The guard nodded as the lady of the house passed him on the way up the stairs. He absently notated each squeaky step, and the pattern of doors being opened and closed as she checked on her son. The relative quiet was suddenly pierced by the shrill of the phone. He quietly picked up the hall extension in time to hear the reply the General was waiting for.
"The blossom withers; petals browning and dying under autumn's strength. Amaterasu's daughter takes her place in the heavens."
He was speaking to Osamu as he laid the unconscious woman on her bed.
Any time a flower is mentioned without a name or identifier, it is automatically assumed to be a cherry blossom. A good tanka always encompasses more than one meaning.