-Sigh- Sorry for the late update again. This story has three chapters to go.
I'm working on several other works (not just fanfics) so it might be a while before I update again.

Rena greeted her husband with a tight hug and parted, looking at him with worry. As if he knew what was on her mind he smiled, "Everyone's fine." Syaoron assured her. "They're over there."

He pointed over to Sakura and Syaoran who were being tended to by medical staff, though Sakura's only worry being getting her son fed.

"How are they? Will they be ok?" Rena asked quickly.

"Sakura's got some pretty nasty burns on her back, but we can fix that. My brothers' wrist is fractured and the wound he was dealt has been stitched up, although not all that great, but he'll be ok. I'm not sure how they're coping, though."

"What about Dimitri? Is he ok?" Rena demanded.

"No harm was done to Dimitri. Syaoran had already somehow dealt with the situation before we got there." Syaoron shrugged.

She looked up as Aryanna was marched past her and they made brief eye contact before Rena punched her in the face, knocking Felix and Isaac a little. "Sorry guys." She murmured.

"No problem." Felix smiled.

"Shall we be on our way then?" Isaac asked their prisoner.

Aryanna spat blood out onto the concrete and Rena punched her again. "Sorry, it's just so tempting to punch a coward."

"Take her away." Syaoron said before Rena could punch Aryanna again. They led the defeated queen away and Syaoron looked at Rena with disapproval.

"What?" she asked.

"Once was enough."

"After everything she's done? I don't think so. What is she doing alive!?" Rena snarled.

"She'll be given a proper death sentence." Syaoron said.

"And what's that? Head cut off?" Rena asked sarcastically.

"Burned alive." He replied bluntly.

"Hmph." She muttered.

"Let's leave them be for now; you can speak with my brother concerning this matter tomorrow." Syaoron said, and led her away.

Syaoran and Sakura were escorted to their room which surprisingly had been cleaned of all blood, and Sakura carefully placed Dimitri who had fallen asleep earlier in his cradle. Syaoran sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted and tired though knowing of the coming days events. Sakura came to sit beside him, worry filling her eyes. "How's your arm?" she asked softly.

He smiled, "It's still rather sore, but I'll be fine. Yuui gave me something for the pain."

"You made your injury worse by what you did…but if you hadn't, Dimitri might not be alive…" she whispered.

"I refuse to lose either of you." He said softly.

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder for a while, and they sat in a comfortable silence. After a while Syaoran broke the silence, "Is your back ok?" he asked Sakura softly.

"It's still really sore, but Yuui's started on the healing so I'll be fine in a few days. There's a few questions I want to ask him about Dimitri though."

"Dimitri?" Syaoran repeated with some confusion.

"About his magic. I'm a little confused about something." Sakura murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a little hard to explain…"

"Alright." Syaoran said. "Why don't we get some sleep?"

"Yes, that would be wise." She smiled.

They changed and slipped into bed, falling asleep quickly no thanks to their sleepless night before.

Sora sat with Yuui alone in complete silence in the lounge. She wouldn't talk about what happened or how she'd been acting the past few days, and just stared into the distance.

"Sora, I'm worried." He finally said. "Please talk to me."

"What am I meant to say?" she whispered. "I was forced back to the place where our son was murdered and I was tortured…"

Yuui pulled her into a gentle hug and held her for a time. She sobbed into his shoulder until she exhausted herself, falling asleep on the couch.

Rika, not wanting to be noticed, poked her head around the door shyly. It was the first time she had seen her parents since they had got back and she was a little worried. She could see her mother asleep on the couch next to her father, but she could tell something was wrong.

"You can come in, Rika." Yuui called out.

She stepped out, slightly embarrassed, and walked over.

"What's wrong?" he asked her gently.

"Is mummy ok?" she asked.

"She hasn't had a very good day, but she'll be ok."

"Mummy used to cry herself to sleep when we were travelling…she didn't know I was awake though…" Rika mumbled.

"She's been parted from her family for a long time. One day you'll understand." Yuui told her.

Rika stayed silent and nodded her head.

In the morning, Sakura had her wounds checked and re-dressed carefully. The salve that was placed over the burns helped stop the pain for the time being, and Yuui had told her that her wounds should be healed within the next few days. As she sat on her bed lost in thought, the blonde looked over.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"I've been a little confused about Dimitri is all…" she murmured.

"What about Dimitri has you confused?" Yuui asked as he turned back to cleaning his equipment.

"It's about his magic…" Sakura replied.

"I see. So you've noticed a few things?" He asked.

"Well… It's in regards to when we were taken," Sakura began, "Dimitri wouldn't stop crying until Syaoran was with us, and then he finally calmed down. But then when there was danger, he started crying again." She explained.

"Your son has an attuned sense towards danger. You have this power too-it runs in your blood."

"I don't understand." Sakura said.

"He has the power to sense an incoming threat before they have even arrived. He doesn't need to dream about it-he can just sense it." Yuui explained. "If you think about it, you knew when danger was present too."
Sakura thought for a moment. She thought back to all of the past events over the last two years. It was a vague memory, but she recalled the sense of unease and the feeling of distress she had felt during those times.

She frowned, "Is that all?"

"Well, there will be other things, but I won't know for certain until they present themselves later on."

"Oh, I see." Sakura murmured.

"How do you think you'll be for this evening?" the blonde asked.

She sighed. "I don't know. The only thing I know for certain is that it will finally be over for good."

"Alright." Yuui said, "I'll see you later. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thank you." Sakura replied, and he left.

Syaoran watched from the window as soldiers piled hay and sticks up for the coming evening's execution. Aryanna was being held in one of the dungeon cells for the time being, and though many had questioned Syaoran's decision to bring her back at first, chatter had died down when they had finally realised what was really happening.

He looked up as his brother walked over, and he sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Syaoron asked him.

"Tired." Syaoran replied, "Soon this will all be over for good."

"Yes, and then what will we do with our lives?" his brother asked dully.

"You sound so bored."

"Oh no." Syaoron rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"We'll be going home in a few days; things will eventually return to normal, and Sakura and Rena won't feel threatened anymore." Syaoran murmured.

"Yeah…"

"How's Rena?"

"She's sitting in the lounge playing cards with the guys. I don't think she's in a particularly great mood."

"Sakura did say she was in a funny mood."

"She's worried that Aryanna might try something." Syaoron said.

"She won't. I'll make sure about that." Syaoran murmured.

They looked over as Sakura walked up to them, carrying Dimitri in her arms. He was sleeping peacefully compared to earlier when he was crying and Sakura was having trouble calming him.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked.

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired." Sakura replied.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really. I'll be fine; you don't have to worry." She smiled.

He still continued to worry despite her words, and Syaoron left the two alone. "How are you feeling? Since we got back, I mean." He asked.

Sakura sighed and looked away. "Can we talk about this later?" she asked.

"I need to know if you're ok." Syaoran said.

She bit her cheek and then released it after a moment. "I can't feel safe until she's dead." She confessed.

He nodded, understanding her feelings and fears, and carefully placed his arm around her waist in an embrace. "Thank you."

Evening fell. Everyone had gathered to see the death of Queen Aryanna, and many were eager to see her go. Sora's entire army wanted her dead because of the suffering she had forced on them, and all of the slaves that Sora had taken under her wing stood waiting eagerly to see her burn. The children were kept inside, away from the noise, so that they couldn't see the gruesome scene.

Sora stood with Yuui up on the stone stairs with Rena, Syaoron and Sid, while the rest of the royal court were down below with the crowd. Syaoran and Sakura stood up on the wooden platform where Aryanna was to be formally sentenced and burned, and Gabriel walked the condemned queen out to meet them.

She wore a black cotton dress with capped sleeves and a square neckline, the skirt of the dress coming to her knees, and her feet were bare. She was walked onto the platform and made brief eye contact with Sakura who held her son tighter.

"Queen Aryanna, ruler of Corinth, has been convicted of attempted murder, murder, torture and abduction." Syaoran began.

Aryanna laughed. "You're going to kill me. Get on with it."

He rolled his eyes briefly for a moment and sighed. "I, Syaoran, ruler of Clow, sentence you to death."

Gabriel tied her to the post and Syaoran stepped down with Sakura, away from the platform, and then Gabriel chucked the first torch onto the hay at Aryanna's feet. The other soldiers followed suit and dropped theirs on after, and soon it was completely ablaze.

Sora watched with satisfaction as Aryanna screamed and burned. It was much more satisfying than cutting her head off. Finally she could feel the agony she had put everyone through, and she hoped that if there were such a thing as hell, then she would burn a thousand times over, forcibly having to relive it over and over again for eternity.

Rena was glad it was finally over. As she watched the flames burn Aryanna's body and as she could hear her ear piercing screams she felt she could live her life without the constant need to look over her shoulder to see if someone was trying to murder her. Syaoron wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, sharing the same thoughts and feelings as Rena; relief that it was finally over and hope that they could finally find some peace in their life. The fight was finally over.

It was late when everyone finally disbanded and headed inside. Sakura stayed in the lounge with her sister and Chii, while most of the others sat in the dining hall celebrating their victory. While the three girls sat together, Chii and Rena could see how distressed Sakura was becoming as she tried to calm her son who had woken moments earlier.

"Sakura…did you want to take a break…?" Rena asked, going to offer that she could look after Dimitri for a while.

"No, I'm ok, really." Sakura smiled.

"Alright, if you insist."

Sakura worked tirelessly at trying to calm her sons cries, and eventually got him to stop crying. Instead he played with the necklace around her neck until he grew tired of it and started up again.

"I don't know what else to do…" Sakura mumbled.

"I'm not sure either…" Chii said.

She continued to nurse him, trying to calm his cries but nothing she did could work.

Syaoran sat outside alone in the fresh air, not really wanting to be inside in the company of others as he sat lost in thought. He was exhausted and what he had seen when he had been held captive with Sakura was like a nightmare that he couldn't wake from. The relief he felt from being able to keep his son alive, to stop the future he had seen from happening, wasn't enough to tell him that everything was ok. It was just too hard to believe.

"Hey,"

He looked over to see Sid who had joined him. He sighed, "Hey."

"That was a heavy sigh. What's going on?" Sid asked.

"It's really over, isn't it?" Syaoran said quietly.

"Yes, it is."

"Back when you got engaged, I had a dream about my son being killed by Aryanna. It was such a frightening dream at the time that I didn't know what to do." He confessed.

Sid smiled, "Well, you've managed to get through it, and Dimitri is fine."

"Yes…but part of me wonders if it's really over."

"She's gone." Sid reassured Syaoran.

"I know. But there's always something-someone." Syaoran said.

Sid sighed. "Don't stress about that now. For now worry about raising your son with your wife."

Syaoran smiled. "I suppose you're right about that. Thank you." He stood and looked up at the clear night sky before looking back to his cousin, "I should go and see Sakura. I'll see you later."

"Get some rest." Sid said before he walked in.

Syaoran nodded and left, heading inside and towards the lounge where Sakura was still trying to calm Dimitri. He noticed that she seemed to be a little distressed, and walked over to her.

"I'll take him," he said.

Sakura looked over her shoulder, surprised so see him, and then uncertainty showed on her face. "But your arm…" she said, worried about him.

"I'll be fine." He smiled in reply.

Reluctantly she handed her son over, though Syaoran seemed to show no problem holding Dimitri. Their son quietened almost immediately and Sakura sighed.

"You must be tired," Chii said, "maybe you should have an early night?"

"No, it's ok." Sakura smiled. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Rena murmured, "But today was pretty rough."

"If anything, I'm relieved. Now that Aryanna is gone and I know she's gone, I also know that our son will be a lot safer now. I don't have to constantly look over my shoulder with the fear that there's a woman after me and my family." Sakura replied softly.

Chii smiled, "Yes. That's true."

Syaoran muttered something as Dimitri drooled on him and Rena laughed at him. Chii looked over and burst out laughing and Sakura shook her head.

The group were playing cards again and the hall was filled with lively chatter and laughter once again. Sora had Felix in a headlock having caught him cheating at the game, and everyone laughed. Gabriel watched in amusement as Yuui tried to pry her away as she had been drinking, though Felix wasn't all that fazed. If anything he thought it was hilarious.

"Sora, stop."

"This little bastard is cheating!"

"You need to go to bed-you've been drinking too much."

"I have not!"

Grey snorted, "That's what everyone who's drunk says."

"Shut it Grey!" She snapped.

"Sora." Yuui said a little more sternly.

She immediately released Felix and smiled at her husband, "I'll be going now!" She said, and then skipped out of the dining hall. Yuui shook his head and sighed, sitting back down.

"You're not going to go and make sure she actually goes to bed?" Isaac asked.

"She knows not to lie to me. She'll go." Yuui answered.

Isaac thought to himself for a moment and then shrugged, deciding not to question it. They continued on with their game and headed off to bed at a late hour.

Rena lay beside her husband, running her fingers lightly over his injured shoulder. She knew that they would be on the road in a few days and she was fine with that, but she wondered what she would do when they got back to Clow.

"What are you thinking about?" Syaoron asked.

"I was just thinking about what life will be like when we get back-I'll probably help Sakura chase down Dimitri or something." She half laughed.

He chuckled a little at her comment, and sighed. "Well, there is another option for us." He said softly. She looked at him quizzically. "If you'd like…we could go to Ainz."

She was so completely surprised that she couldn't speak. "Syaoron…"

He smiled. "We'll talk about it later."

Rena rested her head on his uninjured shoulder as she lost herself in thought. It was true that Sakura couldn't return to rule over the country herself as her place was now in Clow beside Syaoran, and she did miss Ainz. She missed the people, but she wondered how they would react when she returned. She decided to think about it later and shoved the thoughts aside, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

A couple of days passed. Sid was returning to his own country, and as they were getting ready in the morning and saying their goodbyes, Alexei approached Rena much to her surprise.

"I would like to apologise for my rude behaviour towards you when we first met; I realise now that if it weren't for your methods of training then most of our men may not be alive." Alexei said.

Rena was taken aback for a moment. She quickly gathered herself and smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate your apology, but it really isn't necessary."

"Well, I feel that it is. I hope we meet again under better circumstances." Alexei said.

"I would like that, and I'm sure my husband would too." Rena smiled.

He nodded and turned to leave, heading back over to his fellow soldiers. Rena looked over at Syaoran and Sakura to see Sid just finishing their final conversation, and they parted.

She watched as Sid called to move out, and he and his remaining men immediately began to head home towards Virylyn. She sighed and headed inside with the others as they too also had a lot of packing and preparation to do for their return to Clow. She looked down at her feet for a moment, wondering what she should do, and then wondered off down the hall in search of something to complete.

Rena sat with Sakura to assist her in finishing packing for the return home, and Sakura could tell that there was something on her sister's mind. Worried that it was because she couldn't assist due to having to feed her son, she apologised.

"I'm sorry…I have to feed Dimitri so I'm afraid I'm not much help right now." Sakura apologised.

Rena looked at her with confusion. "I don't have a problem with that, Sakura. He's your top priority now. Why would you say that?" Rena asked as she packed her sisters clothes.

"I thought you were upset with me. You had that look on your face." Sakura murmured.

Rena laughed. "I'm not upset with you! It's just that…I've been thinking about something is all."

"What have you been thinking about?" Sakura asked.

"Syaoron suggested… that he and I go and see to Ainz." Rena murmured, sitting down. "It would require a lot of rebuilding, and until homes and such are rebuilt, the people will have to be rehomed. That won't be hard…there's plenty of space in the churches and at the castle…" Rena said.

"You sound…unsure of yourself." Sakura said.

"I'm afraid of how the people will react. I'm sure they'll be angry that we haven't contacted them…" Rena said.

"Actually, I have." Sakura said.

Rena looked at her with shock and surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You weren't well and I didn't want to burden you, so I sent a letter explaining the situation at hand. I received a reply from a man name Andre, saying that they eagerly await our safe return."

"And you believe this to be the truth?" Rena asked quietly.

"I asked Syaoran, and he said he thinks it's the truth. Though the only way to find out for certain is to actually go there." Sakura replied.

"I see." Rena murmured.

Sakura finished feeding Dimitri and fixed her dress, tying her navy blue sash back into place, and then she placed him on the bed while she helped her sister pack.

Syaoran sat with his brother outside on one of the logs which hadn't been burned; the sun was warm and the breeze was gentle, the sky clear of clouds. Birds chirped in the distance as they sat in silence.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Syaoran finally asked.

"Rena and I have been talking…" Syaoron murmured.

"What about?"

"We were talking about going to Ainz." Syaoron replied.

Syaoran stayed quiet for a moment. "I see. You mean for good, don't you?"

"Yes."

Syaoran smiled. "That might be good for the two of you. Rena will be back home and among her people again."

"Yes, you're right. I had hoped that perhaps she might find more comfort back in her own country than she does in Clow." Syaoron said.

"She may, but that depends on how the people receive her. Sakura's been in contact with them and told them about the situation, and the people have said that they eagerly await their return. But to what extent is that true? You'd have to see with your own eyes." Syaoran replied calmly.

"That's what I was worried about. We'll have made our decision by the time we get back to Clow; I'll let you know."

"Good. I should go help Sakura; if there's anything else you need to speak with me about, you know where to find me." He said, and he left to head back inside.

Syaoron sighed and looked up at the sky, lost in thought as he watched an eagle circle high above.