SAKURA AND THE SACRED JEWEL
- Locked by Carri04 on Mar 22, '22 11:15pmReason: Request
Thread Topic: SAKURA AND THE SACRED JEWEL
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Long ago in feudal Japan, there was a group of Samurai, known as the Yamagada Order. These warriors served the emperor in a lasting promise to always give the their males to the emperors to come as loyal servants and fighters under the royal family's order. These young men had to be born strictly of the people within the Order, amd they would be trained to give their undivided services to the emperor--not questions asked--but that changed when I came along. My name is Sakura Yamagada, and I...was a half-blood--an illegitimate child of the Order, most would say. And to top it all off, intersex, but let's not let the whole world in on that one, shall we? When my birth origins were discovered, my life was in danger. The emperor Fishume wanted my head for the disgrace my birth brought on the order. I fled to the home of Mariko Itchiban, my surrogate mother, and with the help of Lord Raiden, God of Thunder, we were able to put an end to Fishime's corrupt ruling and the curse of the Yamagada Order. Now Japan can live under a more peaceful rule...
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"Sakura," Mariko calls to me as her blood-red hair streams across her face. I can practically hear the desperation in her voice, and it's enough to give me a nudge to reply just as promptly as she calls.
"Yes?"
"Go down there," she instructs, holding her crouching position on the bamboo rooftop and looking to the village below. "I'm pretty sure I saw Kajurah. Go down there," she pushes with haste and deep concern.
For a second, I question her level of certainty, but as I bring my light-blue eyes to the ground, I see the edge of Kajurah's white cape slink past a sushi kiosk. I whip my wispy, wood-brown hair, nodding. "Right."
Saying no more, I front flip off the roof, removing my sheathed katana off my back and using it to zip line down the hanging wires over the village and jet towards the palace.
As I leave, Mariko tugs her white scarf over her mouth, only leaving her ruby-red eyes uncovered at this point; as I go out of view, she whispers a prayer. "Raiden kyō ga anata no kokoro o mamotte kuremasu yō ni..."
I jump down from the wires just before I crash into the hanging lanterns. I drop to my feet and roll, tumbling into an alley and eventually stopping in a crouch. I replace my sheathed sword on my back and walk out the alley casually holding my hands behind my head, proceeding to scale the stairs. As I do, a young servant girl notices my presence.
"Sakura," she calls, "what a pleasure to see you here for the princess' birthday!"
I try not to scoff as I reply. "Trust me, the pleasure all yours. I'm not here for fun."
Left in wonder by my veiled statement, the woman darts up the stairs after me, grabbing my arm and looking into my eyes. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?"
I slip my arm of from under her slender figures and continue up the stairs. "That's classified information. You know what I do, Hoseki."
"Right," she replies, scratching her head. "But--"
"And even if it weren't and I could tell you freely, you know I wouldn't tell you. We don't talk about these things," I finish shyly, gripping my arm and looking away, not rudely, but honestly.
Hoseki chuckles. "I know, Sakura. I recall how shy you were back at Takoma. Whatever you're doing though, good luck and stay safe," she finishes, smiling.
I pause for a moment before growing the slightest smile. "Thank you." -
Moments later, I arrive in the palace, spinning about, looking for any trace of Kajurah. Through the crowd of people, I see the edge of a white cape yet again, turning off from the gathering and heading the direction of uncharted ground.
"Uhgh," I grunt, narrowing my eyes and taking off behind him.
The sounds of chatter and shuffling around fades, and as I dash down the hall, the only sound that rings out is the pitter-patter of my boots, accompanied by the jingling of my weaponry and buckles on my clothes.
I reach the end of the hall to find two doors; one leads off to another hall, and the other, who knows where. But as I hesitantly draw near to the unknown passage on the right, I can hear a steady flow of water. At this point, my curiosity turns me completely away from the door leading to another hallway, and I enter into the door to my right, enchanted by the flowing water.
I stand in marvel after slipping through the door, being met with the beautiful sight of a pool filled with turquoise water, adorned with cherry blossoms.
"Ahh," I quietly gasp, amused as my eyes scan across the room. My eyes stop dead in their exploration, however, when they land on a woman directly across from me and all the way at the other end of the pool.
Her hair is glossy-black and pinned up in two, tightly-wound buns, and in her hair rests a silver tiara with a single blue jewel; her eyes shine like the milky-white moon. She appears to be in the middle of preparation for a bath, but as she spots me, she gently tugs on her kimono, concealing her bathing suit and watching me with subtle surprise.
"Oh! Sakura," she utters in a gentle voice, nearly masking her shock.
I can feel my face grow hot, but my cheeks don't show it as I scratch behind my head and briefly look away. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I-I didn't know you were in here."
A moment of silence falls on us as our eyes meet again. The water's rippling glow reflects off of us as we stand speechless.
Smiling, the princess suddenly takes off her kimono and dives into the reflecting pool. She swims over to me, darting through the water like a little minnow. She surfaces like a mermaid and climbs out, whipping her hair and standing before me with a charming gaze.
Placing her hand on my shoulder, the princess begins to speak in a calm whisper. "Sakura, thank you for coming as soon as you could. You and Mariko WI protect me, won't you?"
I nod, hoping to slip my shoulder off from under her hand in a secretive attempt, but the princess grips me all the more as she speaks. "Speaking of Mariko, where is she?"
"Scanning the parameters for Kajurah. I could trade places with her if-"
"No," the princess rushes out. "This is fine. I needed you, Sakura."
"Oh?"
"Mariko doesn't listen when it comes to instruction and important information, which is why I needed you, Sakura."
"Oh. I see. You may be right. That woman is a bit...impatient, but I'll always love her."
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