Chapter 4 – Shaking Leaf

Sakura sat quietly, with her feet tucked under her, watching him as he worked. He couldn't see her, of course. She was deep inside of her tree, beyond his reach. She sighed to herself and wished that she could step out and speak to him again. It wasn't allowed though; she had already done too much.

That last day, as she had been washing her hands, she had looked up into his eyes and her smile had faded. She had seen something shining on his face that she had never expected. Her kind had no heart; they could not cry, or fall in love. To have allowed him to fall in love with her was cruel and she regretted it bitterly.

She should have seen this coming, though. It had been foolish of her to go out to him as she was. She had forgotten that he was a man grown now, and not the little Aniki who had climbed her as a child. She was at fault for the result of her carelessness. She had only wanted to help him and now she had done something unforgivable.

To feel things for a human, even if it were possible for her, was forbidden. He had become her friend, she liked him, and enjoyed talking to him, spending time with him, and she assured herself that there was no more to it than that. She would miss their time together, but it meant nothing more than that he had become a friend. He was a normal human, to feel anything more for him, well, it was unthinkable.

She only hoped that he would soon forget his mysterious friend, though she knew that she would never forget him. Long after he had finished his work and walked away home, she remained staring at where he had been, thinking of the unthinkable.

Spring arrived and Makito went about his planting and fertilizing with a heavy heart. He had hoped that Sakura would return, but he hadn't seen her in weeks. He felt as though something essential to him was missing these days and he was filled with a leaden depression.

"An-kun," his mother's voice roused him from where he sat on the front steps to the old house, head bowed over a farming manual. He realized that he had been staring at the same page for some minutes without reading a word of it.

"Kaa-san," he answered and gave her a smile that he had to dredge up with a great effort.

"Something has been bothering you for some time, and I wonder when you will talk to me about it." His mother's voice had a sad patience in it that made him feel guilty for his preoccupation.

Miyuki was a beautiful woman, age had laid a very gentle hand on her and she hardly looked forty-eight. Her dark hair waved around her face and her eyes were outlined with the memories of past smiles. She had a flower like quality that was surely part of what had drawn Makito's father to her. She had raised the five siblings almost entirely by herself as their father had been away a great deal in their childhood. He had always gone to her with every problem, but this time he had stayed silent.

"Kaa-san, I am such an idiot," he admitted and she laughed gently and shook her head.

"You are many things, child, but not that," she answered.

"No, I should have spoken with you sooner." He shook his head at his own foolishness.

"You are speaking to me now, An-kun." The endearment made him feel like a child again, but in a good way, it took him back to the days when a cookie could soothe all ills. His mother's smile was all-encompassing and reminded him strongly of Sakura's.

"I met a girl." It was a simple statement, but it contained a wealth of emotion and meaning. "But, I don't know where she lives. In fact, I know almost nothing about her. We have talked and she has helped me in the garden, but she never talked about herself and she hasn't come by for weeks now. I think that she's not coming back." The words fell over each other trying to get out of his mouth. The anguish that he had been repressing so hard, broke free, and he felt hot tears coursing down his cheeks.

His mother put an arm around him and he leaned against her. He was so much taller than she was that he could rest his cheek against her hair and the familiar tickle of it soothed him.

"Aniki, this girl, do you think that she cares for you?" It was an excellent question and one that wished that he had an answer to.

"I don't know, Kaa-chan, sometimes I think that she does and sometimes I am certain I'm fooling myself. All I know is that I have fallen in love with her and I wish I knew where she was." His words came out with more anguish than he had intended them too and his mother squeezed his shoulders.

"If she does love you, An-kun, she'll come back."

But she didn't.

Makito had felt something wrong in the forest, Urara had been called and she had used her crystal ball to determine that there was some disturbance in the woods nearby. They had all sighed and fetched their wands. It was always something, he thought to himself with irritation. Some cursed item, or a demon, or a mischievous spirit that needed to be dealt with, always seemed to show up and need to be defeated.

His heart wasn't in it that day however, which is probably why he got so badly hurt.

Sakura tried not to worry. It was past ten and Makito still hadn't come to the field that day. Summer was well advanced and the plants needed water. It was completely unlike him to ignore their needs. Still, he might have been called away. But, she reasoned, had that been the case, he would certainly have had someone to come care for the plants, wouldn't he? She argued with herself for a long time, trying to remain calm, but becoming more and more agitated.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore.

Checking the area carefully, to be certain that there were no humans about, she slipped out of her tree. For the brief moment of stepping out she would be visible to anyone walking by and it was her moment of greatest vulnerability. Once she settled onto the ground she made herself incorporeal, a mere wafting of a breeze. Drifting noiselessly down the stone pathway, she headed towards the Ozu family house.

She arrived outside the kitchen window and listened to the sounds coming from inside. She disliked the idea of spying like this, but she was growing very worried now.

"So has he said anything else?" The voice was Houka's, she knew it well. The eldest daughter sometimes came to "help" Makito in the farm garden. She usually just sat and ate the fruits and vegetables, but her cheerfulness at least helped make the time pass.

"Not since that day, no, he hasn't said anything." It was his mother speaking now, though she wasn't certain what they were talking about.

"Could it be related to the attack?" Sakura felt a flutter of fear go through her again. Had something happened to Makito?

"I don't think so; this seems to be something else entirely." She heard them clattering around the kitchen, no longer speaking, and she drifted upwards, searching for his window.

She peered into several before she found what she was looking for. There on the bed was Makito, head swathed in bandages, lying still and pale beneath the sheets. Her heart seemed to freeze inside of her at the sight of him. His eyes looked bruised, his face was covered in cuts and scrapes and his breathing was shallow.

Nearby his brother Kai sat, watching over him. Thin and rather delicate looking, Kai had a shock of black hair that shot out at all angles and had dyed patches of red in it. He had wide eyes that were usually bubbling over with either his fiery temper or with merriment, but which were now staring at his brother with great solemnity.

Something had happened to Makito and she had had no idea. A terrible sense of guilt came over her, somehow she should have protected him better, should have been there when he needed her, should at least have known that he was in trouble. Even as she thought it, she knew it was mere foolishness, but she couldn't stop the feelings of fear and grief from nearly overwhelming her.

She felt herself falling to the ground, her concentration broken, and the thump of her body landing on the walkway below was clearly audible.

In horror, she made herself incorporeal again, but the damage was done. Footsteps came rushing out of the house and with a feeling that she was doing something incredibly foolish, she launched herself upwards, towards Makito's bedroom window, rather than the direction that prudence dictated. Still thinking that she should be running back to her tree as fast as she could, she darted into his window and settled down onto the floor beside his bed.

"Makito-san?" she whispered, letting herself take full form again.

"Sakura-san?" His eyes flew open and he smiled weakly at her, his injuries obviously had drained him. She returned the smile, relived that he was awake.

She sat on the edge of the bed and he reached out, taking her hand in his. She held tightly to him, feeling the life that still flowed through him, she could sense that he was slowly recovering. He was weak, but the injuries were not life threatening. Relief flooded her and she smiled again in genuine happiness.

"You scared me. That's not nice to do," she scolded, still smiling, and he laughed softly, though it was really more of a cough than a laugh.

"I will try not to do so again," he responded, but his voice was growing faint. His eyes fluttered closed and in the next moment, he was asleep. She carefully extracted her hand from his and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the brow. She poured healing into him with her kiss, giving him strength, the way she did to the plants that she watched over.

"Sleep well, Makito," she murmured and then, before his family returned, she became no more than a breeze again and slipped out the window and back to the garden. She would water the plants and see to the day's work and then for certain, she wouldn't come back out of her tree again. She was quite determined not to succumb to this weakness she had for him again.