did I give you writers block?????????

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Sakura sighed in deep relief as she felt a blanket around her shoulders as she rested back in the blankets. She held Kiyo tightly and gently slipped back into her own dream world.
A bird chirped by the window pane causing Sakura's eyes to scrunch till she finally opened them. A dull stream of light was streaming from the window as she stretched under the sheets. Kiyo still in her arms sleeping soundly caused her to smile excitedly. She slowly got up moving to the kitchen and began to pack their change of clothes and some towels in a cloth bag. She did it quickly the thin fabric running through her fingers. A shiver rocked her frame and she wished to be back under the warm sheets but instead she ignored the cold feeling and set a pot of tea and some left over soup over a small fire. Her deep brown eyes looked out the window the chills rock her small frame.
It would be falll soon and for some reason Sakura's stomach twisted in worry. How would they survive the camp in the winter? She rested a tray on the low table and crouched into the bedroom. "Wake up sleepy heads....breakfast is served....," she cooed as she turned on her heel to start eating some soup.

Kiyo clung tightly to Sakura once she had managed to uncurl his small limbs , his tiny frame trembling with such violence in her grasp that she could almost hear his teeth rattle. It seemed that the boy was still in the grips of his nightmare, desperate fingers gripping and twisting within the fabric of her kimono as images continued to parade before lids. Whispered words escaped his trembling lips; pleas for his life and the life of his family, and desperate cries for his mother.

The gentle melody that Sakura began to hum took some time to filter into the horror which Kiyo was forced to witness for what had to be the hundreth time. However, when it finally did slip into his consciousness he began to quieten swiftly, his screams becoming nothing but weak whimpers. He continued to cling to Sakura, his face buried against her and eyes closed tightly.

Tadao had woken to the scream, how could he not. He turned his head slowly, watching silently as his wife tried to soothe the poor child who seemed to struggle in escape the horrors that haunted his sleep. "Come, bring him into our bed so you can both be warm." He offered gently, lifting the blankets so that Sakura could slip beneath them with the boy in her arms.

Sakura had drifted back into the halls of her old home. The long corridors dark and dead as maids shuffled down them. They could not see her as she stood there and she felt a sense of mourning amongst its halls that enveloped her. She was about to run towards a maid when a scream broke the connection like a knife. Her eyes flashed open and she gasped slightly shocked by the crying but found her breath again. Her eyes were wide as she witnessed Kiyo's small frame huddled in a ball as he screamed. It was pure terror and Sakura slipped from the warm confides of Tadao's arm and unwrapped the boy from his blankets and forced his limbs to uncurl. She struggled a little bit. She wrapped his arms around her neck a bit and hugged him tightly rubbing small circles into his back with her hand.
"ssshhhh, its okay......shhhhh, You're safe Kiyo," she cooed softly Hugging the boy rocking him.

A sense of motherly rage was instilled in her as she rocked the poor boy. She knew what his pain and horror was like to have witnessed so much death. She could only imagine. Sakura thought hard about what her guards would do when she had her violent nightmares and then she smiled. She hummed softly continuing to rub Kiyo's back. It was an old warrior's song that she had forgotten the words too but she remembered the melody. She Was getting cold and goose bumps were raising on her arms as she hopped the little one would settle.

Tadao was surprised at Sakura's response to his gentle kiss. Perhaps he had expected her to refuse him as she had done the night before, but instead she drew closer and he could not help but smile. TIlting his head to the side, he sent a stream of air toward the one remaining lit candle and the room was plunged into darkness. Once this was achieved, Tadao shifted slightly as he carefully slipped an arm around her slim body, holding her carefully to him.

She need not have worried about any further actions on his part as, due to the fact he had barely slept the night before, sleep consumed him almost the instant he closed his eyes. Which he did, with a contented smile.

~~~~~~

Kiyo slept soundly and silently for a couple of hours before his nightmares returned to haunt him. At first his reaction was nothing but faint whimpers and small movements beneath the blankets; responses to the events that led up to the attack upon his village. And then a cry, a scream of pure terror broke into the silence of the night, Kiyo's small figure curled into as tight a ball as was physically possible. Small sobs shook his thin body as he remained locked within his nightmare.

Sakura watched Kiyo curl up in a ball with a small smug grin spreading on her face. He looked so adorable all curled up in his little fortress of blankets. It reminded her of what she used to do when going to bed. Maybe he believed that the blankets would protect them from the monsters that attacked at night. She turned her attention back to Tadao just in time to feel his lips press gently against his her forehead.
They were soft but rough at the same time and the sudden contact made Sakura's cheeks spike in warmth. She curled her legs up to her chest a bit and scouted a little to brush against Tadao her eyes closing as she tried to quiet the thudding of her heart in her chest. She could not relax at all her cheeks felt on fire for awhile and she closed her eyes shivering a little bit and scouting into Tadao's side.

Tadao slipped out of the room once he had been relieved of the bed-roll and blankets; making sure that any candles outwith the bedroom had been blown out and closing over the screen door which let out onto the porch. He returned shortly after to find Kiyo's bed prepared and Sakura already resting between the sheets of their own. "Go on lad, make yourself comfortable." The raven-haired male encouraged the boy, giving him a gentle nudge toward the freshly made bed before he turned to draw the bedroom screen closed.

Unlike the night before Tadao removed only the outer Kimono, leaving the thiner interior to cover his frame as he slipped beneath the sheets. He propped himself up upon his elbow, glancing toward the newly made bed to find Kiyo had slipped beneath the sheets and huddled himself into a tight ball, the blankets drawn tightly around him.

With a small nod of satisfaction, he leant forward to place a gentle kiss upon Sakura's forehead before resting against the pillow behind him.

Sakura's eyes rested on Kiyo understanding as he regarded his dirty feet that he had no education. She ran a comb through his messy hair and set it down beside her as Tadao appeared. A smile spreading across her face, "I agree...Let's have him in our room for a bit." She stood up lighting taking the mat from Tadao's strong arms and rest it a couple of inches away from Her mat. She moved swiftly tucking the blankets where they needed to rest and then slipped into her mat with a yawn. She rested her head letting her black hair pool about her head.

"Kiyo get some good rest because tomorrow Ill start you on your studies after we all bath....," she yawned. Her deep brown eyes looked up at Tadao as she waited for him to join her.

Kiyo toddled after Sakura as she moved through to the bedroom, hovering in the doorway to watch as she sat upon the bed and began to brush her hair. He shooks his head to her question, long strands of hair falling in front of his eyes which he had lowered to stare at his dirty feet. The boy had been very young when his village had been attacked and in the presence of the men amongst the camp few had the time or education themselves to teach the child.

Tadao appeared, a rolled mat resting upon his shoulder and several extra blankets gripped in his other hand. "Where shall we put you then, hmm?" The older male smiled at the boy before redirecting his gaze to Sakura, "Perhaps he could sleep in here for the first couple of nights? While he gets used to staying with us..."

The rebel son had two reasons for suggesting such an arrangement; firstly he hoped that it would put his new wife at ease - for he would no wish to consumate his marriage with a child in the same room. And second, for the boy's sake - if his nightmares were as bad as he had heard then having someone nearby would be best for him.

Sakura smiled as she felt the small hug back and let Kiyo onto his feet noticing him shiver. His small frame shook almost violently under the thread bear kimono he wore. She sighed heavily running her fingertips through her hair. Tadao had disappeared to retrieve a mat for Kiyo so Sakura slipped into the bedroom with a hair comb. She let the bristles run through the wavy black hair. "Kiyo....do you know how to read, write, and do math..," asked Sakura as she sat on the bed. The comb running through her hair as she waited for Tadao to appear with the mat...

(sry for the short post...its all I could think of....like for now without pushing the story to far along)

Tadao's eyes closed as Sakura leant into him, her arms encircling him and squeezing him tightly. His own arms folded comfortably around her, a smile spreading across his lips at her whispered words of thanks. He watched her progress across the room, smile strengthening as his gaze traveled down her body. A chuckle passed his lips as he shook his head lightly, running his fingers through the long raven strands that swept down his back.

The boy raised his head at Sakura's shuffling footsteps, suddenly plucked from the floor and up into her arms. Unlike the first time that she had hugged him, Kiyo's thin little arms wrapped around her neck as he peered back up at her. A smile spread across his lips at her words, glancing toward Tadao and receiving a small smile and swift nod from the older male.

Kiyo's bare toes curled against the wooden floor as he was returned to his feet, wrapping his arms around his body in an attempt to keep himself warm. The boy watched as the older man rose to his feet at Sakura's words, explaining that he would fetch a spare mat right away.

Tadao was reluctant to share his bed with anyone rather than his wife; the more time he spent with her, the more he longed to hold her, to kiss her, to... A frown furrowed his brow as he stepped down from the front deck - yes, that could wait until the time was right. Regardless, even witht he spare mat Tadao was almost certain Kiyo would end up in theirs anyway - he had heard the other men speak of the boy's nightmares on several occassions. Why should tonight be any different?


[[Sorry for the delay, life is rather hectic!]]