Lady Ino. Her Majesty wishes for you to meet her in the study." A servant exhaled. The poor thing ran all the way from the castle into the maze that was the gardens.
She looked back at me and smiled.
"I guess this is my cue to leave. I will see you at dinner." she curtsied dramatically before winking, making me laugh. I nodded at her and she left with purposefully strides to the palace doors, not looking back once.
Once again, I was left to my own devices. I looked around and saw that garden. I decided to look more closely at its walls to see where the entrance was located. I remembered the conversation when I told Sakura I would teach her in a private setting, hoping it would be the elusive garden. Surely it would be the garden, it was the best location. I walked along the ivy covered walls. Then I heard a most enchanting melody. I recognized the instrument as a harp.
The notes flowed perfectly without pause creating a harmoniously calm atmosphere. I stood there mesmerized by the angelic music that seemed to dispel all my thoughts. The song then started to change using melancholic notes until it turned entirely somber. The harp wept for its player. It was as if their grief was morphing into pure sorrow. The trees also affected by the pure hurt wilted slightly. I shook my head at that. Trees didn't feel but now I was curious. What would cause Sakura to weave such a heartbroken tune? For surely Sai wasn't the one playing. She was always so full of life, so exuberant, constantly looking for trouble it seemed. I would learn tonight hopefully.
