Sakura and the Uzai Quest

The butterflies were fluttering about her, in her hair, on her shoulders, at her feet. She was wading through them now, and they seemed to follow her wherever she went, but not like a swarm of insects or a cloud of gnats. No, rather like little blue fairies.

"So beautiful," whispered Sakura.

She had wandered away from the others and found herself here in a glade full of flowers that set forth their blossoms haphazardly above the grass, like yellow stars lighting up the green meadow with their radiance.

"This is where I met him for the first time," Sakura said to the butterflies. "We were just kids then, but we fell in love all the same."

She walked out into the field until she came to a single flower on its own: a delicate little red rosebud surrounded by pale petals that had fallen from it. It was an odd sight amidst so much lushness and beauty: what was left of a flower that had been picked? Who would pick only the one flower here? Why did someone leave it behind? The loneliness of that bud touched Sakura deeply; it made something inside her ache.

"He told me he loved me here," she said quietly. "I didn't know what to say back."

A butterfly landed on her hand, then another and another until her whole arm was covered by wings fluttering softly. She stroked them gently as they settled onto her skin and felt them vibrating with life against her palm. A warm glow spread within her chest and tears rose to her eyes.

"How could I ever be sad around you?" she asked the butterflies softly. "You make me feel beautiful."

---

The day after they'd left their village, Sakura started wondering whether Baku was all there in his head. One moment he was cheerful and talkative, asking question after question about life in Uzai (which put Sakura on edge quite badly), then he'd suddenly become very quiet and thoughtful, staring into space for hours with his tail curled around himself as if he was cold despite the heat of the sun beating down on them mercilessly.

He seemed to have a particular fondness for Oniyama's stories though; whenever the dragon-man began one of his tales Baku would perk up immediately, listening intently until its end before asking questions or making suggestions for how it could have gone better next time around. Sakura found herself tuning out these conversations more often than not - both Baku and Oniyama's tales seemed to go on forever! - but every now and then she couldn't help listening close enough to smile along with them at some shared joke or experience related by Oniyama. She liked both men very much despite their eccentricities: Baku because he made even trekking across endless fields seem exciting and adventurous; Oniyama because he took everything in stride no matter how ridiculous things appeared to be getting - and let's face it, things were looking pretty ridiculous these days! Herself included...

Before they left their village, Sakura had expected to spend most of this journey alone with Baku while Oniyama stayed back with her father safe at home. But no! He came too! And even worse still: he brought his mother along too! Who travels with their mother? And since when does a man wear dresses anyway?! It was all so confusing; so much so that whenever Sakura tried talking about it with either Baku or Oniyama, they just looked at each other knowingly as if they knew something she didn't - which, let's face it, had been really happening all this time! They were hiding something from her... but what? Had something happened between them? Was it something perverted?

It wasn't even as if Oniyama's mother was conventionally attractive! She was short and had a different body type than Sakura expected; none of those feminine curves or nice features she'd expect from a woman like that! No wonder poor Oniyama always stayed hidden away from sight under his hoodie! How could he possibly stand being seen in public with someone who defied conventional beauty standards as his mother did?!

---

The day before yesterday, one of those odd flying creatures had appeared suddenly high above them as they were walking through a dark forest full of brambles and thorns towards some ominous mountains looming ominously beside a large lake that reflected their dark shapes threateningly back towards them. The creature flew alongside them while noting their journey's progress. Its huge black eyes were mesmerizing, and Sakura couldn't help but feel uneasy whenever they met her gaze.

Finally, after a long day of traveling, Baku disappeared into the night, leaving Sakura alone with Oniyama in the dark forest. Oniyama simply shrugged off Baku's disappearance, preferring to stretch out and rest for the night.

When Baku returned after midnight, he brought with him some other creatures similar to the one they'd encountered earlier. They quietly