Rurijou sat quietly on the futon as Sakura brushed her long pink hair. Since she had let the moon princess become her master they had begun to share a room.

Over time her hatred of Sakura had withered into nothing; she had learned to trust Sakura and over time developed affections for her. She now had nothing but undying loyalty for the person she once hated.

A gentle smile spread across her face as she felt Sakura run her hands through her hair and hum quietly. She loved being close to her because it was when she was at her most happy.

She was the only one who got to see Sakura up close and personal; getting dressed, taking a bath, taking a nap and getting ready for bed. She knew and saw things about Sakura that Aoba could only dream about.

But at the same time she was the one who saw the real Sakura. She saw Sakura cry, she saw her when she was weak, and she saw her when she was troubled or had self doubts. She saw the darker part of the moon princess she didn't show others.

"You have beautiful hair Rurijou; it's so fine and silky. It's the colour of cherry blossoms" Sakura said fondly stroking it.

Rurijou blushed gently; she had never been complimented by anyone on her appearance. She shared a strong affection for Hayate because he was kind to her and loved her as she was. Sakura loved all of her and helped her realise she had good inside her as well as darkness.

The young Ninja whose curse she had broken was her first real friend; she cared about him so much and even loved him. However she was convinced he was still stuck up on Kohaku; while she didn't do anything rash she simply courted him from afar.

She and Sakura were complete opposites when it came to personality and appearance; yet she was formed to be Sakura's clone. However Enju had obviously forgotten how his sister used to be since she was a child.

"You're much prettier than I am Mistress Sakura; you have dark silky hair. Mine is so bright and luminous" Rurijou said shyly. Her mistress had such silky hair that was the colour of chocolate; it was so rich and full. It was even more stunning when she transformed; it was pure silver and reflected the moon.

Sakura stopped brushing and pouted; she put the brush down and turned Rurijou to face her.

Enju had abused her quite badly; emotionally and physically. It was no wonder over time she had come to fear him and yet love him. His control over her had caused her to develop Stockholm syndrome.

Instead of admitting she was beautiful; Rurijou saw herself as imperfect. Instead of being her own being; she was a fake. Instead of receiving love; she had been thrown hate and abuse.

Her existence up until she had come to live with Sakura had been quite miserable. Sakura herself had no doubt that Enju would kill her for disobeying him. He would not accept any form of betrayal in any form.

"You are beautiful Rurijou; don't you ever think otherwise" Sakura snapped firmly her brown eyes intense and filled with anger.

She knew that despite the fact she had healed and come out of her shell; Rurijou still suffered with self hate. She would deny or reject any form of compliment sometimes believing it to be a lie or untrue.

This was because for so much time of her existence; Rurijou had been called "Stupid", "Ugly" or "A waste of space". Enju had only ever pointed out her flaws instead of her assets and so she hated herself.

"But...But I'm just..." Rurijou whispered quietly her face pained. She would never be as perfect as Sakura but the princess still cared for her.

Sakura grabbed Rurijou's shoulders and stared intently into her eyes "Rurijou; how can you not see what good qualities and assets you hold?" she asked bitterly.

Rurijou bowed her head sadly and clenched her fists harder "I'm not cute! I never will be; all I am is a stone!" she snapped tearfully.

Before she was given this body of wood; Rurijou had spent her existence as a stone that absorbed lives. Enju had been the one to give her life but eventually became abusive and cold towards her.

Even now with her own body she couldn't exist without her marks, Sakura's energy or the absorption of water. She was nothing but dead weight and a pain in the ass to others and it hurt her deeply.

Sakura cupped her hands over Rurijou's face and pulled her closer to her own; she locked eyes with the pinkette. She stared intently into her eyes anger, stubbornness and love in them.

"Sakura...sama" Rurijou stammered nervously. Despite the fact she was affectionate with Sakura she was never intimate with her like this.

For a while she had been harbouring a deep crush on Sakura; her kindness, loyalty, bravery and pure heart touched Rurijou. She wanted to ease the pain in her heart and protect her; but was afraid of being rejected.

However hearing these words from the princess made her love grow stronger. The fact that the princess looked past her faults and still saw her as a person made her happy. It never failed to surprise her how kind the princess could be.

"I say you're cute Rurijou. You're funny, smart, pretty and full of life; and you never let your past shade over your light. Despite the fact you have darkness in you from being alone you smile so brightly" Sakura said fondly her tone adamant.

Rurijou's heart stopped in her chest; her soul filled with warmth. She had longed to hear words like this for a long time. Only it was someone she had never expected it to be; but it made her so happy.

She was glad that her princess thought such things about her; the fact that someone had actually not hated her. She had always hoped someone would see what she could be and what she was. How had it taken so long for her to hear such kind words?

"Sakura-sama" she whispered tearfully her eyes welling up. The walls she had put up to hide her emotions were slowly breaking; because of her beloved princess.

She leaped into the princesses arms wrapping her arms around her neck. She buried her face in the crook of Sakura's neck and breathed in her warm scent.

She always felt safe and loved in Sakura's arms; she hoped that someday she would receive her love. To feel herself fall apart and be embraced by those arms, fingers and lips; to feel human.

She had always longed for it; jealousy brewing when Aoba was close to her. She felt a strong pain in her chest when he and Sakura would kiss. Just knowing that the two of them would one day be married and share something she could not; a family.

Sakura wrapped her arm around Rurijou's back and placed a hand on her head. She knew that deep down all Rurijou wanted was love. She gave her everything she could and showed her the life she dreamed of.

She showed her that the world was beautiful and not as ugly as she had believed. That there was still hope and joy left in her somewhere. More than anything Sakura just wanted to see her smile more than anything.

"I'll always be here Rurijou; always" she promised softly stroking her pink hair. She would protect her forever; making sure her smile was always there.

She would never ever let anyone hurt Rurijou again; emotionally or physically. She wanted her flowers to bloom and her roots to spread. She wanted Rurijou to become the tree she had always longed to be.