Behold the result of non-stop writing since exams ended. I think some parts could've been better, but this chapter was just getting really long and wanted to cover everything I needed to. As a result, I think this fic will end up having five parts. Thank you for your patience :)
Warnings: Single use of a four-letter long word beginning with "f." Just in case it bothers anyone.
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Some mornings she wakes and wants to sleep the day away.
Except she can't afford to.
Sakura dreads getting up only to try to make it through anouther day, but consequences if she doesn't will stress her more. As a result, she gets up, despite every muscle in her body protesting against it, and does her best to make it though the day.
Being able to see her retainers regularly helps. She often brings Hana water and a snack because she is always working herself to exhaustion and Sakura is happy to listen to the spirited way her childhood friend yells at her division to try harder or did they want to look like a bunch of slackers in front of Lady Sakura? Despite what Hana says, Sakura knows her friend is actually quite pleased with how quickly her trainees adapted to the regimen she imposed on them without (much) complaint.
Hana's youth had been a point of contention when she was first appointed by Hinoka to lead the regiment with some even questioning the queen's judgement for it, but the reality is that she is the most qualified person for the position after many older and more experienced samurai died or were left crippled during the war.
In Subaki's end, there is less controversy when he is made leader of Hoshido's sky knights. While he is more relaxed with the knights under his command, he expects nothing less than perfection from them. With the way he carefully plans his day's schedule, Sakura usually has less purpose when she visits him except to groom Hinoka's pegasus in her sister's stead, but she has the feeling that he's been keeping a closer eye on her than usual. Between brush strokes, Subaki gently advises her to rest when he notices how tired she feels and offers to bring her tea if she needed something to help with her anxiety and insomnia.
Secretly, selfishly, she is relived that both of them managed to survive the war when others did not. Sakura is grateful to them both and she doesn't know what she would do without them, so in the rare instance where either of them lets their uncertainties slip, she does everything to reassure them with utmost sincerity that they have never let her down, not once, so there is no reason to think they will start now.
If anything, its her that's constantly letting people down. After her absence at the meeting that day, Sakura has noticed how guarded everyone in court seemed to have become around her. There are are those who are careful not to say anything that can be interpreted as being too harsh while the less subtle outright tell her they're glad to see she's feeling better.
At first, their concern for her is touching. Then it becomes tiring. She wants to tell them to stop treating her as though she would break at the slightest provocation, but they are only worried about her and doesn't deserve such rudeness. She responds in the only way she could think of – by agreeing and thanking them for their concern.
When she heard from Yukimura that Hinoka had delayed starting the council meeting when she failed to appear on time, Sakura decided to make a point of attending every meeting and every conference she is able. However, Sakura quickly finds that she fades into the background as she always does. She listens, but, uncertain of how much the thoughts of a novice are worth, keeps her opinions to herself. Every day, she enters thinking this will be the day where she stays focused and understands only to walk out barely remembering what was talked about.
All in all, Sakura just feels lost.
There is one person who looks as out of place in the Hoshidan court as she feels is Prince Leo. He is far from the only foreigner to be seen in court there since Hinoka pushed to move Hoshido away from its history of isolation, but he is certainly the one who seems to receive the most distain.
Guiltily, Sakura knows she's not helping matters by avoiding him. She's not seething towards him anymore, but she doesn't necessarily want to spend time with him either. Still, she did become quite cold towards him in her anger when she was supposed to be giving him a tour of the capital and whatever his past deeds towards her country, he didn't deserve to be treated like that when he was here under the banner of friendship.
Not knowing what else she could do, she asks around and finds out he is often seen in the library. Sakura starts her search there and she finds him quicker than she expects.
The sight she walks upon she has already seen. Leo is standing between the selves with a letter in one hand and an unfurled scroll in the other, looking quite agitated. Niles is with him, a dry smirk on his face as the two of them speak to each other in hushed voices. Sakura manages to catch the words "inflation," "border skirmishes," and "radical policies" before they notice her.
"Well, well if it isn't Princess Sakura out and about," Niles announces, his grin becoming more mischievous when he greets her. "Has the infirmary has run out of poor, pathetic creatures for you to take care of? Should I give myself a bruise so you can make yourself feel better by making it go away?"
Stop making fun of me. Sakura wrings her hands on her robes, wondering what exactly she had expected from Niles. She knows he's just trying to get a reaction out of her and she wants him to stop, but she doesn't want to have an outburst in front of Leo. She is here to smooth the creases that she may have created with her earlier behavior, not to stir up more trouble between herself and his retainer.
And besides...
"Y-you said it w-wouldn't happen again, d-didn't you?" Sakura reminds him uncertainly instead of telling him off like she wanted to. "W-was I wrong to tr-trust your word?"
"Well damn. I did, didn't I?"
"Hello, Princess Sakura," Leo is quick to step in while Niles grimaces and before things could escalate further. Sakura rationalizes that he probably doesn't care about her specifically, but he must know he wouldn't be doing himself or his kingdom any favors if Niles really did end up driving her to tears. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Um... um, yes," she mumbles, almost forgetting why she came looking for him in the first place. "If you have a moment, th-that is. I-if not, I can come back later?"
A cough. "And there's your solution to your problem, milord," Niles remarks, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder and giving him a little nudge. "I'll be excusing myself before I say something to offend the little lady. Again. Good luck."
Leo looks at the letter in his hand. He then considers the scroll in his other, her, and the selves surrounding them both.
"Your timing is impeccable," he says at last. "There is also something I would like you discuss with you."
If she is to be perfectly honest, her first extended conversation with Leo was awful. Knowing some people just didn't like to be disagreed with, she's not comfortable enough to argue against him when she doesn't know him. When she cannot agree, she answers in a way that doesn't contradict, but doesn't suggest acquiescence, so he either continues with assumptions she knows are incorrect or asks her to please elaborate on that like he did when they were in the square.
She doesn't know which is worse. She's not as eloquent as he is on matters of the state and she feels anything she says will sound elementary. Being continuously put on the spot like she was, Sakura forgets things she knows she knows and it ends up looking like she doesn't. What's more, she could tell he was getting frustrated by the lack of progress by the gradual increase in the depth of his sighs and how he sounds sharper when he speaks.
It was tempting to break into tears when the whole ordeal seemed to remind her just how unintelligent and worthless she is.
Or so it is how she feels at first. When she thinks about it, really thinks about it objectively, it's true that Leo doesn't hold back on his criticism, but she doesn't think he was being intentionally hurtful either. She's watched him snipe with Takumi in Izumo and the way he spoke to her in the library had been nowhere near as antagonistic. That had to count for something.
Politics, government, diplomacy are all topics she has only studied superficially before the war when the odds of her inheriting the throne had been negligible enough that it was an assumption that it would never be her's. When things changed, Sakura did what she believes to be her duty as Hinoka's heir and studies late into the night, but she is inexperienced in these matters.
It isn't Leo's fault, she decides. She is the one who handled it all wrong. She is the one who, in the later stages of their discourse, had been more invested in wishing it was over than she was in making communication.
She could still fix this, right? She has to at least try.
On a fresh scroll, Sakura lists everything she could recall about what they talked about – things he said, things she said, and tries to find where she may have misunderstood him and where she could've been more clairvoyant. When she is satisfied with that, she takes anouther page and writes down anything she can think of that may be relevant, however slight.
By the time she finishes, the tea in the kyūsu Subaki brought her has gone cold, but for the first time since Hinoka's coronation, Sakura feels as though she knows what she's doing.
Three days pass before she manages to find the opportunityto talk to Leo again. Finding him in the library again – thankfully with Niles nowhere in sight – she asks if she could have a word with him.
"About the trade issues?" His skeptical tone does not bode well for her. "Princess Sakura, I appreciate your efforts last time, but I would rather not waste my time in pointless discussion with someone who's heart isn't in it."
"I know!" She didn't mean to shout, but she's afraid she would end up backing down if she didn't finish. "I-it's true I wasn't very helpful, a-and y-you're right that I wasn't trying my hardest. B-but that's not fair to you after you asked for my help, so... p-please let me try to make amends!"
There, she said it. When Leo does not reply immediately, she adds, in a much quieter voice, "I-if this proves to be a waste of time after all, I'll never bother you again, s-so... please give me one more chance."
"Why is it so important that I do?"
"W-why?" It's not a refusal like she anticipated, but she didn't expect him to be interested in her motives either. Not sure how to answer in a way that would be sure to persuade him, she does the next best thing and does so honestly. "B-because... because Hinoka is relying on me." Would he think her shallow for not having a deeper reasoning? "I-I'm not good at many things," she continues, nervous. "B-but... still I want to... be useful to her a-and I can't do that if I don't try, s-so... um..." She trails off, not knowing if any of it matters.
Leo snaps his book shut. "So that's it," he says, a hint of understanding in his voice. Why, Sakura doesn't know. She has a hard time imagining someone as brilliant and talented as him knowing of the anxiety and uncertainty she struggles with everyday.
"I-I guess it-it's a selfish re-reason," Sakura mumbles, trying to preemptively defend herself against the disappointment, "S-so it's okay if you didn't want to. It-it's not your job to c-cater to my n-needs–"
"You misunderstand. I am not refusing your request," Leo interrupts her and Sakura falls silent at once. "On the contrary, I was thinking along the same lines last night. There is... was room for improvement and I suppose there is nothing to lose if we were to try again."
It turns out rehearsal and preparation makes all the difference. She's still nervous, but having a list of points she wanted to cover helps keep her focused. She's grateful that Leo is an attentive listener as much as he is a speaker or she may have lost his attention a dozen times over.
"I see," he says, nodding slowly to himself. "So to recap what you told me, the average yearly harvest in Hoshido is typically more than enough to feed the entire population of the country, thus surplus is sold to merchants to be exported to Izumo, Nestra, and even Nohr before King Sumeragi was ambushed in Cheve." If Leo had any insight on this particular bit of history between their countries, he says nothing and continues, moving his quill pen down the parchment.
"However despite this, Hoshidan merchants are not considered to be vassals to any feudal lord, only business acquaintances and thus, the protection granted to peasant farmers and craftsmen do not extend to them. Additionally, Hoshido is self-sufficient enough that you don't depend on imports from neutral nations, so there is no real incentive to invest in importing goods. Ergo, there is an inherit risk for Hoshidan merchants to do business in Nohr because they cannot rely on Hoshidan military to protect them or their wares."
Sakura nods.
"That said, these recent attacks on merchant conveys you've told me about are happening within Hoshido's borders," Leo continues, "Which is not only problematic in that it results in damaged or stolen goods, but also many of the victims report the perpetrators to be Nohrian. Is that correct?"
"Y-yes," Sakura nods. She knows he's only filtering the events to be discussed at an economic viewpoint, but the way he casually talks about people getting hurt is too callous for her liking. "I-it's not to say nobody is ever attacked within Hoshido. Rōnin, that is, um, a samurai without a master, are thieves and criminals as often as they are hired bodyguards for wealthy merchant families, b-but ever since M-Mother out up her barrier around Hoshido..."
"There was a drop in Nohrian perpetrators only for it to increase again when it came down," he finishes for her. "Or at least the number of reported incidents has increased."
She frowns. "What do you mean?"
He gives her a brief look. "I am merely saying a bandit who has lost his will to fight would be easy pickings for even an untrained villager."
Sakura is speechless. She knew how the barrier kept the Nohrian army out, but she never thought about the aftereffects of an affected enemy. Did Mother know that as well? Sakura doesn't want to believe that anyone in Hoshido would take the life of even a Nohrian soldier in such a dishonorable way, but logically, she knows it is only to be expected after years and centuries of animosity between the two countries.
As Sakura broods, Leo decides topic of derivative applications of Queen Mikoto's protective barrier is not worth dwelling upon. "Nevertheless, this results in Nohrians unable to afford the set prices resorting to theft to obtain what they want, which makes Hoshidans either less inclined to trade with Nohr or cause them to inflate their prices of their remaining goods in order to turn a profit. What a vicious cycle."
"Hinoka is trying to break Hoshido's isolationist ways," Sakura says after a moment's consideration, "She intends to extend military protection to merchants, but many feudal lords are very reluctant and her position makes her dependent on their support. Also, becoming directly involved in foreign trade means breaking the monopoly prominent merchant families established over the years, so..."
"So she is opposed by the same merchants she is offering to protect in addition to the more traditionalist feudal lords." Expression thoughtful, he muses, "Breaking the status quo is never easy. My father may have been a... questionable ruler, but our noble houses benefitted from his reign and though I wouldn't say Xander needs their support to push his policies the way Queen Hinoka does, it does make him unpopular among them."
Smiling weakly, Sakura never imagined that she would one day find common ground with the second prince of Nohr and yet here she is. "Hinoka is doing her best," she reasons. "I'm sure King Xander is too."
Leo puts his pen down and rubs his temples. "It's vexing," he admits, "I cannot imagine Nohr has much to offer Hoshido as far as trade goes... minerals, maybe, but, if my brother is willing, troops are something that we can provide if Hoshido's military is unequal for the task."
Sakura opens her mouth, but hesitates.
"Is that not acceptable?"
Mentally sighing, she wonders if anything ever escapes his notice. "Well... it-it wouldn't be a problem if it were up to me," Sakura starts, "I-it's true that our army took... took a lot of losses–" Like Orochi. Like Reina. Like Oboro and Hinata. Like Takumi. Like Saizo and Kagero. Like Ryoma. Like–
"But, um," she quickly tries rein her thoughts back on topic. The impression of herself she has given Leo is bad enough as it is without a repeat of what happened on his first day in Hoshido. "Most of the feudal lords are very, um, proud and... and I-I'm afraid accepting military aid from Nohr after e-everything would... would not be favorable."
"I see."
"S-sorry..."
"No, don't apologize," Leo replies without missing a beat as though he had been expecting it. "It's perfectly understandable. If our stations were reversed, I cannot imagine aid from Hoshido would be so readily welcomed in Nohr either."
"Perhaps... perhaps I can speak to Hinoka about it in private?" Sakura suggests, nonetheless feeling bad for turning down his suggestion.
"Queen Hinoka may not take it for the reasons you cite, but she would know the choice is there," he agrees, "I'm sure Xander will understand either way if I explain the situation to him."
"Um..."
"Is there a problem?"
"I just... I'm not sure if, um..." Sakura begins fidgeting, afraid she may have said too much. While it is true that she wanted to clear up misconceptions with Leo, she worries that she may have divulged too much sensitive information to him. She is sure the last thing everyone in Hoshido wanted is for their problems to be known in Nohr. If Leo is to tell King Xander that Hoshido is struggling after the war despite the resources at their disposal, how long did they have before they would be invaded again? "N-never mind, i-it's not important."
When she hears Leo's deep sigh, she winces.
"Princess Sakura, this discussion has proven to be more useful than I expected," Leo is saying. "I still have no solution to present to my brother, but I do have a better picture of what we're dealing with now because of you, so you have my thanks."
"Oh, um, it's not much, really," Sakura awkwardly replies, not quite sure how she should respond. "I'm sure you would have found out on your own anyway..."
"Please give yourself some credit." If she didn't know better, she'd say he sounds almost exasperated. "What you say may be true, but every moment I spend browsing the archives that may be out of date and trying to gather information from people who have no desire to speak with me is a moment where Xander fails to deliver on his promises."
"Y-yes, I guess so? In-in that case, I'm happy I could able to help."
"The fact is I find myself abysmally short on allies in Hoshido," Leo continues, "I would like to consider you one, if you do not mind."
"I-I..."
"If you are put off by Niles's behavior, I can order him to stop if need be."
"N-no, I-it's fine. Th-there's no need. Really."
At the very least, it's good for her that Leo is at direct about his motives. It saves her the guesswork of figuring out what their relationship. A potential ally. A stepping stone to his true goals. That's all she is to him. "Um, I think... I think I would like that too, Prince Leo. I-I will try my hardest."
For the peace bought with countless Hoshidan lives, she tells herself. For the peace.
Talking with Leo gets easier with practice to the point where Sakura finds herself actually looking forward to it.
Once he realizes she's quite serious about becoming better learned in politics, Leo begins to offer her useful advice a little at a time. In return, Sakura helps him better understand the ways of unfamiliar Hoshidan customs to him. He can be tactlessly blunt at times, but he does make an effort to be patient with her, so Sakura resolves to meet him halfway by avoiding ambiguity when she speaks because she gets the feeling that it annoys him when he has to filter through her "um"s and "er"s and weasel words.
She feels herself improving. It's slow progress, but progress all the same.
One month of these regular interactions pass. Sakura wouldn't necessarily say they're friends, but she thinks they're acquainted enough to no longer be considered strangers. She is not quite sure how to approach that innate distance of formality and decorum between them and she's not sure if she should. A cordial, professional relationship didn't necessarily equate to a friendship after all.
Does she even want to be friends with him?
The porch overlooking the cherry blossom grove is her favorite place to practice playing the koto after dinner; Sakura is plucking tonelessly at the strings before she notices him standing off to the side. She straightens up immediately, cheeks flushing since she didn't realize someone had been listening to her. "Pr-Prince Leo?!" she squeaks, "I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't see you there..."
"No," he says, shaking his head. "If anything, I should have realized you weren't going to play that song again, so... my apologies."
This did nothing to make her feel better. She had given up trying to play the song she wanted to a while ago and knowing Leo had been watching her slouched over and randomly picking at the strings only makes her feel worse. What a lousy first impression of her musical abilities to give...
But still, he did apologize for listening in on her. "O-oh... uh... i-it's okay. Th-there's no need, really."
"If you insist," he says, coming forward now that they are talking. "I've never heard a Hoshidan instrument before, but I thought the melody was... familiar. That's why I stopped to listen."
"Is...is that so?" Sakura is a little curious about Nohrian music now, wondering how different they are to Hoshido's. "I-I didn't think Nohr and Hoshido w-would have songs in common..."
"It wouldn't happen to be the song Azura was always singing would it?"
Sakura does not reply. Azura had such a beautiful voice and her fruitless attempts to recreate the song her adopted sister was always singing only ended up making her realize she will never hear it again. What Sakura wouldn't give just to hear her sister sing a song for her from start to finish one last time?
"I thought so," Leo murmurs, inferring the answer when she does not give him one. He falls into a contemplative silence, looking almost awkward as he considers his next choice of words. Taking a deep breath, he begins, "Princess Sakura, there is something about Azura that Corrin–"
He has her rapt attention when he mentions the two siblings they had in common, but she hears nothing. His mouth is moving, but not a word escapes past his lips. She sees how confusion overtakes him for a moment before his eyes widen in realization. Sakura doesn't understand what is happening at first either, but she puts the pieces together as Leo raises his tome out of practiced habit than anything else.
A skilled mage can cast spells of limitless potential within a single breath, but no matter what, a wind spirit is always faster.
"For Lord Ryoma!"
A ninja appears before Leo so quickly and suddenly, he barely has any time to react. His grip on his tome weakens as the knife sinks into his unprotected back. Giving the weapon a twist and pulling out, the assassin takes Leo by his blond locks, yanking the Nohrian's head back to expose his throat before raising his weapon again.
Frozen in shock, Sakura could only watch in stunned horror the scene unfold until it ends as quickly as it began. Leo staggers to his knees while his assailant falls to the ground with an arrow in his neck.
Seeing the Hoshidan ninja dead before her, killed before she could do anything to help him, brings back memories of an axe falling and psychotic laughter. She could almost feel the rope burning into her wrists as she begs her captors to let her save them, swearing that she won't try to run away, so please–
"Heal him!"
Another voice pulls her back to the present. Still shaking, Sakura forces herself to look away from the dead ninja to the still breathing Leo. Niles is kneeling beside his prince, a bow lying at his side as he presses his cloak against the laceration. Whatever Niles's capabilities as a healer were, it clearly isn't enough to allow him to save Leo on his own.
Sakura though, knows she has treated worse. There is nothing she could do for the Hoshidan who was trying to avenge her brother, but there is still a chance to save Leo.
And yet, she doesn't know why the Sun Festal she carries out is still strapped to her side.
Because he deserves it, a cold voice in her mind that bares an uncanny resemblance to Takumi's gives form in her thoughts. Let him die! He didn't let you save those soldiers back then, so why should you save him now?
"He's going to die if you just stand there!" Niles snarls with a hint if desperation despite his venomous demand, "Heal him or I fucking swear, proprieties be dammed, I will make you suffer for it!"
Another more pragmatic voice that sounded like Mother's scoffs at the outlaw's threats, saying he can't lay a finger on her without repercussions. That same voice of reason is also urging her to save him for the same reasons Takumi's is demanding she do the opposite. He may not be the warmongering tyrant his father was, but would King Xander turn a blind eye if his brother was killed in Hoshidan territory where he is meant to be a guest? Mikoto reasons, always the cunning politician as much as she was the sweet mother. Why not take your revenge by reminding him and his family that you saved their brother even after they left your's to die.
Three voices resonate in her ears, Sakura's body moves like an automaton when she crouches down and takes the rod in hand. Despite every other shortcoming about herself, Sakura has never faltered as a healer. She couldn't stomach the sight of watching people hurting each other and be hurt back, but she doesn't shy away from the injuries that follow. When she is confronted with the wounded and the sickly – the weak, some would say – there is no hesitation and she simply does what she needs to do.
It's always been that simple. She is a healer because she prefers to save lives instead of taking them, and yet, she does not know what to do here. She has Prince Leo's life in her hands and it scares her that she is honestly considering letting him die or only healing him because of her own petty vendettas.
She only knows she doesn't want to hold so much power over anouther person like that. Under the watchful gaze of his retainer, Sakura raises the rod over him. Closing her eyes, she summons forth thoughts of a cool summer's breeze, of the gentle fragrant of a blooming cherry blossom, of life as she channels her magic through the rod.
Through tired eyes, she watches the wound on his body begin to repair itself. Though Leo is not in danger of dying from blood loss, she frets that the blade had been poisoned which is why she didn't close the wound completely. A Moon Festal may be able to clear any poison from his body more effectively, but she only had a Sun Festal with her now.
"L-let's take him b-back to his room," she mumbles, meaning to address Niles, but speaking to the ground. "I-I'll bring him an antidote a-and... and I-I th-think he'll be o-okay w-with rest."
Sakura backs away as Niles wordlessly moves to help Leo to his feet, swinging an arm over his shoulder. After a moment of hesitation, she comes forward to help. Niles raises an eyebrow when he briefly catches her eyes, but for once, he doesn't say anything.
Between them, Leo coughs through the the waning effects of the Silence rod. "...c-curses... guard... down..."
Sakura imagines this can't be a very proud moment for him with the way he needs to be supported in order to return to his quarters like an invalid.
"It's okay," she whispers a promise. "I won't let you die."
As a general rule, a Hoshidan ninja does not leave records of his existence. Nonetheless with enough connections and by asking the right people, the ninja is soon identified to have gone by the name of Saburō. He was distantly related to the Saizo clan, one of the many families that have lost much during the war when Saizo the Fifth died in a last stand with Ryoma and his younger brother Kaze was disowned by his family for his betrayal.
Hinoka is stressed enough as it is without adding in the investigation of whether this attempt on Leo's life was the action of one man or if he was backed by a noble bearing a grudge against Nohr and is against her attempts to quell the generations of conflict between their two countries.
Privately, the queen once confessed to Sakura that there are so many who fit the criteria, it could be any one of them. As someone who is used to the simple, but unconditional camaraderie between fellow soldiers on the battlefield, Hinoka dislikes having to consider everyone to be a possible perpetrator by default.
Fortunately, they had a lead. The assassin's accomplice, a shrine maiden by the name of Akane was arrested shortly after Sakura reported their attempt on Leo's life to one of Subaki's lieutenants. Between tending to Leo – who thankfully has the sense to listen to the healer when she tells him to rest, even if he is extra prickly from being confined to bed – to make sure his wound heals without complications, Sakura visits her in the prison one day.
The girl's waif-like figure curled up in her cell, face hidden from her guards and her thin arms encircling her legs, strikes Sakura as very familiar, but she can't place her finger on why. Seeing the girl's dirty and unkempt clothing, Sakura worries that the soldiers had been too rough with her when they apprehended her until she remembers Subaki telling her Akane didn't try very hard to escape when he and a few of his pegasus knights found her, even confessing when they asked her if she involved.
Sakura turns to Hana, who nods and rests a hand on her katana hilt. Sakura takes a moment to collect herself, straightening her posture and clearing her throat. "Miss Akane?"
The princess is startled by how quickly she responds to her name. Akane raises her head, her eyes searching the cell for the person who called her before fixating on Sakura. "L-Lady Sa-Sakura?"
"Yes, it's me," Sakura confirms gently while trying to sound authoritative. "Miss Akane, I... I have a few questions I would like to ask you. Would that be okay? Can you talk?"
Akane stares. Sakura is about to call her name again for her attention when the other shrine maiden lunges forward.
Hana acts quickly, putting herself in front of her princess and drawing her sword. It may have been unnecessary, as Akane stumbles and does not even make it half a stride. "Why... why did you do it?"
Peering over Hana's shoulder, Sakura knows she is the one addressed despite being terribly confused. "I-I'm sorry?"
"Why did you save him?" Akane demands in hysterics. "He's one of them. Y-you c-can't tell me you don't hate them too!"
Sakura feels her lips dry.
"...Y-you do, don't you?" There is less anger in her voice and more desperation. "Y-you can't tell me you wouldn't rather L-Lord Ryoma and L-Lord Takumi be here instead of him? J-just like... j-just like Eriko" When the name slips past her dry lips, Akane collapses into sobs.
"E-Eriko?"
"M-my friend. King Garon, he... his axe–" She breaks off with a muted scream. "S-she d-didn't get away in time. S-she was already retreating, b-but..."
Giving Hana's shoulder a firm squeeze, a signal for her to stay put, Sakura walks around her and kneels down beside the crying girl. She places a hand on her shoulder, feeling the bone beneath her fingertips. Sakura has only seen the former King of Nohr once before, but she can see the picture Akane paints in her head all too well. She does not know the Eriko Akane is referring to, but she doesn't need to be told how much Akane cared for her and how much watching her brutally murdered traumatized her. "Is that why you helped Saburō to assassinate King Garon's son?"
A shaky nod. "I-I just wanted to avenge her," she confesses, "If I couldn't... I don't care what happens anymore. Th-there's no point..."
She's just like me, Sakura realizes. She knows what it's like to lose the people she loved to Nohr. She didn't see her brothers die, but even if she did, she would have been powerless to prevent it. Ryoma or Takumi had both chosen death before dishonor and Sakura remembers spending days wondering if she should have done the same.
"King Garon is already dead," Sakura says softly, sounding far calmer than she feels."Even... even if you killed Prince Leo, it wouldn't have brought Eriko or my brothers back."
Perhaps Akane already knows, but she doesn't want to accept it.
Sakura didn't either, not until now.
"Miss Akane..." Sakura stands because doesn't think she would be able to get anything else from the girl for the time being. "Thank you for sharing your story with me today. I will... be back at the same time tomorrow."
Akane's future does not look bright. Hinoka may very well end up having to make an example out of her. In the meantime, Sakura makes sure Akane is properly cared for before she can find the peace she longs for in death by Eriko's side.
The evening after Hinoka declares Akane's sentence, Sakura first goes to the treasury of Castle Shirasagi.
She holds the Fujin Yumi for the last time, trying to commit everything good about the weapon to memory, while forgetting all the hurt she associates with it. Placing it on its stand, next to the still empty one designated for Raijinto, Sakura leaves without looking back.
Leo is up and walking again in a fortnight, just in time to see Akane's sentence carried out in the execution grounds. Sakura wonders what he was thinking as he watched unblinkingly, as the associate of his would-be assassin was led to the gallows. Sakura for one is certain she will not be forgetting the sight of a headless shrine maiden with a necklace of rope anytime soon.
"I hope... I hope the sentence was to your... s-satisfaction." The words are poison to her lips. Sakura couldn't believe she just said that and wishes she could somehow cleanse herself of it. It feels so fake, so rehearsed and she supposes it makes sense that it is. "Al-although we would u-understand if King Xander would have preferred to m-mete justice with his own hands, w-we must insist that n-no Hoshidan is to be punished by any law except our own."
"There's no need," Leo replies flatly. "If death is how Hoshido punishes attempted murder of a foreign royal, then no one in Nohr will object."
"Is... is that not the case in Nohr?"
"For a commoner to attempt to murder nobility, yes. Of course, that noble can vouch for the convict in question and take responsibility for them. Treason is the only crime in Nohr that cannot be avoided in such a way. The guilty will be punished, regardless of whether he is a prince or a peasant."
"O-oh..."
"I heard you tried to argue for exile instead of death, even going as far as to make arrangements for her to immigrate to the Flame Tribe."
She wants to sigh. It ended up being senseless anyway. Even when trying to reason execution was not a punishment as it was what Akane wanted, what chance did she have to change a law that has been in place for centuries? Regardless, defiance wells up inside her. Sakura meets his gaze when she asks, "A-are you angry th-that I did?"
"No. She was not the first person to want me dead nor will she be the last." His choice of words piques Sakura's curiosity, but he doesn't elaborate and she's still too meek to derail the topic at hand to ask. "If I'm angry at anything, it is that I was careless enough to lower my guard enough for her to silence me. Being cut off from my magic, being... powerless." Leo's scowl deepens as he folds his arms behind him. "I dislike it is all."
"I know," she says without thinking. When she sees the look he gives her, she continues, "What I mean is... I-I know what it's like to be powerless." She knows what it's like to live each day wondering if it would be her last. Maybe it's not the same as brushing against death's borders as Leo did, but she doesn't think whether it is months or seconds that matters as much as the knowledge that, for however long, their lives and futures were in the hands of anouther.
"It's not something I would want for anyone," she admits, "B-but I understood w-what Akane was feeling as well, so I h-had to try to help her even if... even if she is a criminal."
"You may be able to get away with such foolish generosity in Hoshido," he warns sharply, "Anywhere else, a soft heart like your's won't last very long. That girl, Akane, you called her? She made her choices. You weren't responsible for her. What did you hope to accomplish by trying to help her when she wasn't asking for it?"
"Th-that may be, b-but even so, I-I can't change who I am... n-nor will I st-stop doing what I think is right." Sakura stands her ground. She knows. She knows. "A-as for Akane... I hoped she c-could have found a r-reason to l-live d-despite her sorrow. If-if being in Hoshido is too painful, I th-thought she would have a better chance to start anew somewhere else. Th-that's why I spoke to Lady Rinkah, but... I g-guess it just wasn't meant to be."
Already bracing herself for judgement when she chose to confide in him, she waits for him to speak. "Princess Sakura..." She is startled by how much softer he sounds. He still calls her by her title, but she definitely hears a hint of amicability despite the formality of it. "I think... I finally understand what kind of person you truly are."
It's small, but for the first time, Sakura sees Leo smile. Instead of pride and arrogance, she sees his eyes shine for gratitude and the corners of his lips curl for joy. It takes away some of the sternness, the coldness from his face and she feels she is seeing the person beneath the tactician, the politician, and the soldier.
Words fail her. Sakura timidly smiles back.
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AN: It's late. I probably failed in editing. I don't think there were any matters I wanted to address aside from apologizing for cramming the entire icebreaking period into one chapter. Part 3 should not take as long, but I'm can't promise anything.
Edit: 9/17/2016
