Sakura felt the pain of a thousand swords through her body. She was left with not other choice but to use the rune. Sure there was pain before, but nothing like this. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the railing. Fearing the worst, she jumped. After a while the pain stopped and the calming sea cooled her body.

Pushing herself up to the surface she noticed some of her mermaid crew come up from behind to help her. Gasping for breath she heard the clank of a rope ladder hit the side of the ship. She asked the mermaids to go first for they were faster. Then she slowly scaled the side of the boat. Once at the top she collapsed to her knees, "Too close…"

Snowe was perplexed when he saw that incident. Yes he had seen Sakura's power before, but he didn't know that was how she reacted to the power. He consulted the others about this.

"Well, Sakura didn't want us to tell you…"

"Please Tal. I want to know."

Jewel picked up, "You know already that True Runes are the most powerful runes right?"

"Yes."

"But they come at a price." Paula stated while playing with her food.

"Price?"

"True runes take away the host's life." Kenneth stated while looking at Snowe in the eye.

Snowe dropped his fork, "Wh…"

"It's true!" Chiepoo came up from behind after finishing his meal and stood in front of the group. "We heard this from King Lino. His own wife died from using it!"

"Along with Rikie's husband."

"How do you know that?"

Tal put down his fork, "Sakura told us that sometimes when she uses the rune, memories of its previous owners are shown in her mind."

Snowe suddenly lost his appetite and stood up to take the plate back to Funghi with a muffled thanks. He then walked up stairs towards Sakura's room.

He noticed the confessional box a while ago and wrote his thanks for Sakura letting him join. Now he wrote about what he just learned:

Sakura,

The others just told be about your rune. I assume you've gotten as much pity as you can handle…But I apologize for my actions. I foolishly believed you took this power from Glen…Only to now realize it is a curse. I can't tell you how many times I am sorry in this note…As I told you before, do what you will to me.

Snowe.

Sakura looked at his note in her room. She smiled only to cry. A knock on her door caused her to hide the note and go answer.

"Yes?"

When she fully opened the door she saw it was Flare, "Yes Pr-"

"Captain, it's Flare."

"Princess, it's Sakura."

They laughed at the little joke but then Flare's face went serious. "Elenor wants us to go to the meeting spot."

Sakura knew what it meant, they were near Fort El-Eal.

Snowe reeled in thought as he walked around the ship after the meeting. This was a suicide mission, and Sakura knew it. Even Elenor told them all, Sakura might not come back alive. Snowe paused at the stairs near Sakura's room, he was coming from the bar when he saw her talking to Millay, Gretchen, and Helga. After they left her, he gained some courage to raise his voice, "Sakura."

She turned to see him, before she could speak he raised a hand. "I told you before, I have nothing. Use me which ever way you see fit in this battle."

Just as he turned to leave, he felt a gentle grip on his wrist. Turning he saw Sakura standing with a small glint in her eyes. It wasn't pride, it was fear. He saw this many times when they were children. Hard to believe now, but back then she was just a child. At that time, she showed the same fear when it was a storm outside. He comforted her, but he never forgot the fear in her eyes that night.

She closed her eyes before smiling slightly, "Remember the fight in the back alleyways?"

Snowe blinked before he too remembered what she was talking about. "You mean the one with the bandits? Of course!"

He remembered how they were playing an innocent game of hide and seek when the bandits came to kidnap him. Sakura and the others found him in time, but they were no match for the bandits. That was until Sakura got the brilliant idea of climbing on top of some barrels, and pushing them down the street causing the bandits to be caught. She broke an arm and sprained her ankle, but she only smiled. He remembered how furious Glen was with her, but how proud his father was that he had a "guardian". He only realized in age that it was a demeaning comment. Yet Snowe cared for Sakura during that time. In fact, that was when they became close friends.

Or is it now when they were close friends?

Sakura let go of his wrist and nodded, "Do me a favor Snowe?"

"Of course."

"When I die…" She was already talking like this? Did she truly believe she wasn't coming back?

"…Please keep laying flowers on Glen's grave. Also, can you start an orphanage?"

"Orphanage?"

"Yes. None of the islands have one…I think it would be a good idea."

Snowe swallowed another lump in his throat to boost his bravery for what he was about to say, "…Then stay alive to see it through."

"What?"

He tightened his fists, "You said it would be a good idea, right? If you want it to be done, stay alive to see it through!"

Her eyes looked at him in shock. He too was surprised at his courage, but also embarrassed by it. So much that he turned his eyes to the floor.

Then a familiar hand touched his, "I can't make that promise Snowe."

He darted his head up to retort, but her gaze stopped him. Sakura's eyes looked calm and depressed at the same time. She then pulled his hand up in hers to look at it. "I've kept my promises before, but I can't grantee that one. This rune has been taking my life each time I use it. So far it has been four times, and that last one was the worst of them all. I honestly know that I won't survive a fifth."

She let go of his hand and looked back into his eyes, "I'll try, really I will. Elenor even doesn't want me to die. But I cannot see the future…"


Sakura ran onto the ship just as boulders of earth fell from the cliffs. She hadn't used the rune at all, not even to fight off Graham Cray. Now she just had to make it back to Obel without anything going wrong…

"The rune cannon is going to fire!"

She darted her gaze up to the cliff. Not good, they were still in its line of fire.

"We're not going to make it!"

"Keep trying!"

Sakura looked back to her crew and noticed Lino standing near her. She shouted out to him, "Lino! Your in charge!"

He heard her and watched her jump to the railing, "SAKURA!"

She raised her left hand just as Snowe turned to her, and the rune cannon fired.

A thousand screams and red light came from her rune; the rune cannon was stopped. She felt her life slipping and the rune was beginning to leave her. "No." She spoke to it, "I won't let you!" With the last of her strength, she pushed herself overboard.

She clearly heard everyone scream as she hit the water.