The Samurai's Blossom
Part 3
During one of his many travels throughout the Uchiha clan holdings, Shisui had taken rest at a small outcrop of rock. The moon was bright and lit the entire terrain in its silver glow. In the middle of the night, he heard a loud crash. He sprang to his feet, ready to face any enemy. After he searched the area thoroughly, he realized that instead of an enemy, the outcrop of rock had sheared itself in half. From the rubble, he found a small cache of jadeite, glowing underneath the full moon. In the daylight, he inspected it: the stone was a soft pink, interspersed with striations of green. It wasn't that large, about the size of a child's fist.
As he examined it a second time, an idea came to mind. When he left the Senju compound two weeks before, Sakura had yet to warm up to him. It would certainly take more than a few pretty words to get her to change her mind. And what better to turn a woman's opinion than to give her something pretty? Shisui settled into the built-in bench on the Uchiha battlement. He moved the rough stone against a strung bow in quick movements.
"What is that thing?" Sasuke sneered as Shisui dipped the stone into a small bowl of water. "And why are you doing artisan work?"
"This, dearest Sasu-chan, is going to be a cherry blossom. This artisanal work is also that of a warrior. We are all connected," he answered, not moving his eyes from his project. "A bow's strength can be accurately gauged and tested against the jade. The better a tool it is to carve the jade: the better it is as a weapon. Don't be so quick to disregard the artisan. Afterall, I would hope that you do not forget it is the artisans and the farmers that become ninja. Ninja, I might add, that are the bane of our existence."
"Ninja are ridiculous. They're simply country bumpkin rebels that need to be put down."
Itachi took his place next to Shisui on the stone wall. "Be that as it may, otouto, they are still a stealthy enemy. They do not respect the laws of warfare. They operate in the night and their first targets are always the women and children of our families. You do not think of such things, as of yet, but one day, you will. Especially when you have to recover the bodies of your own defenseless family as a repercussion for dismissing the peasant class."
"They wouldn't dare go against the Uchiha," Sasuke insisted.
"Wouldn't they? They already have. We just don't talk about it," Shisui said quietly, his hands unceasing in their labor.
Itachi calmly began to tell the tale. "Izumi Uchiha's family was targeted by the ninja. Her father had withheld rice from one of their peasants due to a perceived slight. That peasant's family was near death with hunger and begged him for forgiveness for the infraction. Izumi's father refused. In turn, the peasant turned towards the local ninja. They slaughtered Izumi's entire family in their beds. Her father committed suicide to prevent himself from being further shamed. There were four children killed in total; as well as her mother and their two maids. The youngest was not yet two. Izumi was only spared due to her participation in the omiai. If you will remember, she was staying here with her chaperone. So you see, Sasuke, it would be unwise to dismiss the peasantry entirely."
"Just because someone does not have a sword on their hip does not mean they are completely docile and helpless, you would do well to remember that," Shisui added. Sasuke grunted in response and returned to his rounds of the castle wall.
"He's never going to learn," Shisui sang mockingly.
Itachi sighed, "I can only fervently pray he does. A cherry blossom out of jade, hm?" Shisui passed along the wet stone for Itachi to examine. "Where did you pick up this skill?"
"My travels-when I was going from here to kingdom come avoiding Izuna. I ended up tagging along with a merchant vessel. They went to the continent and I was able to observe some artisans for a while. One was willing to teach me the trade in exchange for coin." Shisui shrugged casually. It was not the only skill he had picked up while running from Izuna. Over the course of three years, he had traveled the entirety of Japan, its outer islands and the continental coast.
"Your plan is to woo this woman with trinkets?" Itachi asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "A woman who lost her entire family by our hands?"
"Uh…" Shisui ceased his work on the small stone and looked at it. "I guess; that was my plan? Now that you mentioned it, it does seem a bit paltry."
"Indeed."
"Ne, Itachi. I know you're not a big romantic, but what would you do?"
"Return her brother's sword."
Shisui began to laugh heartily before realizing that Itachi was perfectly serious. "Oh shit, you're serious. The sword is with Izuna. There's no way he's going to let me have it."
"Then challenge him for it. If you are serious about this woman, it should be worth it."
"I'm going to stick with the bauble for now. But thanks for the idea. Do you have any idea what Madara would do to me if I so much as nicked Izuna?"
"Yes, and that would make it all the more worth it, don't you think?"
"I'd be dead, Itachi. Dead. D-E-A-D."
Itachi smiled, "Perhaps."
When Shisui met Sakura underneath the cherry trees, the blossoms were in full bloom. They danced and collided in the air, filling it with pink petals. The air was perfumed with the light scent. The woman he sought out was lounged underneath the boughs of her brother's tree. Her hands worked industriously against an embroidery loom. A stick on the ground cracked underneath his foot. The sound startled her and caused her to prick her finger with the sewing needle.
"Damn." She looked up at him before rolling her eyes. "Oh, it's you, Uchiha-san." Pulling a small handkerchief out of her obi, she pressed it against her finger.
"Here, let me," Shisui implored. Sakura looked at him skeptically before relinquishing the finger and its impromptu bandage. "I would have thought for sure you'd have bandages in that box." He gestured to the small wooden box tied around her hip.
"No. I don't. I learned long ago to carry the most important things with me."
"I see. And what are those?"
"None of your business," she snapped. Sakura had the decency to look slightly abashed at her rudeness.
"I was worried. When you burned our soulmark with that plant. I made Sugar run all the way to the Senju gates."
"Your horse's name is 'Sugar'?"
"Promise me you won't do that again, please?"
Sakura went quiet as she looked away from him. "I've never heard a samurai say 'please' before. I won't do it again. I promise."
"What are you embroidering?"
"It's a tribute to my brother's life."
Shisui gently removed the handkerchief and ran his thumb along the side of the injured finger. "It's stopped bleeding." He kissed her knuckles before placing her hand on her lap. Smiling to himself when she blushed, he turned his attention to the needlework. In the center of it was a young samurai kneeling amongst the cherry blossom trees. On the edge of the cloth were waves of fire engulfing the orchard. He held his face in defiance against the onslaught. "It's beautiful," Shisui said finally.
"Thank you. I had considered leaving it at the Shinigami's shrine as an offering."
"But you're not considering that now?"
"You're very nosy, Uchiha-san."
"Forgive me, Haruno-san. I'm simply trying to learn more about my beloved."
Sakura tsked in annoyance before she continued her work, ignoring her visitor.
"So, why are you out here alone? Where's your man?"
"His name is Lee. He has a life. And I certainly don't need a bodyguard while in Senju lands."
Shisui looked at her skeptically. "Right. And the last time you trained in self-defense was when?" He grabbed her hand abruptly and turned it over. He noted the lack of calluses before she pulled it back. "I'm going to go with ten years old. It was probably your brother who taught you, am I correct? He taught you, what? The tanto? A weak weapon choice for someone with poor upper body strength."
"How dare you!" Sakura raised her hand to slap him before he grabbed it in mid-air.
"I'm right, though. You should start training again. There's been several uprisings lately." His sudden seriousness shocked her.
"Uprisings?"
"Ninja, they call themselves. The peasant class is revolting. You need to be wary." He reached into his side pouch and pulled out a small case. "I had something commissioned for you."
"Oh honestly, you're going to manufacture a threat so you can then become the sole rescuer and savior? Your gall is ridiculous. The only threat against me is from your clan. Your clan which is full of barbaric mercenaries who would no sooner look at someone than cut them down!" Sakura stood up and stomped away, leaving her needlework behind.
Before she could comprehend what was happening, his arm was around her waist. He pulled her closely against his chest and put his other forearm at the base of her neck. She froze at the threat he posed and the speed which he moved.
As she started to struggle, he held her still and whispered lowly, "Be careful who you say such things to, woman. I may be tolerant, but many aren't. You are far too delicate and defenseless to get away with it. Even the best of your feminine wiles will not save you." He moved his hand beneath her obi and one hand over her mouth while she tried to scream and fight against him. "Learn to protect yourself. I would appreciate it if you helped ease my worries for your safety." His breath was hot against her ear.
Sakura began to hyperventilate and tears sprung in her eyes at the fear of her own powerlessness before he released her and set her steady on her feet. Nobody had ever made her feel that vulnerable before. When she turned around, he was already gone.
She pulled out the object that he had snuck into her obi. In the case was a hair pin. It was clear by its design that it was meant to be a weapon. The bottom was sharp and threaded to hold a fast-acting poison. A jade sakura blossom was gilded to the top. It was strange that he would spend so much effort in having such a thing commissioned. His unique gift was more than she had expected from an Uchiha, or any suitor, to be perfectly honest. It was not an unpleasant discovery.
With every interaction they had it was evident he loved her. He wanted her to be strong enough to defend herself against her enemies. So much so that he was willing to lose what little ground he gained to show her the truth. The truth was, in her current state, she was defenseless.
The next time they met, they had traded stories. She began to realize that they had quite a bit in common. Were they born in different clans, or to an entirely different class altogether she could imagine herself easily falling in love with him. He was intelligent, funny, and sweet. There were times where even her passive expression broke and she did her best to hide it behind a well placed fan. His thoughtfulness shone through everything that he did. In her worst moments, she chalked it up to his serial womanizing. His charm was certainly well-honed. But the way he looked at her made her feel like she was the only one he saw. The only one he would ever truly be with—her soulmark reminded her of how true that could be.
Shisui could tell that she liked him. She blushed frequently whenever they spoke and hid her smiles behind a fan. There was an occasional stutter in her voice when they made eye contact. He knew that he still had a long road to walk to bridge the gap between 'like' and 'love'. Women were difficult to understand, Sakura more so than any he had ever met. The more time that he spent with her, the more complicated he realized she was. She was kind yet cunning. Intelligent, yet also very naive about the world they lived in. The way she expressed her true opinions so freely was fascinating. It was a rare trait to see in a woman. It made him reflect on why women behaved that way. He came to the conclusion that she had been encouraged from a young age to express herself. Whereas most females were not. He could only hope that if they had daughters they would inherit the same sense of self that she had.
They had talked about their soulmarks. The current estimate was that it only appeared in less than five percent of the population. Beyond that, research was limited. There was currently an alchemist named Orochimaru who had provided information on them. How that information was obtained, however, made Shisui cringe. It made him want to shield Sakura from ever being exposed to someone like that.
There was one legend, in particular, that Sakura had always been fascinated with. Shisui had sat quietly with her in the grove as she shared the story of Kakashi and Iruka. Kakashi had been a member of the aristocracy, his father was an advisor in the emperor's court. Iruka had been a simple scholar.
The couple had found each other in their late teens. As they were both male and members of very different classes, it was unlawful for them to be together. They had a series of clandestine meetings as their bond grew stronger. When the emperor discovered their love, he ordered that Iruka be put to death and Kakashi imprisoned. The emperor's assassin came into their room late at night to carry out the deed. Kakashi placed himself in front of Iruka and used his body as a shield. The assassin, ashamed that he had just mortally wounded a member of the royal household, ran for help.
Iruka carried the injured body of his soulmate away from the emperor's palace into the surrounding mountainside. He begged the gods to heal his love. When he heard the death rattle begin in Kakashi's chest, he kissed him desperately, passionately as it might be the last time they were together. At that moment, an amazing thing happened-Kakashi's wounds knit themselves together and he was healed. From then, nobody knows what became of them. Some say that they ascended into the pantheon of kami. Some say that they lived out the rest of their days in relative peace before passing from this life. Still, others say that they continue to live on a deserted island, alone in each other's arms to this day.
Shisui found it interesting that she was intrigued by such a tale. He knew the Haruno were well-known in the emperor's court. It was why they were considered members of the samurai class centuries before Haruno Akio ever learned the way of the sword. A story about love healing mortal wounds would have been important enough to pass on through the generations of the most prestigious clan of healers.
The samurai general found the way that she refused to meet his eyes after she told him the tale and the slight blush on her cheeks enchanting. He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, carving this moment into his memory.
~~~Section Redacted on 12 January 2020! ~~~~ Will be updated in the next few days with that section. Thank you so much for your support!
AN: Thank you so much for reading! If you can, please leave a comment. 3 This is part three of five planned parts.
About the scene where Shisui grabs her. Before you send hate comments, please consider the complexities of a samurai lifestyle.
Some excellent questions were brought up on Part 2 regarding the 'Right of Soulmarks'. The 'Right of Soulmarks' applies to individuals that have soulmarks. In this world, the gods marked soulmates before their birth. In order to honor the gods' desires, the 'Right of Soulmarks' was created. Typically, families in the samurai class as well as upper-class merchants would arrange marriages between their children. The 'Right of Soulmarks' was created to prevent soulmates from being married to others before they had a chance to find their match.
If Sakura had revoked her 'Right of Soulmark', then that would have given Tobirama and Hashirama the right to arrange an opportunistic marriage. (As they were her only living male relatives, and therefore in charge of her.) One that would benefit both the Senju clan and keep the Haruno clan from extinction. It would also have taken away Shisui's right to visit her, as she would become her husband's property. (This was the law of the time, don't yell at me.) Obviously, any husband would want to keep away individuals that might be able to woo their wife from their side. And someone the gods deemed as perfect for said wife would certainly be able to do that. To clarify, this has been added back to chapter 2 in the conversation with Tobirama. :)
Questions, comments, concerns? Leave them in the review box. :)
Also, thank you guys so so much for the response to this. I'm honestly quite floored. I was closed to tears with the amount of feedback that I received. So THANK YOU! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Beta'ed by: The Magnificent, Magnanimous Madame herself: Moonlady9 Thank you for all of your unwavering support and encouragement! ❤❤❤
Thank you to: Sariasprincy; Thank you for all of your invaluable advice during the writing of this. ❤❤❤❤
