Sakura Blossom

Morning Greetings

The morning dawned very dreary as dove grey clouds covered the sky...blocking out the sun's warming rays from reaching the land below. Tucked away safe and warm inside one of the Ryoko Onsens rooms laid Anji and Akio still fast asleep upon the single sized bed. A door softly creaked open to admit the interloper inside the sleeping man's room as their socked feet faintly padded closer to the slumbering form, then they gently knelt down next to him. Just as a hand reached towards Anji's shoulder, a growl from the blankets echoed through the room...startling the intruder and waking the snoozing man from his sleep to peer up at his silent visitor.

"Kachan (mother)? What...?" his voice was husky from sleep as he began to sit up...rubbing his eyes to rid them of sleep...his tired mind not registering the growling bundle until the woman exclaimed a bit loudly.

"Bikurri Shita Anji (a surprised exclamation)! What is that? A oni (demon) sleeping with you?" her hand quickly drew back in alarm as her blue eyes went wide...hearing the growl getting louder as her son's blankets began to move in earnest. It was Anji's soft laugh that drew the woman's wide eyes up to look at him for answers.

"Easy kachan. It is no oni, but Akio, my new friend I found last night." he moved the covers enough for her to see the small black and white puppy giving this woman a growl of displeasure for disturbing his beauty sleep..his whole demeanor was one of disgruntlement yet very protective of Anji. He could not stop the smile from reaching his face at the sight of his fierce companion as he reached down to pacify the pup with gentle strokes and words he was able to calm the baby boy down. " It is alright Akio...you are safe here. This is okasan...my mother. You will like her, she is a sweet woman who will feed you lots of treats...especially if you give her those same eyes you gave me last night." he gave a nod to the woman who blushed at his words as she tentatively reached out her hand again...this time the little pup allowed her to touch him...giving her fingers soft little licks which made her giggle. Anji watched as his step-mother petted the young puppy who enjoyed all the scratches she bestowed upon his tummy and behind the ears...his little back paw twitching in pleasure as his brown eyes closed....if he was a cat he would be purring at this time.

Anji remembered the day when this woman came into his families life over twenty years ago and became a intricate part of it. The Sakata family was not whole at that time ever since the death of Kahori...Kai-Anji, Kaihei, and Kiri's mother, who died giving birth to Kaihei. It was very hard on Kaishi to raise his three children alone...and very lonesome for the grieving man. He had to always be strong for his children while trying to keep food on the table every night. One day as he was praying at the temple to the kami (gods) for protection and fortune for his family, he saw a lovely young American woman kneeling close by. His eyes could not glance away from her beauty...the way the sunlight reflected off her long blond hair that was set in a single braid down her back...the way her blue eyes sparkled in laughter as she noticed him staring at her across the way...all of it mesmerized him. At first he thought about walking away and trying to forget about her...after all he did not think someone so young and beautiful would be interested in a man nearly twice her age with three young children under the age of ten. He was turning to walk away when a gust of wind swept through and stole the lovely scarf she was wearing from around her neck...whisking it away out of her clutching reach. Hearing her distraught cry at the loss of her favorite scarf, compelling him to give chase to the elusive material until finally he caught it so he could return it to its owner who was very grateful. For some reason, after handing her wayward scarf back, he did not walk away...he stayed to talk to her instead. Maybe it was something in her voice that enticed him to stay...maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled with such joy that lured his battered spirit close and soothed the ache inside his soul. Whatever it was, he felt drawn to her and over time he came to realize that his and Kora's meeting was arranged by his deceased wife Kahori in taking care of her family...within a few short months this woman won over the Sakata family with her kind and loving nature, bringing laughter and light back into the dismal home once more.