A/N: Wow, the response to my prologue and story really blew my mind. I was expecting the reviews thanks so much I appreciate it and I hope you love this story as much as I enjoy writing it.
Chapter 1 (Leaving the Village by the Sea)
There is a legend among the five great nations that a child will be born, she will be different from the rest, and you can tell it's her by the color of her hair it will be the same as Sakura Petals. The legend states that the child must be taken to the tallest mountain and sacrificed to the god of war in order to retain peace throughout the nations. The best soldiers that money could buy have been searching endlessly for seventeen years for the girl from the legends, not knowing all along that she was sleeping soundly in the village by the sea.
(Sakura's Point of View)
She stared at the young man across form her, and let out a sigh of frustration. He was like a rock, never moving or saying anything, it was irrating. Ever since she lost her parents the villagers were always trying to push her into a marriage, even before she could walk they tried to convince a rich merchant to buy her.
"This is pointless," she muttered under her breath, as she began stripping the heavy outer layer of her kimono, and pulling the jade chopsticks from her hair. They were supposed to bring out her eyes, whatever that was supposed to mean. With one final tug a mountain of petal colored hair flowed down her shoulders, and down her mid back.
"Do you have any shame," the rock hissed from across the room as she made her way to the closes window. Well, it finally spoke, but nothing but stupidity came out of its mouth. She turned to face the dark haired man, and laughed before responding, "Do you have a personality?"
Before the rock could respond she was wiggling out of the damn window, and running as far and fast away from the matchmaker's home as she could. She didn't stop running until she reached the river bank, and then she stared at the disgusting site in front of her.
She quickly rinsed her face washing the powder that had been caked on it away, and she watched at the clouded droplets dripped from her face and polluted the pure water. That was what the villagers were trying to do to her pollute her full of lies about her family, and force her into a marriage at the young age of seventeen.
She remembered the night that the village took her family from her, and she lay on the bank, and closed her eyes losing herself in the moment.
(16 years ago in the Village by the Sea)
"Sakura-Chan, come sit with granny, and she will tell you a story from long ago about a girl who changed her destiny," her grandmother called. She crawled towards her grandmother reaching out for her to pick her up. "Listen closely my dear this is called the ballad of Mulan.
Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mulan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown up son,
Mulan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."
In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.
At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.
On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mulan has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."
When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
She fixes her rouge, facing the door.
When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming
He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.
"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mulan was a girl.
"The he hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"
Sakura was tired by the end of the story, and so she snuggled closely into her granny's chest. There was a pounding at the door, and then there was shouting from outside. "Hanuro Kyo, you must get make that sorceress and her child leave. She has bewitched both you and you mother, and the child is monster she must be due to the peculiar color of her hair, "a man shouted from outside the door.
"You are not welcome here, leave my home," her father's deep voice bellowed from inside the small house. She felt the comfort of her mother's arms wrap tightly around her small body, and her mother made her way quietly into the kitchen.
"Help me mother please," her mother whispered to her grandmother. "Hand me the child Yuri and lift the door," her grandmother whispered in a hurry. "I do not see a door," her mother's voice was panicked at this point. "That is because the door does not wish to be seen," her grandmother said pointing to the wooden planks below her feet.
She watched in amazement as her mother opened the floor, and the she clung tightly to her mother's neck as she was lowered into the small crawl space. "Sakura-Chan do not leave this place no matter what you hear you must stay put," her mother whispered prying her small hands from around her neck.
The moment that she was alone in the dark, the screaming started and then she smelled smoke, and she listened in horror as her wounded family was burned alive, and she was the only one left. It was days after that, that a man with red eyes pulled her from the crawl space, he told the villagers they could not harm her, and just as he came he left.
(Present time)
Sakura sat up covered in her own tears and sweat from the memory convinced of one thing she was going to leave this cursed village and make her own destiny. She ran towards her small home and saddled a horse, the only thing she took with her was a bow and a set of arrows. The villagers stared in shock at the sight of the cursed girl riding quickly towards the Forrest; she was riding like there was a demon behind her. There was and it lay in the burnt remains of a little shack, in the village by the sea.
A/N: So what did you think it took me a couple of days to figure off how I wanted to start this story. So R and R I hope you liked it so far