[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto stared ahead, the fingers of his right hand curled around chopsticks as he ate, whilst his left held a bowl half full of steamed rice. Straight of him there was a tray, a matching bowl, a plate with a broiled fish and a wedge of lemon, an assortment of steamed and seasoned vegetables and a cup filled with now warm jazmin tea, the very same that he had served himself to eat but that no one seemed to dare to come. He sighed and looked at the mirror, taking another bunch of rice and serving himself a piece of the broiled fish before raising to his feet. He moved to the side of the small table and gently picked the tray, walking away of the main room. The Senju had grown accustomed to eat alone, he found no issue to do so, but when ever he could, he would have preferred company. Sometimes it was his friends from the academy, Shikajin and Inoyami, or perhaps wild Yusuke after they went together to do fishing trips. Oftentimes he would eat with his own student Kazui or share rations with his friend and colleague among ANBU, Inari. And of course, whenever he could he would dine alongside his beloved Miho. But to have a guest and that the guest would not come after he had gently knocked at her door and asked her to join him felt like an insult. Kazuto had tried his best to make her feel comfortable, to give her a space, to grant her freedom that in most other cases was very unlikely to happen.How long had it been now? Several weeks, almost a month since he had brought her back and against the advise of his elders he had taken her in to act as his 'gaoler, but in all that time she would not join to eat with him, or with Miho when she wasn't in one of her shifts at the hospital. As he climbed the stairs that lead into the second floor of the manor in which the leader of the Senju resided. He saw the decorations and scrolls, the busts of his ancestors and an ancient suit of armor as he walked through the halls of the second floor, stopping only before a door, unmarked but that he knew who dwelt behind it. For a brief instant, Kazuto looked at the floor, finding the plate with the food from lunch, eaten and left on the very same tray on which it had been brought. He stopped and took a deep breath before he would knock the door again. "Himawari, open up. I brought you food."

-tag- @yams3 -words- 455 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

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Himawari was deep in though as she laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling as she contemplated everything she’s been through. The past month or so has been a rather rough one for the woman. The very village she protected with her life, with no protection on the outside, seemed to have turned their back on her. The very clan that she treated with respect, who’s name she upheld with honor with every chance she was given, turned their back on her as well, all because she was considered a criminal and was incarcerated into the leaf’s prison system. The tattoos that she was forced to get among her forearm was a reminder of her life as a criminal and a prisoner. No one wanted to be associated with her name, let alone her presence. Except for one person.

A knock at the door would break her thought process. Her eyes shifted towards the door as Kazuto’s voice pierced through the walls of the room. She hadn’t come out of the room at all today, she had no desire to. There was a bit of tension between her and Kazuto, but nothing major. She just couldn’t think of why he would go the distance to help her when he is part of the reason why she’s in the spot she’s in. Himawari would stand to her feet and make her way towards the door, leaning against the frame she would reply from the other side of the door.

"Ah. Thanks...just leave it by the door.”

Her tone was bland, yet soft.

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[Senju Kazuto]

The Senju heard his cousins voice, muffled through the barrier between them, but still with the usual soft tones that she had used to convey he lack of desire to talk and he could only do but shake his head at the words his cousin professed. It had been like this for the duration of her stay. She would stay days and weeks at a time in her room, having little contact but just the rare instances in which she would go to the bath house to take a shower, or to the laundry room to cleanse her own clothes. And simply, he had enough. She might not like it, but he was the only person at the moment that would care for her in the slightest. Kazuto slid the old tray with the scraps of food dried with his foot, and quickly weaved a set of hand signs, a wooden key emerging from the tip of his finger. Slowly he inserted the key into the keyhole and began to pick at the door, until the sound of the clicking mechanisms of the lock were released and he opened the door, leading to a startled Himawari and the room itself. The room was a mess, as he had expected. Mounds of clothes were spread over the floor, containers of instant food were piled on one to another and several books and papers were messily stacked over the desk. He placed the tray with the food on the night table before he turned around, trying to believe what his eyes would tell him. "I can see why you never let me in." He said, examining the conditions of the room. He remembered now, this used to be Tsuume's room, before they had met, before her death, before Tsuume's mother had begged of him to take her belongings with her rather than leave them be. But even if his sister was a practitioner of the controlled chaos in which she left her room more often than not, he was sure that that he would be annoyed to see the room like this. He didn't give Himawari this room out of spite, if he had a choice, the room would have never been used again, but he would not give her a small and cramped guest room, nor the room of one of his brothers, long vacated but surely not clean enough to have someone sleeping there. "Tell me, Himawari... Is this how you plan to spend your days?" Kazuto turned towards her, closing his arms over his chest. "Feeling pity for yourself? Not trying to socialize with me or Miho? Perhaps even some of my friends? Or is it me you don't want to look at?" He understood the problem, after all, he had captured her, he had brought her to the village before the council and the clan elders and only through his word she had been allowed to remain in a relatively free position. "Well?"

-tag- @yams3 -words- 505 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Himawari leaned against the frame of the door as she responded to her cousin. See didn’t want to see him, nor talk to him. Not out of hatred, but simply because she knew she was a shell of her former self. Her energy and liveliness has been drained from her ever since she deserted the village. Thinking that she hit rock bottom as a rogue ninja, she often thought it couldn’t get any worse, but once she returned to Konoha she realized that was far from the truth. No one understood what she was going through, and no one understood why she did what she did..not even Kazuto which hurts as equally as her father shunning her.

On the other side of the door, Himawari could hear no response from her younger cousin. Nothing but the sliding of a tray and the fidgeting of the lock. The woman sighed as she took a few steps away from the door, knowing that Kazuto was going to let himself in. She could’ve tried to keep him out, but she was in no place to do so even though it greatly upset her that he didn’t want to let her be. She had no desire to talk. Once the man entered the room, Hima would fold her arms as he spoke. The room was a bit messy but, the woman couldn’t stop the downward spiral she was stuck in. Depression usually caused people to behave in such a way.

"This..is not the reason.”

The woman would softly retort to the man who was holding the tray of food. As grateful as she was for having Kazuto do such things for her, it could help change the fact that her desire to be here was little to none. She felt out of place on her own village.

"This is not how I intended to do anything. This is what the village wants me to do. They want me to do nothing, they want me to BE ... nothing.”

The girl would say as a sigh escaped her lips. She would turn her back on Kazuto and look out of the window. She had no place of her own, of a noble clan, yet she had no one to turn to, in a major village, she had nowhere to run to. The very man who captured her, the man who organized the plan and carried it out, was the man who was housing her underneath the same roof as himself. She couldn’t help but feel as if she were under the village’s watchful eye at all times. She was an eagle who desired to fly the skies freely, but instead is being caged against her will. Of course that could cause some problems between the tenant and the landlord.

"As lovely as the girl is, I have no desire to merely socialize. I don’t care about making friends or having a social life, especially when most of the village despises me and everything I stand for as a shinobi. I can’t even come to terms with myself, let alone reconcile with others.”

Himawari would explain softly.

@tag x words x notes

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[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto heard the excuses disguised as explanations but he couldn't do anything but shake his head at the explanation that he was provided for. Whilst he had never felt upon himself the level of animosity that she experienced. But the very clan that they were part of had, for great portions of his life, shunned him. Those closer to his father, including Himawari's own father, had made it their mission to smear him and his mother, cast him as a thief for the simple accident that was the chemical and gene alchemy of an unwanted pregnancy by one of his progenitors. He stared at his cousin as he tried to find the correct words to say. "And rather than just try to convince them otherwise, that you can be trusted? You made a mistake, you were short sided but you should strive to make amends." He said. Understanding that the bad glares from people that she hardly knew, the snide comments and the ridicule that could come for any reason at all. But still she needed to shake the feelings of defeatism that were now ruling her. "Or you can just stay here, and let your errors weigh you down until time has passed and regret fills you." Perhaps these were harsh words, perhaps she could've used a more nuanced and softer touch, but he knew that telling her the harsh truth was what she needed as a wake up call. She had allowed that whatever had happened between her and her father in the fateful meeting of the council as they were laying a sentence to affect her. His uncle had been a disgusting man for all that he had known him. He could still see the hatred glinting in those eyes as they spoke. But he had also dealt with his own father telling him how unwanted he was until he needed him. But the effect on her had seemed to be worse, the toned physique which he had dragged had softened, mellowed out, he could say that she still looked attractive for someone that wasn't part of the clan, but she had turned paler, her hair was messy and almost seamed oily. "I can't tell you what to do, but at the very least you should get out of the room and share a meal with me, or Miho or who else might be here." He told her, crossing arms before his chest before speaking again. "I think that is a fair trade for the food I provide, the space I allow you, the roof over your head and the warmth of your bed, wouldn't you agree?"

-tag- @yams3 -words- 450 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Himawari would sigh as she listened to what Kazuto said. She heard him speaking, but she wasn’t truly listening. Everything he said went through one ear and out the other. The woman wondered if he was actually listening to what she was saying. The Senju remained facing the window for awhile, she wanted no part of the conversation it seemed as if they had the same talk every other day. She just wanted to be left alone, so that she could figure everything out by herself.

"If they can’t trust me for my previous efforts..then they will never trust me at all.”

Himawari would start quietly as she turned to face her very own family, her expression was calm but her eyes told a different story, one of hurt, betrayal, and disloyalty. She would continue on.

"I put my life in danger to make your job a little bit easier, to make everyone a little bit safer. And this is what I get in return..”

The woman would scoff as she got closer. She was upset, yet she was still gentle. She felt no reason to lash out at her cousin, she couldn’t bring herself to ever do anything like that.

"But fine..if you want me to interact with people then so be it. It’s the least I could do right..”

The end of her sentence would come off in a sarcastic tone. It was the least she could do for Kazuto however, even though she had risked life and limb for the very people who scold and belittle her now, yet Kazuto wants her to interact with them...ha, funny. Everywhere she turned, the woman was met with a cold stare, whispering, and straightforward disdain spewed towards her. They were worried she would run off again, which didn’t seem like a bad idea to them, they could sleep easier knowing that she was nowhere near them or their family. Some of them wished that the village had killed her upon her arrival. How could she ever get over that?

@tag x words x notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto kept his silence as his cousin answered, noting the vitriol that tinged her words but staying his words lest he made the wound that continue to wept larger. He would need to pick his words carefully from now on, seeking to put a balm in the rapture and try to mend the wound rather than to make things worse. Quietly he moved for the tray, once in his hands he turned and began to slowly march towards the door and exited her room. He had wanted to say something too about the state of the room, on how he could imagine his beloved sister decrying the little care that had been put in maintaining her room. But he thought of it unwise then as he did now. He placed the tray with the foot parallel to his before he sat on his side of the table. As she sat across him, he considered what they could speak off, but in truth, he knew so little of her. He only knew much of what the records told him, about how of a superlative shinobi she was and how the mission that ultimately doomed her to failure and self-imposed exile had been a personal vendetta by a member of ANBU that Kazuto himself had dealt with. But of her, he could not say much. He knew her father, an uncle, brother of his own father, but the man only had scorn for him, all well disguised behind gentle words. Kazuto despised that man. Finally, the Senju sighed and looked at her from his own bowl steamed rice and broiled fish. "I understand, Himawari." He said before taking a sip of his now cold tea. "Perhaps the village has never hated me, but my father did, and so does yours. The clan didn't like me until I had to assume the leadership. I know it is not the same, but... I understand. It will take time." He added. It wasn't an easy thing to remember, how their faces were filled with disgust and hatred, as if his very existence had been almost as if he had stole the powers that were inscribed within his genes. The looks and the hushed whispers were perhaps what was the hardest to deal with. He kept his silence after his words before he took another piece of the flesh, peeling it the carcass of the fish as he braced for either indifference or the anger that he knew was simmering beneath her calm demeanor. If there was a sin he committed often, was the fact that he could be blunt in matters like this more of the time. But it had worked for him and it could do so for her.

-tag- @yams3 -words- 465 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Himawari released a heavy sigh as Kazuto turned on his heel and exited the room, her food still in his hands. He opted out of saying anything in response to her sarcastic remarks, instead he would head back to the table in the man living area. Himawari followed shortly behind as she placed her head softly in her palm. How hard was it for him to understand that she just did not want to be bothered. Not anytime soon. There were multiple thoughts hanging on her conscious..from years earlier and even things that could happen in the future. As she continued down the stairs and into the main living area, Himawari would grab a seat across from her cousin. Silence filled the room, her eyes never left her food as she slowly picked away at the fish and rice bit by bit. Using one hand to prop her head up, and the other to eat, she tried her best to ignore Kazuto but he insisted on talking to her.

A sigh of defeat escaped her lips as her eyes cut towards her younger cousin. If he insisted on helping then the least she could do is help herself.

"Kazuto listen. Our situations are the same, yet very different at the same time. I don’t expect you to understand how I feel, nor do I wish for you to understand. Your father was less than a man for the way he treated you but...”

She would say before taking a moment to collect her thoughts, silence filled the room again. Finally she decided that now was the time to speak on something that had been killing her inside, it was another reason why her love for Kazuto had grown sour.

"The least you could have done was protect Tsuume.”

Himawari mused behind gritted teeth. Her voice was overcome with anger, sadness, and despair. She avoided making eye contact with Kazuto because she knew it was a touchy subject for the both of them, however, she felt as if he didn’t care for the girl for some reason.

"Why the hell...did you put me in her room?”

She would ask as her amber eyes fought back tears.

@tag x words x notes

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[Senju Kazuto]

Silence emerged between them, barely interrupted by the sound of the chopsticks bouncing away from the porcelain of cups and dishes. His words had been spoken into what seemed to too long ago, but merely a few seconds had passed. A long sigh escaped from his cousin's lips, shredding the silence between them before she spoke about the difference between her father and his, and how their situations were similar but far different before a brief pause had emerged before it was snatched back again and he heard the accusation that he had heard from her father, from some members of the council and from himself in his moments of weakness. It was a stab to his heart, to his whole being as his dumb and index finger relaxed, the muscles of his hand and arm followed suit and the ball of rice that he had plucked fell back into the plate, the chopsticks tumbled from his hand as she continued and every sound was dulled until the very whispers of guilt that he hadn't heard for so long, reemerged. He felt his mouth open as his mind tried to conjure a reply, his eyes dropping from looking at his cousin to simply stare blankly into the void as his mask of solemnity was cracked, the armor broken and he found himself without actual words to say. He had failed her, he had failed Tsuume, he had taught her but his teaching had been insufficient. He had cursed himself as he watched the fight, deluding himself into believing that she could fight and holding his breath as she had been gored, her screams of mortal pain and injury breaking through the clamor of the crowd in the stadium and deadening silence settled as she had fallen. He could not do anything, he could not move to save her, to act, to besmirch the name of the clan and the village. But he could have. He could have prevented all of that if he had moved, if damnable duty hadn't stopped him. Kazuto had stayed the whole night, weeping alone, next to his sister's corpse in the dimly lit privacy of the stadium's locker. Wishing, hoping that someone would come, but no one ever did. His brothers had been whoring, his father had been too ill as he laid dying of his illness. It should have been hers. He heard the voice of doubt speak and his mouth became a thin quivering line. She alone had the nobility you lack and the wisdom to carry the clan in war and victory. He gulped and blinked, returning to the moment as he felt the accusatory look that, he had forgotten they existed. Amber eyes stabbed at his soul and he lowered his sight in shame. The Senju felt his eyes mist, his vision blur and raised with a push of his chair, sending it crashing against a the wall, knocking an old picture as the glass cracked. He had wanted to tell her what had stopped her, he wanted to tell her that he would have put the clan into shame. But he could not bring himself to. He brushed his eyes with the back of his left hand and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind as he began to clutch his own chest not in physical pain, but as a means to calm himself, and finding a secluded place to think for himself and meditate.

-tag- @yams3 -words- 587 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Her words cut through Kazuto better than any knife or blade could ever dream of. The woman’s intentions were not ill nor were they meant to be malicious in any fashion any pain that he felt from the topic, Himawari would feel it as well, she just needed to get it off of her chest. Every day she had to wake up in the very bed that her younger cousin used to sleep in when she was alive, every night she would let sorrow and grief overcome her until she finally cried herself to sleep, clinging to the very covers Tsuume slept on. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that she had to go at such a young age. Himawari continued to fight back tears as she watched Kazuto through blurry eyes. He would stand from his chair, pushing it back into a wall, and knocking a photo to the ground. He then proceeded to storm off, and in the distance, the slamming of the door could be heard.

A moment passed as the other Senju remained at the table, nearly motionless, her head was lowered and dark locks cover her face. A single tear would roll down her cheek and onto the table, a second one quickly followed suit. Her head would rise as she sniffled before taking a deep breath. Crying wouldn’t bring Tsuume back, unfortunately.

Slowly sliding her chair back, Himawari would stand to her tallest, her sights remained fixed on the frame on the floor. She approached slowly, each step was careful and precise until she reached the wall. Grabbing ahold of Kazuto’s chair and moving it to the side. The shattered glass was of no worry to the woman as she brushed it aside with her bare hands. Grabbing ahold of the frame, she would lift it from the dust and glass remains, brushing it off to reveal a clear picture of Tsuume herself when she had first became a genin. Himawari had watched Tsuume throughout the preliminaries of the exams, as well as the first few rounds. She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near, but she managed to make it to support her younger cousin. Unfortunately, the woman wasn’t able to make it to the battle between the genin. However, she tried to stay as up to date as she could, but ultimately failed in doing so, the girl’s death managed to spread throughout the lands of Hi no Kuni like wildfire, and it sent Himawari into a downward spiral. She prided herself for being a protector, a protector of all yet her baby cousin lies in a cold grave. She would gladly trade places with her in a heartbeat.

With the photo in her hand, Himawari would make her way to where Kazuto was, twisting and pushing on the door handle to find out that it was locked.

"Is..that your answer? I’ve been dying to hear your excuses as to why, and that is how you respond to me?”

She would gently rest her forehead on the door as she gritted her teeth, tears proceeded to fall on their own. The woman never got the chance to truly mourn, and it was clear that the incident still tears at her heart.

@tag x words x notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto continued his hurried march, his breathing accelerating as he relived all the words that his cousin had uttered just a brief instance before. He still bore the blame like a mark of shame that gnawed into his soul. Even after all the training, all the compartmentalization that he used to keep the unsavory facts of his profession at check, the shadow of his own failure had not left him. He had wanted to weep, to cry in anger and anguish but he could not, he had felt as if he had done that more than enough and he imagined that if his sister was alive, she would feel that crying for her would solve little. Even as grief reigned in his heart, he carried ahead, listening to Himawari talk through the door, exhorting him to give him an answer that would be nothing more than weak excuses to her. The Senju would heed her, but not move to face her, not yet. Kazuto would leave the room through another door, walking through a hallway as he made his way towards the gardens seeking some form of comfort in the solitude. He remembered how they had been before he had moved in, after his father had passed and his wife had moved, returning with the Uzumaki. They had been, disorganized, lacking harmony and not well kept. The plants were of a musky green that looked sickly and the flowers didn't bring the scents of nature as they should've had. Now, under his careful tending, the trees had regained life, the bark was strong and the canopy verdant and lush, the grass had become a velvety carpet and the flowers swayed in the breeze, allowing the most subtle scents to fly about. A fountain spewed crystal water as lily pads floated in the koi populated water, nibbling at whatever they would find eatable. But among the natural wanders of the garden, there was single one that stood out. Kazuto walked, heavy of heart and feet and knelt before a young plum tree, its bark white and its leaves that almost shone silvery under the golden sun. He had planted this tree, caring for it since it was but a but a small proud from a plum seed. Why it had turned white, he couldn't tell, but he had wanted to believe that this tree, it was Tsuume's tree. Perhaps, unconsciously he had made the garden as a memorial to her sister. Surely she would have liked that. Carefully he knelt before the tree and closed his eyes, taking mouthfuls of the richly scented air in meditation as he tried to shed away the renewed pain that Himawari's words had rekindled. And slowly, but surely, he felt at peace. His first relaxed and his hands rested on his lap and only the sound of birds and running water and the rustling of leaves and grass would be with him until someone else would found him, surely thinking that he would be acting as if he was in the middle of a silent prayer to a wood deity.

-tag- @yams3 -words- 525 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Silence yet again reigned down upon the two as Himawari awaited a response from her younger cousin. The pain he felt, she knew of..but she demanded to talk about it. It was the only way she could come to peace with herself for not being there to help not only Tsuume, but Kazuto as well. The woman’s soft hand wrapped around the door handle and she tried to force her way in the room out of anger alone. He was ignoring her, which wasn’t helping her. She heard the slightest movements in the room as he was leaving it. Oh, no you don’t. She would think to herself as she formed a few hand seals with her free hand, using it to turn her finger into a key. Once the door was unlocked, Himawari stormed in, following the trail of open doors, she was eventually led into the garden where she saw Kazuto meditating.

Before she could open her mouth to speak to Kazuto, the beauty of the garden had struck her as a surprise. Years ago this very garden was withering, dying, and everything seemed so dull and grey, robbed of the very life essence that the Senju clan was known for providing. But now everything seemed so full of life. The colors were vibrant, and it was truly breathtaking. Was this...Kazuto’s doing? Amber eyes scanned the garden trying to pick up every detail as best as they could behind blurred vision. Himawari would use her forearm to wipe the tears from eyes, and that’s when she saw the plum tree. It shined like a diamond in the sunlight. White and silver, suited perfectly for an angel.

Himawari would take in a deep breath as her gaze then shifted from the plum tree, to the photo of Tsuume that she held diligently in her hands, her fingers trembled nervous as she pulled the photo closer to her heart, closing her eyes briefly, and releasing a sigh. There was no reason for her to be angry of the girl’s death, that wasn’t what the Senju stood for. Her gaze shifted to Kazuto as she took a seat beside him. She wouldn’t speak until he noticed her there.

"I’m..sorry.”

Himawari would say quietly before adding on.

"I just.....never got the chance to say goodbye.”

Pulling the photo from her chest slightly, she would look over the picture yet again.

@tag x words x notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto remained still, undisturbed like a statue, granting himself a moment listen to the sounds of his garden, all before he heard a new intrusion of sounds, the steps of someone else approaching from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned to see the shape of Himawari at the corner of his eye only, holding the shattered frame that held the picture of his beloved sister. He closed his eyes again and resumed his meditation, certain that his cousin would continue the shifting of blame that had become fairly common during the first few days following the demise of his sister. But instead silence met him, only broken by the soft words of the woman as she apologized and expressed her regret of not having said her goodbyes. It was a pain that he knew too well. In the silence that reigned between the two of them. He remember the last time he and Tsuume had spend together, the last session of training as he helped her refined the fundamentals and promised her to teach her Senbonzakura after the exams had concluded. He could remember the time that she would smile after her attempts to transform into him with varied results and also the only hug she ever gave him and the words of affection that she had uttered. He had felt frozen, unable to move at the surprise of her earnest embrace as she buried her head against her chest in a way that almost made him suggest that neither his father nor his elder brothers had shown that level of warmth with her. But perhaps what he regretted the most, was that he could not tell her that he loved her. That despite the fact that their father had placed them against each other and that he believed that she was the best suited for inheriting the title and the oaken throne. He opened his eyes and he stared at the juvenile plum tree, Tsuume's tree as his heart ached with the guilt and pain that he still bore in his soul. "I never told her I loved her." He said, simply, sharply and to the point, trying to contain whatever emotions were roiling beneath the surface. His voice sounding quiet. "I never hugged her. And that pains me more than you can possibly comprehend, Himawari. For that, I will never forgive myself." He told her without diverting his eyes from the tree and taking a deep breath before sighing to himself. She deserved so much more than a reliquary, and mourning. He thought. She wasn't cherished as she deserved to be, not by his brothers and not by his father and even as he kept it close to his heart, he knew that he would always have doubts of whether or not what he was doing was the correct answer on how to deal with the clan, or how his sister would have dealt with it. He simply accepted that as a reality.

-tag- @yams3 -words- 507 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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[attr="class","bsltmarg"]Himawari

ヒマワリ

[attr="class","bsbody"] Silence filled the atmosphere around the two as Kazuto had glanced out of the side of his eye, noticing that the woman was making her way towards him. She wouldn’t say much after she apologized for her actions, she didn’t mean to blame it on Kazuto, but she did want to know how it came to be. Her heart ached along with all the other Senju, but what made it harder for her was that, if she had not been forced to leave the village then the girl would still be alive today. She would not hesitate to lay her life on the line for Tsuume, or any family member to be exact. Her love for them all was stronger than most people could even fathom.

Amber eyes remained fixed on the shattered glass of the picture she held close as Kazuto explained that he never said that he loved her, her never hugged her, and never showed her any affection which wasn’t surprising in the slightest. He wasn’t known for it back then, so Himawari expected it, she couldn’t be mad at him for not being very affectionate and loving of his younger sister, he was fighting his own demons at the time.

"It’s..It’s okay. I’m sure Tsuume understood. Just know that she loved you as well.”

Himawari would explain softly as she propped the picture of the girl up by the plum tree. She didn’t want to make the situation worse between Kazuto and herself, so she decided not to criticize the choices he made while Tsuume was alive. Himawari never got to see her for one last time, she didn’t get the chance to attend her ceremony, and she never got to visit her grave in peace, without being harassed by ANBU and other officials of the village. A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes shifted to the man beside her.

"There’s no question of how much you loved her.”

She would add on quietly, as she gestured the entire garden that the two were both sitting in. His love for the girl was exponential, and the garden was a great way to see that, even if it were just a memorial for the girl.

@tag x words x notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Senju Kazuto]

"I know she did." Kazuto replied softly, as he looked at her as she gestured at the verdant garden. He saw at his handiwork, the time that he had poured, the blood, sweat and tears that had elevated the dead husk of grey grass, weed and rotten trunks into a shrine towards nature crowned by the single white tree. It was the best thing had come up with after Tsuume's burial, when the elders had denied a larger eulogy and funeral arrangements that were fit for the living heir of the clan, for a veritable girl that had been hailed as a prodigy, that had the circumstances not aligned themselves unfavorably, would have been the girl that would be a queen. His hands reached towards a pocket within his grey yukata, producing a sheet of paper that long ago had been worn, it had been bent in half so many times, but the Senju began to carefully unfold it as if it were some holy document, a script from an early ancestor, all with the same reverence a high priest would grand the sacred texts of their religious orders until it was completely opened before Kazuto. The handwriting remained strong, although not as vibrant as it had been whence the pen had tear through the virgin white nature of the paper, tracing letters with blue ink and with an elegant penmanship that made many of the hand writting of the elders to look like mere chicken scratching. "She made it clear." He said as he passed the letter to Himawari. "I'm sure you can tell who wrote it by just looking at the tracing of the letters. The Senju had never felt comfortable about showing the letter, he had kept it a secret for himself. To read it when he felt a pang of guilt and regret, when he felt his resolve lacking and his will tested by adversity and doubt. It was more precious to him than any single relic, scrap of knowledge and edifice of the clan. But with his cousin, perhaps the closest thing he would ever have to an elder sister and the only true family that shared his bloodline, he felt comfortable showing her. He sighed and looked at the letter again, finding some comfort despite the fact that he had memorized every line, every sentence that had been written on the paper. "Kazuto I don’t know what will happen, but if you are reading this Kazuto I am already gone. I don’t know when I’ll go. Maybe soon, maybe later. Maybe you’re reading this and I’m an old maid or maybe I fell on a mission. I don’t know when my time will come. None of us do. All I can do is write to you. I know Father will request you take over the clan. You have the Mokuton and are technically his male heir even if you weren’t recognized in the beginning. I resented that for a while. Resented you, but I knew in the end it wasn’t your fault. More than that though I grew to care about you. I grew to love you and I knew that you would be good for the clan. Because as I love you so to do I love them. Nothing will ever change that. Look after them Kazuto. I won’t ask that you forget what they have done, but please look after them. They need you. They don’t know it yet, but they do and I hope one day you will grow to love them too. Just as I know they will you. Whatever has befallen me don’t blame yourself. Just live Kazuto. Live knowing that wherever I am I will never stop loving you. Live, and grow, and love, Kazuto. With all that I am Senju Tsuume”

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