Legacy of A Flower: Naruto (remake)

Chapter Three: Love is A Person

"Reeeeeeeeeed." Lily sings dancing around her uncle as he lazily sits on the back porch of the main house.

"Will you shut the hell up, kid?" He drags his hand across his face in mild annoyance. Still, if she tries hard enough, she can see the smallest smile forcing it's way onto his lips.

She wraps her arms around his shoulders, leaning against his back. He let's out a sigh of defeat, "How are you supposed to get tough like this?"

"Mom says when you love someone it makes you stronger." She argues, holding onto him tighly. Reed became her father figure, just like Cedrus unfortunately became Basil's. It hurt Reed to see Basil slowly slipping away into the darkness of the Yoshida. He always hated the Yoshida, but the birth of his nephew and neices gave him a reason to stay.

"Your mom is a very smart woman." He admits with a nod, "You know, sometimes I forget what love is, what it feels like. But then I remember I have you, Basil, and Clematis."

Clematis was only one. Green eyes, but black hair never seen on a Yoshida before. Cedrus and the other elders were displeased that her hair was the same as Haruka's mother, yet another reminder of her weaker blood.

"You see, love is a person." He tells her and she stares at him in disbelief.

"What? Really? Where does love live? I wanna meet love!" She exclaims, jumping in excitement.

"I don't know maybe the Leaf Village." He shrugs as her eyes light up. "I'm kidding. Love is your mom and your siblings. Love is everyone you care for. Love gives you strength, but you need to give something back to it."

"Like what?" She asks.

"Protection." He answers matter of factly. "Protect the ones you love."

"But I'm too small." She objects, "And since when does Basil need my protection? He calls me weak all the time."

"And do you believe that?" He raises a brow, his clenching at his nephew's words. Basil was only seven, yet the Yoshida were already drilling their hate and anger into him.

"No. But why do I have to protect someone who doesn't want my protection?" I argue.

"Not everyone who needs protection wants it. But you can't give up on people, you have to keep fighting. Because if you don't you might lose the ones you love forever."

Lily ponders for a few seconds, resting her chin on Reed's shoulder, "Hmm, I think I get it... You're love so that means I get to protect you, right?"

Reed's breath hitches in his throat, not being able to remember the last time someone told him they loved him- or more so he didn't want to remember. He can count on one hand everyone who he cares for. In that one hand he can pick out only one who brings out his true self, the human in him.

"You don't need to protect me, Lily."

"Yes I do." She objects, "I'm not stupid, y'know? I see how sad you are. I can see how much you hate yourself and how people look down you. They look at you like how they look at me. Why?"

Reed sighs and looks down at the ground, "I think that's a conversation for another day, yes?"

"Alright.." She hums, letting a comforting silence take over them.

**********

Lily sat home, her mother gone with Clematis. She sat at the table writing down notes of a book Reed assigned her to read. She wasn't keen on reading but she didn like adding to her uncle's troubles with complaints. The house was quiet but soon footsteps rang throughout the hall, getting closer and closer.

She looks up in alarm as a hand grips onto her biceps, pulling her along. "W-where are we going?"

"Shush, child." Her grandfather seeths, his fingers bruising her. Once they get to a room, Basil's training room, she was shoved into Basil. He easily catches his sister from falling, breath heavy from training prior to now.

They both stare at the elder man with caution, wondering what he was planning. "You want to prove your worth to me, boy? Then defeat a potential enemy of the Yoshida Clan." He jabs his finger in Lily's direction, "The monster than endagers our future."

Basil stares wide eye, not at his sister, but at his grandfather's demand. "She's my sister-."

"She is nothing to you. Don't protect anyone in this world, it will only get in the way of your objective."

Lily's heart thumps against her chest, out of control. Monster? Nothing?

"N-no." Basil shakes his head. "I can't... I can't hurt her... Please don't make me fight her."

Lily flinches as her brother's chect colides with Cedrus' fist. The small boy is thrown back, coughing for air. Her body shakes, and fist clench. 'Why? Why doesn't anyone care for eachother? Why do they only care for power?'

"You are still weak!" Cedrus snaps, "You must care for only yourself. She is a weakness to you." He takes a step forward, inching closer to a beaten down Basil. "Get up."

Basil gasps for another breath of air, clutching to the collar of his shoulder. "Get up." The Yoshida were always told to stay on their feet. In the face of an opponent you never stay down, you must always stand and you must always win.

"Protect yourself and the honor of the clan. Lily Yoshida could be an enemy to us one day. Do not harbour love for it will make you weak." Another step is taken but Lily stands in front of her fallen brother.

With hooded eyes she looks at the man she hates and fears. Behind her, she shelters Basil, not a single trace of fear was evident. "No. You're wrong. Love makes you strong. You need to protect what makes you strong."

Cedrus becomes shocked, furious, but also impressed. He easily throws her across the room, making her skid several times before stopping. Lily stands up, shakily making her way back to him. He keeps punching, pushing, kicking her back. But, everytime, the six-year-old stands up. Everytime she looks at her brother in the eyes. All she wants to do was make her way back to ptotect him.

"Why so persistent?" Cedrus inquires, letting the child take her place in front of her brother.

"Y-you said that I'm nothing..." She stutters, trying to keep her balance in a worn out body. "Maybe.... Maybe, that w-would be true if I- I didn't have Basil."

"How foolish." He laughs, actually pitying Lily. He thinks she's delusional, a child caught up in web of lies. As he takes a step forward, Lily closes her eyes, waiting for what he will do next.

Before anything more can progress a voice plays through the room, "Enough." Lily and Basil tense up as they see their father staring at the pitiful sight before him. "Basil go find your mother."

The boy stands up, barely making it out of the room and away from the site. Lily's heavy breath, the only sound in the room as Caspian tries to process what to do next.

"Basil isn't allowed to train for a month. He won't be an heir if he's trained to death." Caspian says emotionlessly. He grabs Lily by the collar of her shirt and drags her out.

"Let go!" She couldn't help but snap, struggling as he pulls her into her own room, basically throwing her onto the floor. "A month?! How does that make a difference?! He's just gonna hurt him again!"

Caspian sees a new fire in his daughter's eye as she raises his voice at him. She's never yelled at him. He can't even remember the last time he saw her angry or sad. He turns around about to walk out of her room. Then he stops before exiting the door.

"You might not be as weak as you seem."

She stares at his back as he leaves, not understanding if it was a compliment or an insult.