The breeze that signs the beginning of autumn blew within a village on top of a mountain. The sky was dark, stars layout in space as the sun was nowhere to be seen. The lanterns that were set up on the buildings of both homes and stores shook in the rather directional wind. The sound of music played while the villagers danced a hearty move to welcome the new season and to wish for good fortune for its stay. This special ceremony isn't just for the prayer of good weather, but also to thank the gods above for the previous generosity of successful harvest and merciful weather for countless of years. It was one of the days where the entire villager sets aside work, and to enjoy themselves from the nonstop duties in which keeps everyone alive and active. The kids younger than the age of 12 grouped up for a game of tag, as the adults sat around a campfire enjoyed a cup of sake and sang songs passed on from the village and beyond. Everyone in the village had a night full of enjoyment and fun for hours on end! It wasn't until 12 o'clock in the morning where 75% of the adults knocked out of consciousness, and the children have been tucked into bed by their mothers. The campfire was weak, but still smoked a flame, the sound of the calmed breeze blew until every last villager fell right asleep.

Although everyone inside the village dozed off hours after the party ended, two figures wrapped in blanket sheets and socks climbed up a trail which lead them into the village have just returned from trade for some valuable goods. It doesn't take as long as you'd think to hike up the trail to home than you'd think, but a detour of hungry mountain lions drove the two to the longer trail back home. Luckily no one was hurt, but they were certainly cold and tired, they shivered and struggled to carry a large backpack of goods and meat purchased outside of the village.

"A-Almost home to bed my darling..." A man with a black beard plopped his own backpack in the presence of his own home, throwing himself to the pillow on the ground and falling asleep very easily. The women with him rolled her eyes in a comedic love-way, as she took out some artifacts she had purchased from the trading center, they involved miniature statues, metal nuggets, nearly indestructible rice bowls, lastly, taking out an oval-shaped artifact with a very pretty color of a rose. It was the most expensive treasure she had purchased, but it was definitely worth every coin she saved up.

"Welcome into the mountainside, this will be your new home..." She places the pink object at the sill of a window before she fell right to sleep with her husband.

The morning quickly rolls in less than three hours later as the people began rising up themselves, carrying on the daily chores and jobs within the village, as if the party last night wasn't even a thing. The couple who have returned from their journey slept through the morning gleam after a super long night of hiking. The first crack of dawn shines upon the village every day of clear weather. Touching the pink object within the home awakened from within. Something about the rising light of the sun excites it, it's pink color glows miraculously, its own light unleashes, the object was no more. Now, it was an infant. The newborn baby tapped the window class for about 5 minutes, eager by the warmth the sun has provided, but one little slip off of balance on the window sill, it thumped its little bottom into the floor, a cry was heard, both the man and women woke up, alarmed to the baby's wail. The first explanation was that a baby pig from the barn snuck into their house until they dart their heads directly at the crying little girl.

"Hisako..? Who's... whose child is this...?" The man slumped up from bed, watching the women pick up the naked baby in her arms.

"I... I don't know..."

Wrapping the little thing in the warmth of clean sheets, the man and woman spent the morning visiting every couple in the village to see if the toddler belonged to them, but no progress in finding its parents. They stepped back inside their home to figure this whole mystery out, but one glance at the window was all it took. Cracked shells could be found onto the floor, the wife picked up the shards and came to the thought of the most expensive treasure bought at the special event.

"It's no relic... It was... an egg! We-we bought a child!"

She didn't know how to feel about this exactly, so many feelings flurried at once. The joys of becoming a parent, the idea of being a living being like property, and perhaps the feeling of being swindled. The husband was quite flattered, despite it being such a sudden thing.

"It's a miracle my darling! Our lives now start a new leaf! As a family."

Hearing those thoughtful words have shifted the wife into a better mood, so she was on board of being a mother. All that was left was to come up with a name. They have agreed to give it a name that derives from nature. Their brains processed ideas in which led them to the seasons, considering a name from there, until the wife thought of a perfect name,

"Sakura, I want to name her Sakura."

Spring was their favorite time of year, the time of blooming flowers and greens all to be seen at once. A time where mother nature had awakened from a long slumber from winter, and it shows. The gentle breeze that carries the cherry blossoms was a fantastic experience to watch and to await its return the next year. So Sakura was perfect, from there on, the man and the women started their new chapter with a giggling baby girl.

For the sudden change in their lives of becoming unexpected parents, the two adults weren't bad raising a child from gaining lessons from the local couples in the village. Sakura was in the hands, treated with the utmost care, nurturing, and attention any parent could provide. Sakura turned out to be... Very, very different from the other children in the village. Year by year, she wasn't growing like any of the others, despite having a healthy diet fit for anyone to grow, but nothing worked.

The baby girl didn't take her first steps until she was 9 years old, even if she had the appearance of 1-year old. It was something truly heart-warming for the couple to see their kid walk after all those years.

"Mama-Papa!"

Sakura would speak, her parents also sighed to her first words and tried their best to look past her irregular growth rate. Her speech wasn't behind, those were her favorite words, she loved her parents and everyone in the caring village. Although she was far too young to be playing with the other kids in the village, she always had her parents to pay with. But as the years carried on, they spent less and less time playing as a family. Not because they were neglecting her, their love was as strong as a double-edged sword, their aging bodies couldn't say the same.

Sakura was twenty-seven, but she had the body of a three-year-old. The couple was sixty-five, their bones thinned and their skin wrinkled dry in the warm air, she was curious if they may have been horribly ill, but their parents wouldn't tell the truth, Sakura would tug in their clothes with deep worry.

"Mama, w-what is happening to you and papa..? Are you gonna be okay soon so we can play together..?"

The wife looked at their young-looking little girl, if she had grown just like a normal child, she would be a beautiful young woman, the thought pierced her aching heart, the end was near, she held her soft, small, and delicate hand, and smiled.

"I-I'm not in the way you think Sakura... Papa and I had quite the experience watching you grow like a Cherry Blossom... But..."

She was hesitant, despite her age, she was always treated like a child, 'the end' was something she had yet to tell her daughter, but never had the courage, it's now or never.

"Papa and I have to go soon... "

"G-go..? W-Where?..."

"Somewhere for the elderly... I'm terribly sorry sweetie."

The wife coughed, her husband had to tag her out to finish the sentence that choked her.

"You'll be staying with our neighbors... They are much more fun with their kids to play with you all day long..."

"... But-I... I don't want to go, I wanna stay with you papa!.."

Telling something so heart-wrenching to a sweet girl like Sakura felt like putting down a puppy with a rifle. Sakura began to tear, her parents too, but they had to stay strong for the sake of their daughter.

"Now, don't cry my little cherry tree... Before you have to set sail to your new home tonight... I want you to remember... No matter how far we both might be... We will always be here with you... I love you..."

"And Papa loves you too Sakura..."

She points right where Sakura's heart was, but she didn't understand well, what did this mean? Where were they going? These questions really made her think until the door opened, their neighbor stood to pick up their daughter.

"Mrs. Hisako... I'm here for the girl."

The man stood as Sakura clung herself to the bed of the couple, it pained the couple even to see their daughter refusing to leave, so the wife had to say it.

"Take her please..."

The man held the little girl, she resisted her grip, but wouldn't let go. Sakura cried and screamed, her parents also teared up themselves seeing their family split apart. They didn't have many choices, it was best for her to leave before she could witness first hand. Passing away without saying... I love you.

An entire month had passed, Sakura hadn't gotten over the separation of her and her parents, she wasn't upset, but... Down. She didn't play with her two brothers and sister all that much, which made her new parents worry. It wasn't long before they had to sit down and to tell her the truth, finally being forward with her. She took it quite well, that and time passing by had calmed her down. So she decided to give her new family a try, which the parents were very happy to see their plan had worked! Her new father Hidezaku was a healthy man who had the job of traveling down the mountain every day to fish for food, so he wasn't around as much for his children. But the wife Chizuko was a housewife, so she watched her kids every day.

Sometimes the boys of the family would go down to the stream with their father to help out, and the girls would stay home, passing the time with one of Sakura's new favorite activities, traditional dancing. There has been an art of dance that's been carried on far and wide, performed by Gaisha, both locally within the village, and in the outside world. Their breath-taking isn't just for show, these performances also carry out a story or a tale to tell, told by the swift and majestic movement of the said Gaisha, and the narrator, the one who sings the tune with the tune of a shamisen guitar. Sakura had always found the dances performed by her mother to be so beautiful and fun, she took a try and even had her sister into the swing. So her mother brought them to the theatre, where most of the village wives and ladies would gather and practice their enriching dance. It wasn't until a seasonal show where Sakura had the opportunity to take the stage and to sweep the crowd off their feet with a moving dance.

"Mommy is so proud of you. You really left the audience in total awe!"

Her mother smiled as she took her and her sister back home from the theatre, she's in a proud mood.

"Keep on practicing every day and you'll become the queen of the stage at home."

That really made her wheels turn ever since that very motivational sentence her mom had wished her. That very quote from her 2nd mother was when her goal really came true! The years had gone by very quickly, Sakura had been transferred to families that came and went just like that. But the girl carried on over the decades, still resuming her masterful arts of Gaisha dancing, eventually becoming a well-respected teacher for her young appearance. She would remain on the stage, wowing the crowd with her blissful movement, whenever she stepped back on, it felt like a luscious aroma blew from her, purifying the crowd with its pleasant air.

She couldn't explain it on her own until she was 63 years old, having the appearance of a 7-year-old. Her guardian at the time was an older gentleman who never had a wife, making this parent the first not to be paired up to raise her. He was out on the fields with him, helping him and water the cherry blossoms. She took a break after planting several seeds into the soft soil, staring at the fully grown blossom tree.

"Pretty..."

She would whisper to herself. Her guardian stood right next to her and watched the tree himself, patting her small back with a warming smile.

"It's a pretty tree alright Sakura darling. Did you know your name comes from this very species of tree?"

The little girl looked up in amazement, to be named after a bright and lively plant. It was also the happiest of memories when she could feel a soothing aroma similar to the one she releases in her theatre performances. She thought she might be going a tad too far, but the old man didn't believe she was.

"Why no Sakura. I've actually noticed the power that is blessed within you. Spiritual energy linked ever since your birth my dear."

He sounded a little looney, but Sakura was intrigued.

"S-Spiritual...?"

"Yes. Sakura, your young appearance for a 60-year-old isn't anything related to birth defects. My dear, I believe, no. I know, you're a spirit. A spirit of a blessing cherry blossom."

Sakura couldn't help but to perk up, the sound of that was really cool, so she hugged the tree in front of her, the old man patting her back with the utmost comfort.

18 years had gone by after Sakura had discovered she was a spirit. Her old caretaker had passed away from congestive heart failure, so she has moved right away to a young-adult in the village. The chief of the military defenses their home was protected by. Sakura's latest caretaker was a 26-year-old man who is I kid you not, the one in charge of protecting the village from any harm. Hauro may not be the tallest samurai of the bunch, but his strength and skill in combat were by far phenomenal. He wields a sword 5 times the size of an ordinary one with ease, impressing the other men at training. Normally, it would take the strength of both arms to swing its righteous handle, but Haruo can do so with only one arm. Using both can swing it as if it was a regular-sized blade.

He may be the chief of the military, but he was a well brother-figure for Sakura. Even at work, Sakura would spend the evening making dinner before his arrival, which was always Haruo favorite part of the day.

"Gosh Sakura, this pork is excellent, better than my own cooking." Despite being a leader, his manners weren't the most formal of the other samurais. But this quirk brings joy to Sakura, as she resumes eating like the lady she is.

Another 9 years had passed as fast as days, Sakura was now 90 years old with the appearance of a 10-year-old, Hauro now around 35, his strength now even more mighty than what it was almost a decade ago, With his physical gift, he escorted Sakura out of the house to join the village for a special event that took place at the park for late-night, a colorful meteor shower will zoom across the planet at any moment, and when it did, Sakura, Hauro, and all the others who have joined the night show had their breath taken away by the magnificent wonders of nature. It was definitely worth the trouble to stay up past her bedtime.

"What a lovely show! I wish it could-... Last all night..."

Sakura rubbed her tired eyes, Hauro rubbing her head before smiling.

"Alright, it has to be midnight by now, let's get you to bed"

The pink girl yawns, Hauro pats her back before he scoops her off her feet, but something made him stop him in his tracks before he could even imply his movement. He wasn't the only soldier who felt... "presence" beyond the villagers who have stayed up for the shower.

"Don't... make... a sound."

The head of the soldiers warns everyone who once lay on the grass with no concerns, concerned murmurs began to squirm. Although no one dared to move, the samurais pulled out their swords, in case of an enemy attack or an animal was hidden in the bushes or trees. The gentle breeze passes by, when the sudden rush of wolves rockets simultaneously out of the shadows, vicious barking terrorized the daylights out of the innocent people. Quickly, they were slashed and skewered by the weapons of soldiers. Luckily no one was hurt, but everyone was at a sense of panic from the near-death experience.

"E-Everyone please calm down!"

Hauro urged the citizens to take it easy, but they ran almost out of control screaming. "Wolves! Wolves! We were almost eaten by wolves!" Almost everyone had lost their grip, Sakura tried to settle the mood, but her soft voice wasn't getting through, so she had to step up her stage, her spiritual power. In an elegant fashion, she spun around in a circle, a pink mist swirls from her, pink cherry blossom petals spread all around her. Her soothing energy seems to do the trick, as it eased off the people from panicking like scared animals.

"That's my little sister, nice one Sakura!"

Hauro claps for her job well done, everyone soon joins him as Sakura couldn't help but blush brightly for the attention. But there was no time for an award show, the soldiers had to evacuate the citizens back to the village, and away they go.

The wolves that ambushed at the park were only the first of many to encounter. Several more popped out from the trail connecting the village, landing a bleeding bite on a soldier or citizen right before its body has been stabbed or head been clubbed by a Kanabo.

"Everyone stay calm! We will head to the hospital right away-"

Hauro tried to guide the others past the park, thinking that they could reach some help once returning to the village, but he wasn't... In fact, he couldn't. Everything once returning was engulfed in flames, dead bodies of both humans and wolves littered with puddles of blood, some caught on fire. The source of the fire comes from the many lanterns those wolves must have knocked down, causing the spread of flames, but the reason why the animals were so violent remained a mystery.

"Stay close! Stay close! Do NOT spread apart!"

Hauro shouts, making sure no one left the group in the outside world was now a battlefield. The citizens panicked, but Sakura... was on a whole different branch. Watching her home, the place she spent decades in peace and in harmony, only to see it burn right before her very eyes were impossible to watch. She began to tear up. A woman stepped up to her and held her to know that she wasn't alone in losing her home.

She looked up, a pack of wolves with blood and saliva slobbering from their mouths ran towards the group, the soldiers took their place to defend, but those wolves put up a fight. They threw themselves right at the guards, enough power to plow them to the ground, the wolves having the upper edge, Sakura and the group of terrified villagers look away from the vicious fighting. It was only a matter of time before the mad wolves kill the soldiers and finish them off. The pink girl couldn't stand back and watch them all die, she refused, she focused her arms, a pink wind blew right into the soldiers in pain. She didn't know if it could benefit at all or not, but it was all she could do. But suddenly, Everyone regained their strength, the soldiers picked themselves back up and fought back.

"Hauro! Hauro! Please be okay! I-I'll be right here to support you!"

She focused her spiritual energy to coat the soldiers with the pink mist in the air, powering them up while defending wide open blows the mad wolves have delivered. With her assistance, the village soldiers have killed the last of the wolves, a cheer uproared in the night sky to know that the rabid beasts were put-down for good. Or at least that's what the entire village had hoped for.

Sakura clapped for a few seconds to sense something BIG was coming her way.

"H-Hauro!"

She ran as fast as she could, she leaped into his direction to push her caretaker out of the way of a massive rock thrown at their way, which ends up knocking down a burning house in the process. The villagers and soldiers shot towards the direction of the boulder, nothing but smoke fogs the entire village. Sakura's sense was approaching, every step of what moved closer shook the ground, something not to take very lightly.

"H-Hauro... I'm scared..."

Sakura hid behind her caretaker, who held his giant sword, ready for the worst behind the smoke. More wolves sprung out of the fog, but that wasn't the thing who Sakura sensed, but when it stepped out into their sight, the spirit and the villagers panicked. A large terrifying wolf with three heads howled fear into all against its large size. Unlike the rest of the pack, this one stood on two legs, which best explains the hurled boulder flung across the fog.

"Shit! This is bad! Sakura! You have to go! I'll defend you!"

Hauro slashed the wolves away with ease, while the mighty alpha wolf ripped apart soldiers from limb to limb like paper. In short, Sakura was scared to death, but she didn't know where in the village would keep her safe during this inhuman invasion. Little soldiers remain, the alpha on the other side stood alone, but it had the strength of an army of men, finishing them all until Hauro stood alone.

"Bring it on! I'll make a comforter out of your pelt!"

Hauro charged forward, the wolf grabbed his body in a crushing grip, but the man was fast and clever enough to grab his kanabo and deliver a swing to the middle head to the alpha, causing tremendous pain to it, and to Hauro after being flung to a burning wall.

Sakura hurries over to the wounded soldier, coughing up blood from blows in which began to slow him down.

"S-Sakura... Y-You can't stay here... You have to leave before you end up dead here..."

Hauro toughens himself by getting back on his two feet, wielding his sword as the leader he is. Sakura shook her head as tears began to flow. She didn't want to go at all, she loved her home, even in its current burning circumstances.

"N-No! I won't! I don't want to leave you Hauro! I would rather die if that beast takes your life!"

Hauro lightly chuckles despite his pained circumstances and pets Sakura's head. He reached into his pocket and hands her a small sack of crystals.

"T-Take this and pawn it. Make the most of it..."

"N-NO! I won't I can't leave you alone to die!"

Sakura refused to make her opportunity to escape, but her caretaker knees to her height, and quickly explained.

"Sakura... I know it's unthinkable for you to leave the one place you've grown up, but right now, it's all coming down, I admit it. But you shouldn't forget it's not dead, nor it will ever die. It'll rebuild itself. One month, our home will be back the way it is... I promise."

Sakura was dripping tears from her eyes, she had to take a few steps back once the wolf had recovered from its blow to the head from the attack.

"... A... Are you sure?... W-Will I see you that said month..?"

Hauro looks at her and smiled.

"The village will be back, I can't promise myself, but remember this. No matter how far we both might be... I will always be here with you... I love you..."

Those exact words were what her parents said before she was forced to leave her first parents ever since she was very little. She couldn't fight it anymore, and soon enough, ran out of the village, leaving Hauro and the wolf to finish their fight.

The morning sun rises into the air, the soft sound of chirping birds glistens the mood of the frontier. Sakura escaped the madness of last night in one piece but hardly gotten any rest since then. She couldn't, the screaming of the people she knew, the blood that stained the ground and farms have burned into her mind. She rested her hike off the mountain with a short-lived nap, under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. The morning breeze blew off the pedals of the tree, which reminded her of all the people who fell merely hours ago. Only one flower on the tree stood, no matter how much the tree branch shook. She was silent, but she ends up gathering the blossom petals, old twigs that fell off the tree and from others. She formed the twigs resembling a cross, being circled by the petals right on the ground.

She left a little after that, but she could no longer keep it to herself and began to cry for the loss of everyone. Her spiritual energy blows different directions, disturbing all those around her. Those being small wildlife, travelers, and a pit-stop station. A boy who currently read a book was also disturbed, her crying and whirling winds made it hard for him to resume, and he didn't go out of his way to tell her so.

"Excuse me! Could you loosen up a bit? You're disturbing my reading!"

Sakura was still in tears, even when she stopped to hear this boy, she ran up to him and gave him a great big hug.

"I-I'm sorryyyyyyyyy! I really am! I lost my home, my friends! My Haurooooooooooo!"

She cries some more, as this boy really didn't know how to deal with this kind of approach.

"... I-err... Would you... Please get off of me...?

This boy could tell you he doesn't like to be touched, but he didn't want to be rude to someone who was bawling. He waited for her to calm herself before he was asked a question he might have been so keen on.

"... You... might want to talk about it or something?"

"... Y-yes. That would be lovely.