Kneeling down Ashita gathered a large bunch of the fallen sakura petals into her hands. She was thinking about pressing these very petals in the letter she would send to her family, showing her sister that these petals were not really brighter then the ones that fall from the tree in her home...her old home.

Her sister once told her that sakura petals were dyed red by the blood of those who were buried under the trees. Since this story was told right under a sakura tree, Ashita then immediately conjured a rather graphical image of what was under their very feet and started to cry. (1)

Aizuki had to change the subject very quickly even as she hugged her precious sister. It seemed that this story was not suitable for a six years old girl.

Later on, when Ashita was much older, she found her sister standing under the sakura tree. But unlike before, she did not greet Ashita with a smile.

Instead, she was crying with a fistful of sakura petals in her hands.

"Do you see how pale these petals are? This is because they do not have anyone to give them blood!" Aizuki actually said this with a laugh even though she was crying. "And this is all my fault!

"But the other flowers are dyed red!" she continued. "The wild lilies and chrysanthemums that shouldn't be stained are!"

At that time, Ashita didn't understand that her sister was actually referring to their father- who was denied of a burial and had his body disposed like everyone else. (2)

But maybe she shouldn't do this, Ashita thought as she opened her fingers to let the sakura petals fall through. Perhaps their sakura were a bit paler, since these petals in her hand seemed much more vibrant.

The sakura was not a particular favoured flower as she liked flowers that could be picked very easily. For some reason, carnations were her favourite flowers and she used to pick them very often. She would place these flowers all over her room despite the protests of their maids.

But things changed after the conspiracy. Her brother told her that they now had less money so they must change their living style. One of it was for her to stop picking flowers because replacing them actually did cost. As a result of keeping up their appearance, she could only pick flowers that were starting to wither.

This was a complete contrast to her current situation and she took some slight comfort in having many flowers decorating her room. Not being able to pick flowers as a child didn't really affect her but it was hard to not do something that she always took for granted. She never once considered that there would be alternatives.

It was just like her marriage- she never really considered the alternative. No, she could not consider the alternatives!

This was just the way it was: the emperor has chosen her so she would marry him. It was as natural as a young girl's tendency to pick flowers. That was the way of things.

Yet there were unnatural differences.

Her behaviours must be strange for her guards because she walked back to the table without taking any sakura petals and started to look at her mirror again without finishing writing.

She was probably regarded as extremely vain due to the amount of time that people has seen her gazing in this mirror, which she took everywhere with her. But most of the time she was actually starting at the back of the mirror.

What marked this object as being different.

Shiraishi gave this mirror to her and that was why it was special and precious. It would also probably be his only gift to her because there was no reason for him to do such a thing.

Turning the mirror over, she briefly glanced at her reflection out of an automatic instinct. Much to her surprise, another person was there.

The figure winked at her before he gave her a rather mocking bow with his arms spinning as he bent his body forward.

Because the mirror was very precious to her, she had to place it down on the table very carefully before she turned around to glance up. But by this time, he was gone.

The sakura were blooming and Rachel was just thinking about who she should see it with when the choice was made for her.

"Lord Masaharu." She said politely.

Rachel wasn't fully sure how to make sense of him. He was very different from Tezuka, who was extremely polite and courteous, due to his tendency of whispering and winking at her. He was also different from Shiraishi as 'Masaharu's' display of friendship was accompanied by attempts of flirting as well.

"Princess, will you do the honour of seeing the sakura with me?" Niou asked, looping his arm through hers. "It is a very beautiful sight."

"Wait, I haven't' said yes yet!" Rachel protested.

"But you haven't said no either." Niou laughed. "I know an exceptionally beautiful tree."

Unfortunately, a person was already sitting under the said sakura tree, and even more unfortunate was the fact that she happened to be the future empress.

Ashita had been polite enough to Rachel whenever they met, but she did not extend any indication of inviting either Rachel or Yuu to her private quarters. While most attributed this as the result of a shy nature and a still ongoing process of adjusting to court life, Yuu was certain that this was because Ashita did not want to talk to them.

However, Ashita' reaction still seemed a bit too extreme.

"You? What are you doing here?!" she demanded angrily, even standing up.

Rachel was just going to protest when she noticed that Ashita was actually not looking at her, but at her companion.

"Why are you so shocked? I can come into the palace if I wish to…little girl." Niou added.

Just before he disappeared from his hidden place, Niou allowed Ashita to see him slip into the disguise of 'Lord Masaharu', while the way he just talked to her then confirmed his real identity.

"Lady Ashita, do you know Lord Masaharu?" Rachel asked curiously.

"You would recall that my land is very close to her family's land." Niou said smoothly.

"Yes, and I might have seen him a few times when I was very young." Ashita said, resisting the urge to glare at Niou. His land? It was just that forest! Besides, that should still be her brother's! She then added rather consciously: "But it would have been before I turned eight so I don't recall that much."

"Or don't choose to. You see, I've actually been in conflict with some of their people. So that is why I tend to not tell people of my origins." Niou said, adding the final touch.

Ashita was just thinking about what she should say- how to get an answer from Niou in an unobvious way when he suddenly said: "Oh, what a pity. You suit having lilies on you hair."

"Lilies?" her current hair ornaments were two hair sticks that had trailing chains of emerald carved into the shape of ivy.

"It seems that the lilies that were sent to you never arrived, that must be so." Niou said with a smirk. "Perhaps the sender is too cowardly to deliver it. Or maybe he desires to keep it himself." (3)

In the end, Ashita still placed some sakura petals in her letter and her brother actually went to stand under their sakura tree with these very petals in his hands.

The petals of their tree, Akio admitted, did seem paler.

"Don't be so ridiculous, sakura's colour vary." Ruika told him gently.

"You are naturally right." Akio told his wife with a fond smile as he picked up the second letter. "The emperor himself wrote to us- telling us that he would soon decide on a date for the wedding."

"That is good news indeed." Ruika said with a genuine smile. "But is Ashita well?"

"Relatively well." Akio said.

While her letters might not be ecstatically happy, there was no indication of her being unhappy. He needed her to be happy or he would feel as if he sold her.

"But Akio, why don't you go in and get some rest?" Ruika said sweetly. "You have been rather tired lately."

"That is because I want to make sure that our region is well again." He said simply. "We've been poor for so many years so I really want to change this."

"At the exchange of our sister?" Aizuki said bluntly as she approached them. "Akio, don't you dare start to lecture me about not taking care of myself when you are like this."

"When I am like this?"

"You are not feeling well, are you?" Aizuki pointed out. "But you continue to work, even riding to distant villages."

"I agree with Aizuki." Ruika said, almost adding: "For once."

"So go and take a rest." Aizuki continued.

Ruika lent forward and gently tapped on the letters they received, to which Akio nodded.

"Aizuki, the emperor told us that he will soon decide on a date for the marriage." Akio began.

"I see." That was all she said and there were no hint of hysteria in her voice at all.

"Is that all you have to say?" Akio asked, quite shocked.

"Do you want me to go hysterical?" Aizuki snapped, indicating that she merely had control over herself as she was clearly very angry about this.

"It is what you are usually like." Ruika muttered.

"I admit that this has to happen, as all other alternatives are impossible." Aizuki said, "But I still don't like this." (4)

"The emperor is a good man…" Akio began.

"Oh stop it, Akio. I believe in what I know, not what I hear." Aizuki said wearily. "As for this letter…don't you think that it is possible that she might not be telling us everything? We had a lot of secrets when we were that age as well."

Notes:

(1) I first heard of this idea from Tokyo Babylon, when Sakurazuka Seishiro told Subaru that sakura's petals are dyed red by the bodies buried there. Later on, I did some research and discovered that this story is actually quite old. Not all version are depressing like the Tokyo Babylon, as one version is that an emperor buried his fallen soldiers there as a way to thank them for their service, not because he murdered them or anything.

(2) What happened is that there are sakura in the family's grave sites, but their father was not allowed to be buried, so he was exposed in the wild. Which is why she say that the wild lilies are dyed red when they shouldn't be.

(3) This refers to chapter 13, when Ashita give one of her hair stick to Niou as a payment for passage, and Niou actually gives it back to Shiriashi- telling him to give it back to her. But Shiriashi has yet to do this.

(4) Aizuki's words indicate that there could have been other alternatives. I think she already knew that the reason Watanabe wanted to marry Ashita is because he sought to seek her image in Ashita. So she could have changed something if she went to talk to Watanabe.