Senbonzakura [Reader x Japan]

Thousand of cherry blossoms are dwindling in the light as the sound of the geta was hitting the ground in a rhythmic manner. Pants filled the air as she squeeze through the mixture of people surrounding the market street. “Shitsurei shimasu! Shitsurei shimasu[1]!” she cried as people jumped out of the way.

One man had not seen her coming and she ran into him. His feet remain rooted to the ground; however, she wasn’t so lucky and fell onto her bottom, dirt staining her [color], floral pattern kimono. The decorative beads in her hair supporting her bun jangled as she rub her head and stare up into blue eyes. “Woah!”  he cried out. “Watch where you’re going next time, hun!” he spoke in a language foreign to her, causing her to blink.

“S-sumimasen?” she stuttered, flushed. “Watashi wa eigo o hanasu koto wa ari masen[2].”

“Eh? Me no speak Japanese!” he obnoxiously yelled before walking away, leaving her to pick herself up. She huffed at his manners, and brush stray dirt off her bottom before continuing on to her destination.

The house was getting closer and closer as the fusuma door open before she could crash into it. In the stone area, she kicked off her getas and neatly placed them together before jumping onto the wooden walkway.

“Woah! [Name]-chan! Slow down, hm?” she came to an abrupt stop and turn around. A male with long dark hair, tied in a short ponytail and wearing a dark blue yukata with a green collar appeared. She bowed respectfully.

“I’m terribly sorry, Osaka-san.”

“Do not worry too much about it. Why are you in a hurry?”

“There are white people.” She whispered. “Americans are on our soil.” His physical posture had stiffened, and his hand twitched. “Please excuse me; I must speak with Japan-san.” He nodded his head in agreement, and they parted ways.

A single fusuma was the only thing that separated her from the country. “Japan-san?”  She gently rapped on the paper door. There was no reply. “Kiku-kun?” some shuffling sounds was heard and inaudible words, but that was it. “Did you say something?” some more inaudible words. She softly sighed.

She pressed her hand gently on the door, but made no attempts to open it. It must be a difficult time for him as it is for everyone else. “As I was out shopping for lunch,” she begun, “I saw Americans. They were all mixed in with your citizens. I... I couldn’t believe it when I first saw them. Is it true that… we are going to get westernized?” she knew the she won’t get a reply, and sighed once again. “Though I can’t hear your voice, keep what I say in mind:

This ‘bouquet’ that surrounds is iron poison, see. It’s looking down at us from that big guillotine.” She lowered her head and begun to walk back to the entrance.

One the other side of the door, darkness had engulfed the universe he once knew. Japan sat on his futon, the blanket wrapped closely around his body. He pondered deeply on her words. What was she trying to say? He was still shaken up by the fact that the country himself, America, wants him to open up, to let his people in. Did he make the right choice?

The shouji in his room was normally closed, but today it was open, letting in a little more light than he would normally allow. His position gave him a good view of the people passing by. He just wanted to make sure all of them were okay, though a part of him wanted to not believe what she say was true, that only his people was outside. He watched as [Name] passed by his viewpoint. She stopped walking and turned to face him. Though, she wasn’t directly looking at him, just his home. She had a distant, cheerless look in her eyes before turning around and going her way.

Following her soon after, riding on a penny-farthing, it’s the flag of their sun rising. His eyes followed its every movement as it wave in the wind, warding off evil spirits like an ICBM. He knew that even though the Western Revolution’s starting with a bold and sudden calling, his flag would remain the same.

Maybe, if he let his heart be open to it, it wouldn’t be so bad. He will become something that will make his country better, to keep everyone safe, to protect everyone, including [Name].

He will become a pacifist nation.