The pyres burn just as long as the first day of burning, if a little longer. Sakura had suspected as much, but her worry for the boys dwindled when they used the time to meditate and focus on chakra. Well, Sasuke did. Naruto bounced in and out of meditation while Kakashi read his book. Sakura herself had returned to the head of the thirteen column, sitting down with her legs crossed in order to wait. She stands as the remaining wisps of smoke curl into the air, emerging from a-hundred-and-twenty-seven piles of ash. She can see each stone clearly, once in particular sitting in the cove of a ribcage. It lies where the heart used to be, and strangely enough the ribs are the only bones left in the entire field. Sakura used to know what it meant, but that was before. Even then the significance was uncertain at best, considering how little evidence of mas island burials that there was. Sakura takes a deep breath, popping her back with a few twists. Then she moves, beginning the task of collecting the stones.
Her bucket is still back at the beach, so Sakura takes a bit to retrieve it before returning. She says nothing as her sensei and the boys look on, watching her pick up every stone out of ashes. She doesn't even indicate that she's noticed them. She simply continues, placing each name into her bucket with care. When she gets to the named heartstone, she pauses. At first, Sakura had assumed that it was seated within a ribcage. In truth, the bones are little more than dust. They crumble when she reaches past them, sifting away as she curls her fingers around the heartstone. By the time she straightens back up, the ribs are nothing but ash on the ground. As if they had never been there. Sakura turns the stone in her palm, craning her neck a bit to see the name. It is carved in Ahmya's handwriting, not hers, so she knows that this is likely the true name of the person. Oddly enough, there are two inscriptions. Kaiza, they read. It takes a bit for the meaning to come to her, but when it does, a slow sadness drips into her heart. The specific kanji of the first engraving means, 'emperor'. It is a word taken from a foreign language that few barely remember. The second inscription means 'is fine'. The name matches that of Tsunami's late husband, and Sakura wonders if it was in fact the man's body that laid there. No one would truly know, but there were bodies prepared that were not fully intact... Sakura shakes her head mentally, placing the heartstone in with the others. She is almost done, and there is no use in wasting time wondering.
A quick glance to the right reveals that the boys are still watching her. Only now they are sitting against a nearby tree, resting. They are illuminated by a lantern. Probably left by one of the builders. The warm oranges and yellows flicker across her teammates' skin, warm shadows sculpting their faces. Sakura is glad that they don't look bored at least. She collects the last of the stones quickly after that, focusing on completing the rites. She takes the path down to the shore at a slower pace than the first day, breathing in the coolness of the evening as she makes her way.
It doesn't take long to shed her clothes, and before she knows it Sakura is already walking to the tide. Water bubbles tickle at her feet as they rise in the ocean froth. Sand is lifted a little in the waves, sticking to her legs. The sea is more active tonight. Sakura takes a deep breath in. A moment passes. She sings.
"Given and received, we now hope and return." Her voice carries on the wind, flying higher and further. It echoes like a cascade strummed on a *koto. Sakura would not be surprised if her team could hear it, even from the very front of the burial grounds. The ocean stirs, the tide pulling deeper and rising higher. The waves splash against her lone figure. Unbidden, a soft harmony rises from below. Natural whistles and drums from porous that have risen from deep below. Sakura sings with it, continuing on to the next verse.
"These lessons you have taught us, we swear to learn," Sakura takes a quick breath, "These names we have cherished, again we will earn." As the last word is snatched up by a gust of wind, Sakura pulls the bucket up, heaving it onto her shoulder. She tilts the bin, singing again as the stones tumble into the ocean at her feet.
"Freely we give, but still we yearn. Forgive the dead, they know not what they burn." The ocean explodes in a flurry of motion. Whirlpools swirl viciously in the distance, and angry flashes of lightning strike the water dangerously around Sakura. She knows the sins of the dead, and the sea is furious that she would ask forgiveness. Still, the rites are not done until they are all forgiven. She began this burial. She must see it through. Sakura is a Haruno, and they promise the living.
"Forgive the dead, they know not what they burn," Sakura sings again, hissing through her teeth as lightning connects to her skin. Jumping, attacking, and burning. Sakura hears her mother. To forgive the idle dead, you must withstand the ocean's fury. It will be painful. You will scar. But the names will be accepted, so you must. You are a Haruno, Sakura. We promise the living. It is from a half-forgotten memory Sakura no longer truly remembers. The words and feelings are there. But what happened, and any images, have faded over time. Her hip is struck next, the lightning crackling as it splits to envelop her side. Sakura groans, but keeps singing.
"As the ocean flows the sea rises, and the currents come to turn." Her voices hitches as a bolt bites the water directly in front of her, spreading out into nothing. In her mind's eye, Sakura can see her grandmother's **lichtenberg figuren draped across her shoulders. Her grandmother had always been proud of those marks. Sakura had never truly understood why herself, but now she knew. When two bolts of lightning sink into her shoulders, Sakura almost calls it a trick of fate. But the sea knows the Harunos. And the burning of her shoulders is no coincidence. Sakura can no longer keep the bucket up. It falls from her shoulder, sinking beneath the waves along with all of the named stones. Sakura can feel a burn from where the lightning superheated the metal, and it stings. The stones are taken from around her feet, sinking into the depths. Sakura is close to collapsing. But even still. The rites are not finished.
"Given and received, we now thank and return," Sakura whispers, almost silent. The ocean quiets in spite of that. The lightning stops and the thunder rumbles into silence. All of a sudden there is nothing but Sakura, the wind, and the sea. The latter two filled with baited breath. Waiting. Sakura swallows, wetting her throat. Finally, the last verse spills from her lips.
"Thank you for your balm, the forgiveness you turn. As the ocean flows, the sea rises," Sakura takes one last breath, light rain beginning to fall. "And we all end as feed for fern." The sky snaps one last time. The sound plugs Sakura's eardrums, hushing every other sound. When the echoes finish, both the heavens and her hearing is clear. Everything is oddly quiet now, though. And Sakura can hardly spare a thought for anything but the burns spiraling across her skin. Sakura inhales enough air to fill her lungs completely. The breath sits heavy under her ribs. Despite the discomfort of holding it there, she keeps it for a minute. Then she repeats the process, again and again. She controls her breathing in this way until she finally regains the strength to walk. Until she can turn and head back to land. However, she trips on the way. She falls knees first into tiny shells, sand, and bits of coral. Sakura can't keep herself upright. So she continues to fall, her elbows digging into the seabed. A sharp shell cuts into her skin and the salt of the ocean exacerbates the pain. After a few minutes, Sakura crawls out of the water. Her limbs are feeble as she struggles back to shore and she collapses onto the beach. The waves lap just close enough to kiss her heels. She is back to heaving, forcing air in and out as she works through the pain. She sends chakra to the nerves screaming in pain, hoping to quiet them if only for a little bit. Her bones ache. When her eyes reopen, the moon and stars shine brightly down. Twinkling, as if the storm had never existed. Her skin glows white in the little bit of light, pale even against the sand of the beach.
Sakura considers getting up. The boys are probably worried by now, and if she doesn't show up soon they will think she's hurt. They wouldn't be wrong, but Sakura doesn't want them to see her this way. She tries getting up. Her success is minimal, and she ends up flopping back down on the sand. She tries to empty her thoughts. To simply focus on the flow of her chakra and the air in her lungs. But again, she doesn't have a lot of success. But Sakura didn't get anywhere by giving up, so she keeps trying. She has to calm down, get dressed, and return to her team. So she closes her eyes once more...
...and breathes.
*koto; a thirteen string, traditional Japanese instrument made commonly of kiri wood. (It is also known as the "Japanese harp" and plays smooth, dulcet tones.)
**lichtenberg figuren; a pattern of branching electric discharges (A German term. It can also happen when someone is zapped by electricity or lightning.)
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Fanfiction"A hundred stones sink beneath the waves, imperfect and uneven kanji chipped into them by an unpracticed hand. The owners only recently buried as ash and dust beneath coarse dirt and sand. And Sakura, the one behind it all." A Different Wave: Book O...
