Sakura- Flower of Blood (English Version)

1. Chapter

i originally wrote this story in german but some of my friends wanted to read it too, so i am translating it. i haven't finished the original yet, so there are gonna be some slow updates.

:

The young girl with hair the colour of cherry blossoms in bloom sat on the fresh grass of a garden and hummed a song.

The song was about a swallow that flew over the land and sea to go south for the winter.

As she sang, she imagined what it would be like to fly away like that swallow did. If she could only grow wings that would carry her weight over the tall wall surrounding the garden.

What would it feel like to leave behind all her duties and worries and-

"SAKURA!", her train of thought was cut short by a woman's shout, "How dare you roll around in the dirt! Your beautiful dress!"

Startled, the four-year-old tried to stand up, but she stumbled and landed face down on the ground.

A slender woman in an elegant red kimono roughly grabbed her by her long hair and pulled her onto her stubby legs.

Sakura winced, trying to pull away from her mother but quickly giving up. Instead she felt tears rolling down her cheeks as her definite helplessness overwhelmed her small mind. 

"Stop crying, that won't get you anything but wrinkles!"  But the little girl couldn't stop, so she kept on sobbing as she was dragged to the house by her short arm.

Again and again she stumbled over the long fabric of the uncomfortable dress, the only thing keeping her upright being the never stopping woman.

A few strides later they arrived at a traditional looking building and without caring how her daughter was doing, the woman simply pulled her up onto the porch.

Hot tears were still running down Sakura's cheeks and she couldn't suppress the small hiccups even under her mother's irritated gaze.
She opened her mouth to, without a doubt, go on a tirade about something her young daughter probably had no control over, but stopped before a word left her artistically painted lips. Her face tightened and Sakura could see the way her eyes filled with terror even through the tears.

Even at her young age she immediately understood what was going on and hastily wiped her face with the hem of her dress before getting down her knees beside her mother and touching her forehead to the wooden floor.

"Welcome home dear."

"W-welcome home father."  Her voice trembled slightly, but she suppressed another sob.

"Stand up." The man's voice cold and unfeeling.

With soft knees, she stood up with her mother, but Sakura could not bring herself to look at him.
For a second no one said anything before her father took a slow step forward and grabbed her face, making her flinch.

He turned her head back and forth and examined her skin.

"Why was she in the sun for so long?"  Though her father's voice didn't sound angry, Sakura knew what was behind the quiet facade.

Her mother didn't know what to say and suddenly seemed frightened.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"  He let go of his daughter and walked towards his wife, who was averting her eyes.

For a second he got no answer.

"She was hiding in the garden." Her mother's voice was soft and full of fear.

The sound of the slap sent a shock through the scene, the tension of the interaction having come to a climax.

The slender woman fell to the ground and looked at her husband, who had just raised his hand against her, in shock.

"You know that she will never be able to resemble a porcelain doll if she has sun-tanned skin", his voice was calm again, but a rice grain could have heard the threatening undertone.  "Be more careful next time."

With these words he turned and pulled open the door of the house, leaving his wife and daughter to collect the broken fragments of their interaction.