YASASHII/GENTLE

NOROI

I promise Sakura that I will tell her everything I recall,every detail if it must be told to her and take her gently by the arms.Pulling her back from me which I would rather not do.

"You must go back,stay by the rooms of Lady Takanori-San so as to avoid..him.I will not withhold from you but it is more controlled at my masters residence than any where else,The snake will not do any form of violence towards you without having claim on you.He never has."
She doesn't fight me with her eyes,nor with her hands but her spirit seems to wilt as I take her hand and lead her back.
With my free hand I loose my mask enough to pull it away a little and kiss the tip of her knuckle if that will settle her as it used to,her reply is hiding behind my back and gripping my hand harder."I am tired of being afraid.I want to be strong like you,to do some kind of good while I am here for however long that is...I don't want these dreams anymore....yasashii....."

I turn towards her then,I haven't even heard her same my real name yet this whole time she is returned to me,she only ever said it once in all the times we have been together or enemies by the snakes hand.
She always said it was so evil to be called such a falsehood,That it was cruel I lived with a name that was thrown onto me because of when my parents saw my birthmark.They had no idea they would be killed for it,nor that the name my mother named me which i hadn't told  became what Sakura would call me.

Strange how they both only thought of one name for me.
Gentle.


SAKURA

His eyes are so alive suddenly,I hadn't expected to blurt that out but it came out anyway.
I am happy it did.
For once since we came to this place,since I had to watch he and Lord Takanori-San with the other men come and go,since the only other ally I feel I have here is Lady Takanori.
Since all these things I haven't felt much good.
Until now.

Partially obscured by his mask,I see how The Warrior no longer fights a smile.
He has deep dimples that make no attempt to be hidden,he steps to me close and only slightly kisses my forehead barely a feathers touch but enough to grant me a feeling of calm,warmth.
"I missed you too,Itoshi-Hito....."

FOUR HOURS LATER

I haven't slept a moment longer than a breath due to this night.
The mind in me is suddenly beginning to let go the notions of being afraid of all these memories and visions.
I want to see them now,I want to know what happened,happening and what could happen.

I even arrived to my room to find a note with my locket by it.
"A thief returns what a thief takes if there is any honor to them,take what is deserved in order to save yourself and others.Do the right thing this time."
I grasp the locket,reminiscing on my grandmother,trying vainly to focus on the note later rather than now.

Now.
I have lives to figure out.

INTERLUDE

"Where is it?Where is the duplicate...."
A older but not old man mutters angrily,bitterness seeping into his voice.
Six months have gone by and not a sign or a word.He could always check on her by finding the other locket and stopping the events before they became factual but where is it?
Where is the other lock-

"No.....no mother you didn't....."