17 - Fated ones
Sakura is two years old when she becomes aware of the Haruno Soul Bonds. She is bathing with her brother when she spots their family kamon imprinted on the skin around his navel. It's no wider than his palm and the usually white circle is a dull grey. Within the circle is a seed-looking thing trying to bloom.
How have I never noticed that before?
“Nii-cha,” Sakura starts, eyes still glued to his stomach, “What that?”
Kaede, who had been washing her hair, leans back to follow where her eyes are trained.
A smile blooms on his face, “That’s the imprint for my Unmei no hito.”
At her furrowed brown and confused pout, he laughs, “All blood borne Haruno are chosen by a deity and given two imprints. They symbolize our destined ones. People who belong to us and we belong to no matter what. When a Haruno finds their hito they are said to become close to the sage and the true image of unity and peace. When a Haruno finds their ai we say it is that your guardian kami-sama has found the most worthy for your heart. The imprint is always a flower or plant.”
Sakura stares at him shocked. He giggles and dumps water atop her head to rinse out the bubbles. The two splash about in the tub together and Kaede sings another hymn.
Inwardly, Sakura scoffs.
I punched an alien goddess in my first life. I’m not about to let another one control me in this one. So she takes the story with a grain of salt and falls back into her toddler routine easily.
Later, she learns more about her new Haruno Clan and what it entails. Like her brother said, every blood Haruno is born with the circle on some part of their body. They are also born with a seed that goes within the circle. But whereas the circle is visible but dull when it emerges at age five, the flower/plant doesn’t bloom until they’ve reached the age of 12. The circle is to represent community, peace, and unity. Being united and whole. The flora is meant to represent life and prosperity. Every Haruno has soulmates. Specific beings who understand you in a way that no other can. Some might have one, others can have five.
They say the longer it takes you to find your bonds, the more muted you become. The proof being in the rumor that her papa had been a very stern and stoic man until he met her mama. And the life seemed to bloom in his eyes all over again. Which shocked the heck out of her considering the man was always laughing. In any life she knew.
Her father spent his whole life thinking he would never meet his Unmei no hito or ai. But then he met their mother when he was 21 and she was 16. He later met Uchiha Mikoto thanks to Sakura’s busy body nature and co-dependency. But upon meeting Mikoto, only one third of his Haruno circle became pure white.