amor fati | Haruno Sakura

ONE | 01

They had always told her she was too precious and fragile to face this cruel world's hardship and misery; too weak to bear its burden.

Unlike her siblings, her parents had always kept Ran sheltered and hidden away from the outside world to prevent her from getting hurt, sullied or influenced in ways that would ruin her. She was their pride and joy, their beacon of hope; their assurance that one day, the Hayashida family would overcome poverty and once again reclaim their name's honor and pride.

Named after a beautiful fragile flower - an orchid - her parents raised her with love and utmost care her brothers and sisters were never allowed to experience, which of course made them loath her with every fiber of their beings.

Whereas her older sisters were married off for money to men they found despicable, her brothers were doomed to earn money to support the remaining family. However, Ran was treasured and secured; protected and isolated from the world until the day she should serve her purpose finally came.

。

His coal eyes - hard and focused on her delicate frame - were staring into the depths of her very soul as if to judge its value. Ran felt uneasy underneath the man's piercing gaze. Averting hers to her mother and father kneeling on silken cushions before the man who must have been a Lord of renown and reputation, the pinkette tried to pull herself together.

He was intimidating - his features carved into his face, hardened and stern like a statues. Unruly locks framed his face, tamed by pieces of cloth wrapped around them and around waves of jet black hair that cascaded down his back. Judging by his eyebrow's round shape and the blue liner underneath his eyes, this man had to be more than just a Lord who had made a name for himself. He was without doubt nobility.

"Lord Indra, may I present to you my youngest daughter." Ran's father said humbly, pointing both hands in her direction. "She is our pride and joy! The most beautiful child given to us! She will surely serve your needs properly as your consort."

An almost unnoticeable hint of disgust bled into the ravenette's features as he listened to Touma Hayashida offering his own flesh and blood for sale like a merchant advertising his priced horse in the center of a market plaza.

"Of course Ran is pure and unsullied. Her innocence is intact - I avow for it with my life." Her mother added solemnly, being utterly unaware of Indra's repulsion. He had never understood how a woman who had given birth to a child, carrying it inside her womb for nine months was able to give it away in exchange for money or any other object considered valuable. It was just way beyond his imagination, how ordinary human beings could be so despicable.

But then again, they are just what they are: ordinary human beings born with too many flaws only a few - special specimens - among them would learn to overcome throughout their lives.

"So my Lord, what do you think of her?" Touma asked, leaning forward with his hands pressed flatly against his thighs, nearly urging Indra to take the girl in exchange for the amount of money they demanded.

Indra's charcoal eyes fell on Ran's form again, examining her carefully. She was undeniably pretty - even beautiful if one considered this term fit for a girl so young of age.

He averted his gaze. "How old is your daughter?" He asked sharply.

"Sixteen, my Lord." Her mother replied with a polite smile on her hideously painted lips - a red too bright to wear for a woman her age.

Although trained in keeping her posture upright, Indra witnessed the girl squirm mildly underneath his intense stare. She was dressed like a woman and acted like one but she was still nothing but a child to Indra. The trepidation in her turquoise eyes gave her away; she was afraid of what spending life at his side would mean for her. Her parents, they didn't tell her about the duties and responsibilities a wife owed to her husband and the hardships and sacrifice she would have to face.

A strange sensation of compassion took hold of his frozen heart as he locked eyes with her. However, the feeling vanished by taking a closer look - beneath all the anxiety and fear, there also was curiosity in the depths of her bluish-green irises.

Curiosity of the unknown.

After all, she had been living in a golden cage for the most part of her young life.

Indra cleared his throat before he spoke again. "I'll take her. You shall be paid in full right away."

Avaricious eyes went large as saucers. "A wise choice indeed, Lord Indra." Touma flattered him, nodding his head affirmatively while rubbing his hands together. "She will serve you well, my Lord."

"She better will be." Indra spoke indifferently, yet a mild warning was audible underneath his voice, Ran thought was aimed at her rather than at her father.

"Ran my dear, you're a lucky woman to be wed to a man as noble and honorable as Indra Otsutsuki himself." Her mother told her with a smile of genuine greed rather than of genuine happiness on her painted face, resting her aging hand on top of her daughter's.

A quick nod of the head and an almost unnoticeable smile was the only reaction the pinkette allowed herself to express. She was unsure of how to feel. Her entire life had just changed in an instant. All the hardships her parents had sheltered her from the past sixteen years revealed themselves before her as she met her soon-to-be husband's dark eyes.

He wasn't a kind man - that much she knew.

"Come." Indra ordered. Obeying, the pinkette cast a glance over her shoulder to witness her parents gratefully accepting the large amount of money without paying their beloved daughter any further attention.

"This is how this world works." His breath graced the delicate skin of her cheek as he pulled her gently towards him; their eyes locking once more.

Up close, his piercing gaze was even more intimidating, making Ran shiver in awe. A strong urge to pull away from his touch overcame her but she fought it. There was no avoiding the situation - this man was going to be her husband and soon he would demand more of her than being allowed to hold her hand in his.

He was part of what fate had in store for her, Ran guessed.

And therefore she had no choice but to succumb to it.