It was late afternoon and Rika was bouncing off the walls with excitement that couldn't be contained. She was in a new place and all she wanted to do was explore. Sora was having a hard time containing her daughter, and she knew that Yuui was going to be busy for at least another hour or so.

"Rika sweetie, you're disturbing the other citizens." Sora said softly as she caught her daughter as she ran past.

"Aww, okay." Rika mumbled.

"Why don't we go outside for a while? We can play together." Seraphina suggested.

"Yay!" Rika jumped up and shouted with glee.

"Come on mischief, let's go." Seraphina took the five and a half year olds hand and led her outside to play.

Sora sighed with relief and jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She span around to find that it was only her two brothers and she laughed, "Oh, it's just you two."

"Are you alright?" Syaoran asked. He didn't remember his sister being so jumpy whenever someone tapped her shoulder, but ever since she got back, she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just really bloody tired." Sora replied. "So, what can I do for you?"

"You said you wanted us to meet a few people. I'm free now." Syaoran replied.

"Oh, right. Let's go find them. They're probably playing cards in the dining hall." Sora smiled, and turned and began walking.

The two men followed their sister to the main hall and sure enough, sitting around a small table inside, were three men; each were vastly different in appearance due to age and height, and one of them looked over.

"Hey, it's the queen!" he announced.

She smiled and walked over, "Hello Felix."

Felix had dark hair and was young, appearing to be in his early to mid-twenties, and his eyes were hazel. He had a strong build and dressed in black, with a silver cross around his neck.

"Are these your brothers?" Felix asked Sora.

"Yes, these are my younger brothers." Sora smiled. "Syaoran, this is Felix. The other two are Grey and Isaac."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Syaoran greeted.

"Likewise. We've heard a great deal about you." The man in the middle, Grey, spoke. He appeared to be a lot older than the other two and had a lot more experience. He had dark eyes and pale brown hair with a hard jaw and strong build from years of fighting.

Isaac was the youngest, four years apart from Felix. His hair was black and messy while his eyes were startlingly hot pink. He looked bored, uninterested in the pair of royals. He gave them a quick glance and returned to looking at his cards, ignoring them.

"I thought that Felix and the others could be of use to you. They hold some interesting information about Aryanna, though they're not going to tell you until I say so." Sora smiled.

Syaoran nodded slowly, "I see."

"You look a little sceptical." Felix commented.

"It's a little hard not to be when we have no fucking clue what's going on. How did you come by this "information" as Sora calls it?" Syaoron replied.

"Fair enough," Grey shrugged, "But, as your sister has said, we can't tell you the information unless she gives the order."

"We respect that," Syaoran said, "You're under her command, not ours. But my brother asked where you came across the information, not what it was. Please answer."

"Well, as long as you understand that then everything should work out fine." Felix smiled. "We know the information because we worked for the bitch."

"How can we trust you?" Syaoron asked.

"I've already made sure they're trustworthy-if I didn't think they weren't I would have killed them by now." Sora snapped.

Syaoran glared at his sister who smiled. "I'll leave you boys to chat while I go and see Yuui, tata."

"Sora!" Syaoran snapped, but she was already skipping towards the doors. He groaned.

After finding her daughter out in the courtyard, Sora went and sought out her husband. She knocked on the door to the room he worked in and waited for an answer.

"Just a minute."

Sora waited and she looked down at Rika who was bouncing with excitement. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time, ever since Sora had first told her about her father.

Yuui opened the door and smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"Daddy!" Rika hugged him, taking him by complete surprise.

Sora smiled, "Here she is, safe and sound."

Yuui knelt down to Rika's level and gave her a soft smile, "Hello Rika."

She smiled back and he picked her up, finally getting to hold his daughter for the first time. Sora smiled, glad that she could finally see the two together and that they were all a family again. It was what she had been longing for since she had given birth. Yuui spotted the pendant around Rika's neck and lifted it to get a closer inspection; hanging on a delicate gold chain was a fire opal pendant with three triangular points at the bottom with small delicate diamonds set into them. Hanging from the middle point was a small, blood red teardrop that had a strange eerie glow to it.

"Where did this pendant come from?" he asked.

Sora smiled, "I had it made for her. I found the red teardrop one day and thought it suited her."

He stared at her, not believing the last part about her finding the teardrop. "You don't just find rare stones like this."

"Of course you do! It happens all the time!" Sora snorted.

Yuui sighed. She was hiding something again.

"Mummy tells me to never take it off." Rika said.

"Is that so?" He asked. "And what sort of adventures have you been on with your mother?"

"We travelled through a forest with fairies and sparkling leaves and flowers!" Rika beamed.

Sora snorted and Yuui looked at her briefly for a moment before turning his attention to his daughter. "Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"We were travelling through a rainforest at night. The fairies were fireflies." Sora explained softly.

"Fairies!"

"How long until Sakura gives birth?" Sora asked while Rika was distracted.

"It could quite literally be any day now." Yuui answered.

Sora nodded, "I see."

"We also went through a really dark cave and then saw all these sparkling lights!" Rika grinned.

"That was a side trip." Sora laughed. "It was a small cave I'd heard about, and so I took her through it. Right at the very end there's a cavern full of these glowing crystals; they're beautiful."

"It sounds like you've been everywhere."

"Oh, we have." Sora smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you're both safe." Yuui said softly.

They sat down at the table and Rika continued to tell her father about her travels with her mother, and Sora would fill in the gaps. Hours passed in what seemed like only an instant, and before they knew it night had fallen.

Aryanna paced back and forth in her castle, angered at the loss of men. She had not been expecting to lose Leon or for Clow to have gained so many allies. What was worse was who-how had Sora come to survive the torture she had put her through!? How!? She had assumed her dead when she had blown herself out of her prison all those years, but she assumed wrong. She sighed. She poured herself a glass of red wine and drank it, smiling to herself. All she had to do was wait. Wait until Sakura gave birth. Wait until Sakura was at her most vulnerable state. Then she could strike.

Yuui was tending to a majority of the injured soldiers who had taken up temporary residence in the main hall until they were allowed to leave with the help of Eva and other medical staff. Rika was following him around as he tended to each patient, and he tried to ignore her in hopes that she would head off somewhere else. He sighed as she continued to follow him around and knelt down to her level, "Rika, why don't you go and play with some of the other children for a while?" he asked.

She shook her head vigorously. "I wanna help!"

"There's nothing you can really do here."

"I'll hold 'em down so they don't squirm!" She said as she tried to put on her scariest face. Half of the injured stared at the child with wide eyes.

"You are definitely related to your mother…" he muttered.

"Yay!" she beamed.

He sighed and continued treating injuries with his daughter following behind him.

A couple of days had passed and Rena had been given permission to get up and move around. Syaoron watched her with a worried expression as she moved around the room, wincing a couple of times. She noticed his worried expression and smiled, "I'll be ok, don't worry."

He walked over to her and sat beside her on the bed, "Don't over do it, ok?" he said softly.

She kissed him gently and smiled, "I promise I won't."

He stood, "I'll see you in the meeting."

"I'll try and get there as fast as I can." She replied.

He nodded and left after kissing her again, and she slipped some silver sandals onto her feet. She wore a deep green gown with a black sash around her waist and though sometimes it hurt to move, it was ok to walk for the most part. As she opened the door and stepped out, she heard the laughter of a child and the sound of footsteps running down the hall. She watched as a small female child she didn't recognise ran straight past her and down the hall; she was incredibly fast for her age, Rena noticed.

"Rika!"

She then watched another woman she didn't recognise run down the hall after the small child. Rena raised an eyebrow at the commotion, wondering what was going on and who the child belonged to. Rika then came running back, but stopped in her tracks as Yuui stepped out.

"I think you've caused enough trouble this morning."

Rika's head hung low. "Ok…"

"There you are, you pest!"

"Sorry Seraphina; I'll take her from here." The blonde said.

"Thanks…" Seraphina groaned.

"Daddy, where's mummy?" Rika asked.

Rena nearly choked-did she just hear right!?

"She's in a meeting, but she'll be out shortly."

"Are they all going on another top secret adventure?" Rika asked.

"I don't know sweetie."

"Shit!" Rena cursed, realising she needed to be at the meeting. She quickly headed down the hall, ignoring any pain she felt, and made her way to the council hall. Inside she saw a woman who looked similar to her husband and Syaoran, so she assumed that was Sora.

"Sorry I'm late," Rena apologised, wincing as she sat down.

"How's your wound?" Syaoran asked.

"Still sore, but not bad." Rena replied.

"Rena, this is Sora, my sister. Sora, this is Princess Rena." Syaoran introduced.

"Pleased to meet you." Rena smiled.

"I would have come by to visit you, but I was worried I would have disturbed you with Rika attached to my leg." Sora replied with a smile.

"Oh, she's yours is she?" Rena asked. "I saw her being chased by someone just moments ago."

Sora laughed.

"Touching. Can we get on with the meeting?" Gabriel asked.

"Do shut up, Gabriel." Rena rolled her eyes.

Syaoran sighed. "What do you know about Aryanna and her position right now?" He asked his sister.

"We have the upper hand. Since I finished destroying her little dungeons, along with her men and most of her army, she has no one to fight for her." Sora shrugged.

"Good. What do you suggest we do?" Syaoron asked.

"Aryanna is cowering behind the walls of her castle, waiting for Sakura to give birth so that she can come when she's most vulnerable. I don't suggest waiting around for Sakura to give birth-we need to go and kill Aryanna." Sora explained.

"What-so you want to leave tomorrow?" Sid asked.

"Exactly. She won't be expecting it."

"What about Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

"She has plenty of protection here." Sora replied.

He was reluctant to leave Sakura who could give birth any day now, but if they could get to Aryanna with the element of surprise, then they could finally end it. "Alright…tomorrow it is then…" Syaoran murmured.

"Good." Sora smiled.

"So, is Felix going to tell us the information about Aryanna? Or do I still have to wait?" Syaoran asked his sister.

"You're in an awfully foul mood this morning."
"You would be too if you were me."
"Fine; boys, go ahead and tell them." Sora rolled her eyes.

Felix stood, "Well, not only did Aryanna break her victims, but she also took slaves. She kidnapped people off the streets, trained them and cut out their tongues."

Syaoron remembered having seen a girl who had her tongue cut out when he and Rena had been taken and tortured. It wasn't pleasant and had come as quite a shock. "Why would she do that?" he asked.

Grey laughed, "Because she could. Aryanna doesn't care for people's feelings. She needed people to patch up her damage, so she trained them."

"I've taken in some of the girls who have survived the raids and didn't commit suicide." Sora said.

"Oh, I see." Syaoran murmured.

"She also forced her soldiers into murdering the ones closest to them-family, loved ones-she didn't care." Felix shrugged. "She did that to have them prove where their loyalties lay."

"And you?" Sid asked.

"Felix and Isaac didn't have families, and those closest to them were sent to me." Sora intervened. "So, they're safe."

"What about him?" Rena asked, nodding her head towards Grey.

"I got tired of working for the woman. I started questioning her motives, what she was really up to, why she was doing what she was doing." Grey answered.

"Why did you follow the woman anyway? What started you questioning her?" Rena asked sceptically.

"She had me believing that she was doing what she was doing for a rightful reason. I caught on soon enough." Grey muttered.

Syaoran sighed; so many people had their lives destroyed because of Aryanna and her destructive ways.

Sakura was sitting by the fire, leaving back in her chair when Rena, Sid, Syaoran and his brother walked in. She smiled, "How did the meeting go?" Sakura asked.

Rena groaned as she sat down, "It was more like a bickering contest, like what the fuck, seriously…"

"Oh, ok…" Sakura half laughed.

"A lot of the council were against tomorrow's plans." Sid explained.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran sighed. "A group of us are heading out to Cerisia in the morning. Sora says that Aryanna is hiding in her castle, and that she won't be expecting an attack." He explained.

Sakura gave her husband a worried expression, "Who's going…?"

"Sora, a couple of her men, Sid, and I are going."

Sakura looked away. "I see… It's going to be dangerous…"

"I know. I'm sorry."

She smiled sadly. She didn't want them to go. She wanted them to say. He entwined his fingers with hers, knowing she was unhappy with the decision even though she understood why it had to be done.

Sora sat with Yuui with Rika in her lap who was fast asleep. She ran her fingers lightly through her daughter's hair, smiling as Rika snuggled closer to her mother's warmth. Yuui stayed silent, taking in the information he had been given; he didn't want Sora to leave with the chance of no return. Not when she had just come back to him.

"Do you have to leave?" He asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so." Sora replied sadly.

"But why? You're just putting yourself in more danger…what about Rika? She still needs you."

"It's not like I'm going to die." Sora smiled. "There's nothing to worry about."

Yuui sighed, "You always say that."

"Because it's true." She smiled. "I'll always come back to you, no matter what."

"Sometimes I wonder if you can take anything seriously."

She sighed. "I need to guide my brother."

"Is that all?" Yuui asked. "You haven't told me everything and I've been holding back because I know that you don't avoid topics unless it seriously hurts."

Sora looked away. A saddened expression washed over her face and she couldn't find the words to speak for several minutes.

"When Aryanna stabbed me and everyone all through I was dead… Remember how I told you that was because she didn't want you coming after me?" She whispered as her body trembled. She tried not to wake her daughter who was still sleeping on her lap, so she stood and walked over to the bed, placing her down gently and pulling the sheets up over her tiny body. She retook her seat and wiped her eyes.

"I remember." He replied.

She took a deep breath. "I had no idea what she had done at that point in time. When I woke up I was in a cold dark cell, alone. She knew I was pregnant and had my wound healed, made sure I was in perfect condition. But they also tortured me in ways you could never imagine. I was forced to watch children die, tortured to the point they broke. I watched as women were raped and there was nothing I could do about it because I was restrained by those bloody chains that seal away your magic! I watched as men were forced into murdering their lovers, just so they would break completely and so Aryanna could get what she wanted…" Sora sobbed. "I could have helped those people so much sooner if I had known about Aryanna and what she was doing…"

He sat beside her and held her for a long time, waiting until she calmed down. What else had she seen that had her so traumatised?

"It's not your fault Sora." Yuui said softly. "You can only work with what you know."

"But I knew! I knew that there was someone out there connected to what happened with your home and Chii's country…"

"But you couldn't know everything. It takes time to collect information. Syaoran used whatever information you already had together and managed to piece together the last remaining pieces. He figured out who it was."

"I know…" She whispered. "And he's trying so hard to keep them safe…"

Yuui sense something more to her cry, something to do with what happened to her while she was held captive.

"Sora…can you tell me the truth about that pendant?" He asked softly.

She sobbed harder and covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the guilt and the horror of her memory. He watched as she tore herself to pieces inside, and realised he shouldn't have asked.

He placed his hand over hers to comfort her, "Forget I asked." He said softly.

Sakura walked down the hall later that afternoon accompanied by her guards. She was lost in thought as she came to a stop at the window, looking out at the various soldiers who were sparring with one another. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to find Sora standing beside her.

"Oh, Sora. What can I do for you?" Sakura asked.

"You must be worried about tomorrow. I apologise." She said.

"Why are you apologising?" Sakura asked with confusion.

"I was the one to suggest the idea to my brother." Sora explained.

Sakura smiled, "I'm not angry. I understand why he has to go."

"Then you know that I'm going also?" Sora asked.

Sakura nodded. "But the main reason you're going is because you want vengeance." She said softly.

Sora felt a little tense, but sighed instead. She smiled, "How did you figure that out so quickly?"

"I realised, when we were talking the other day. Aryanna did something to you-forced you to watch something that you can't stand the memory of… With what either of us have been through, who wouldn't want revenge?" Sakura murmured.

"You don't, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled, "I want this war to be over; I want to raise my child knowing they won't be hunted by some psychopath their entire life. I want to know my family will be safe… I let go of revenge the moment I wanted a family-a child."

Sora smiled softly. It took a lot of strength to move on and let go of a grudge. She decided to tell her about what had happened, and turned to the guards. "Go wait in the main hall. I'll bring her to you."

They left the two women alone and Sora turned back to looking out the window. "Have you seen the pendant around Rika's neck?"

"The one with the fire opal?" Sakura asked.

The brunette sighed. "When I was held captive, I gave birth to twins." Sora began quietly. The look on her face was downcast as she remembered her past, and Sakura listened quietly.

"Aryanna was there as my firstborn son was pulled from my womb. She watched as Rika was pulled from me moments later, and as that smile crept across her face I knew. I knew that my children were not safe." Sora spoke quietly.

"I was allowed to hold them briefly, for a time, and then Aryanna said 'bring me her son.' And so they did. They tore my son from my arms, and gave a five minute old infant to that wretched whore!" she screamed.

"I begged her not hurt him. I begged her to leave him alone. But she just gave me her cruellest smiles as she tore into his tiny chest and ripped out his heart. I watched, screaming as she murdered my son, took his heart and then constricted his heart into that tiny blood red teardrop. She placed his body on the ground without a fucking care in the world, and walked away with that stone, and I knew she was going to come back for Rika. I was so overcome with rage and shock at what she had done, that as I watched his blood stain the floor I shattered the chains binding my wrists. The first thing I did was pick up my son's body before I blew up the place." Sora whispered. She had tears running continuously down her face and her hands shook.

"When I finally came to a few days later, I found myself under the care of Eva. I had my son cremated, and I kept his ashes with me wherever I went. I got better, and with Eva's help I learned how to take care of Rika. I learned what had happened to my family and that they believed me to be dead."

"With that news, I was furious with Aryanna, but I also knew I didn't have the strength or the power to take her out on my own. I found out where Aryanna was, and I left with Rika and Eva; I went and took back what belonged to my son. I took back his heart without being caught, and I found a jeweller who used magic and specialised in taking ashes and compressing them into diamonds. I asked him to make a pendant for me, with the payment of the first bracelet I ever bought myself." She explained quietly. "In the three points are the diamonds that came from my son's ashes, and the droplet is his heart."

Sakura was speechless. To have gone through something as horrific as that… She was amazed that Sora could even talk about it.

"Sora… I'm so sorry…" Sakura whispered.

Sora smiled sadly. "I don't want you or my brother to have to go through such a trauma, Sakura. How many children have died this way just because of this woman?"

"Does Yuui know…?" Sakura asked quietly.

Sora shook her head. "I can't bring myself to tell him. It's too painful."

"He has a right to know…" Sakura whispered as a tear slid down her own cheek.

"You're right." Sora smiled sadly. She hugged her sister in law and sighed, "You'll be a great mother, I'm sure of it. And I can't wait to see all of your projects when we get back to Clow." She said as she parted and walked away.

Sakura smiled. She'd like that, too.