women and men (both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
The storm that night was brutal. Blinding sheets of icy rain thundered down onto the earth, turning regular ground into thick, dark mud. The droplets of rail fell so hard that getting hit by them felt almost like getting shot or stung.
It was through this rain that a kunoichi ran, clutching a small child to her breast. The kunoichi had dark brown hair neatly piled up on her had in two buns and deep, forest green eyes. She looked young, around her mid-twenties, perhaps.
The child had dirty, hay-colored hair that simply hung down to the little girl's shoulders. The child wore a simple white shirt and shorts, although her clothing was splattered with blood and earth.
Lighting flashed close by the unlikely duo, and a tremendous boom of thunder shook the area. The child whimpered and clutched the kunoichi's chest.
"Don't worry, Sakura," the kunoichi said. "We'll find shelter soon."
As the kunoichi said this, she looked around her, hoping to find something to take shelter in. Through the blinding rain, the kunoichi saw the faint outline of a cliff face about 100 yards to the left. The kunoichi turned toward the cliff.
"Yu-yuriko-sama... Did you find shelter?" Sakura asked in a wobbly voice.
Yuriko smiled down at Sakura. "I might have. There's a cliff over there, and I'm hoping that there will be a cave somewhere. If there is, we can get inside and take shelter there."
"Oh, okay," said the child.
Yuriko dashed toward the cliff, scanning the wet rock for any dark holed that would indicate caves. She found one, several feet in the air. Tensing her leg muscles, Yuriko leaped up , landing neatly on a ledge of stone right outside the cliff. Sakura gasped.
"That was amazing!" The child's face lit up as she beamed at her companion. Yuriko smiled back.
Suddenly, a boom of thunder shook the stone. Sakura let out a cry of terror and attached herself to the kunoichi. Yuriko sighed. "Sakura, it'll be okay. I'm here to protect you."
"I want my mommy..." the little girl whimpered.
A shadow of pain darkened Yuriko's face for a moment, and she clutched Sakura close.
"If I sing a lullaby for you, will it make you feel better?" Yuriko murmured in the little girl's ear. Sakura nodded and sniffed.
"Oaky, Sakura. I used to sing this to my little girl all the time. It was her favorite."
"Used to?" asked Sakura, her baby blue eyes wide. "What happened?"
For a moment, a look of terrible anguish and grief crossed Yuriko's face. A searing pain lanced through her body, and then both the look and the pain were gone.
"She grew up," Yuriko said matter-of-factly.
"Oh," said Sakura. "She grew up."
Yuriko took a deep breath and started to sing.
"Dango dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
yancha na yaki dango yasashii an dango
sukoshi yumemigachi na tsukimi dango
osumashi goma dango yotsu ko kushi dango
minna minna awasete hyakunin kazoku
akachan dango wa itsumo shiawase no naka de
toshiyori dango wa me o hosometeru
nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki na marui wa ni naru yo
machi o tsukuri dango boshi no ue minna de waraiau yo
usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru dekkai otsuki-sama
ureshii koto kanashii koto mo zenbu marumete
nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki na marui wa ni naru yo
machi o tsukuri dango boshi no ue minna de waraiau yo
usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru dekkai otsuki-sama
ureshii koto kanashii koto mo zenbu marumete
dango dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku
dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku..."
"That was beautiful...!" Sakura murmured, half-asleep.
Yuriko smiled as a single tear slid down her cheek. "Thank you... Saki..."