Sakura started to dread the next few days, she knew what was coming. Once her father heard of her switching sides, he was going to come see her face to face and find out once and for all what was going on.  She just hoped that none of the warriors would be around to witness it. Her father wouldn't care where they were as long as he got to find out what had possessed her to disobey his orders. And if the ronins ever found out that she was Talpa's daughter, well she didn't want to think of it. The encounter came sooner than she had thought.  It was mid afternoon, when she went down to a stream in the middle of the forest when she heard her name being called.  She turned around to find herself face to face with the floating head that was her father.  Sakura groaned inwardly. This wasn't going to be good.

"You want to tell me what kind of game you're playing, Sakura!" her father demanded loudly.

"I'm not playing anything." Sakura answered calmly, standing up. "I told Anubis to tell you, I'm not working for you anymore."

Talpa's red eyes flashed dangerously. "How dare you betray me?" he asked coldly. "Your own father. You can't do this to me."

"Just because I'm your daughter doesn't mean that I can't make decisions for myself, and I choose to fight against you." Sakura replied hotly. "You've lied to me my entire life; you said you wanted to make the world a better place.  How can you expect me to want to obey you when all you tell me are lies!"

"How do you know that Ancient isn't lying to you also?" Talpa asked smugly.

Sakura thought about it for a minute, he had a point. If the truth be told she didn't know if he was or wasn't. "Well, maybe he is." She said slowly. "But, both his story and yours clash, that means, one of you is lying, and I just have to choose the side that I feel is right." She finished.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, Sage and Cye had come looking for her when she hadn't returned in a while. Ryo had asked them too, and they were joking about it the entire way to the stream.

"I think someone has a crush." Sage said in reference to Ryo.

"Like that isn't obvious." Cye replied with a laugh.

"I bet he is still pacing in that circle." Cye added with he looked up and his face paled.

"What?" Sage asked as he turned his head to look at what Cye had seen. "Talpa."

 Cye moved forward and prepared to jump in and help Sakura, but Sage held him back.

"Look," he said to Cye. "They're arguing. Let's see what this is all about."

Cye nodded his agreement and the two hid behind a tree close enough to hear them. Sakura and Talpa, so involved with their dispute had no idea they were being listened to.

"You are my daughter!" Talpa said fiercely, hoping to guilt her into coming home with him.

"Yes, I am." Sakura replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"So you are going to do what I told you to. Find out the secret to the Ronin warriors, and come home and tell me.  Then we will defeat them once and for all." Sakura looked away, her trying to keep her face calm.

"I have waited for this for too long!" Talpa said moving closer to her. "And I won't have my planed ruined just because my daughter wants to prove that she can do something on her own!"

Cye and Sage looked at each other with hardened faces, they had heard enough.  The two quickly hurried away to tell the others, missing the rest of the conversation. 

"I am not trying to prove anything!" She said her fists clenching. "But I refuse to tell you anything. I won't help you hurt them." Talpa stared at her for a moment. Taking in her crossed arms and angry features. He had lost this battle, for now. But he had seen the two warriors run off, and knew what their reaction would be. They would turn on her and she would have no choice but to come home. All he had to do was play his part, and she would be back.

"Then you will die with them as well." Talpa hissed and quickly vanished from sight.

Sakura covered her face with her hands and sank to her knees, filled with sorrow.  She had just betrayed her own father, and the fact that he had lied to her or not still didn't cover the fact that he was her dad, and she still loved him. She always would.  She knew it was the right thing to do, but why did it have to hurt so much.  Kero came over to her and licked her cheek. She smiled sadly at him,

"Thanks, Kero," she said, "I needed that." She gave him a quick hug around his neck.

She sat there for a while, burying her face in his fur, Kero purring in her ear. She leaned back and wiped a tear from her eye.  Standing up she turned to head back to camp. "Come on, let's head back."

Once Sakura got there she was greeted by glares and stony looks. 'Oh, no,'  Her gaze flitted from look to look, not seeing a single friendly face. She gulped inwardly and addressed them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Don't even speak to us you traitor." Kento said to her. Sakura knew that was coming but she took a step back anyway.

"We heard you talking to Talpa." Sage said. "Your father sent you to find out information on us to kill us all."

"No, it's not like that." Sakura said trying to catch Ryo's eye, who was avoiding her gaze and interested in a bird sitting on a branch.

"Do you deny that you were sent here to help Talpa get information on us?" Cye questioned, trying to give her a chance.

"It may have started out like that." Sakura admitted. "But everything is different now, I realize that Talpa…"

"You mean your father?" Rowen spat, angry at her trickery.

"Yes, he is my father, but I'm not working for him anymore.  I haven't been for a long time.  Please you guys have to believe me." Sakura pleaded.

She looked around the group. Kento, Sage, Cye, and Rowen had their arms crossed and was glaring at her. Mia and Yulie weren't sure whether or not to believe her.  White Blaze and Kero were locked in a deadly stare and were growling at one another, and Ryo, sweet dependable Ryo, her closest friend, the man she had come to count on wasn't even willing to look at her.  She ran to him forcing him to look at her. She placed a gently hand on his cheek and Ryo felt a flash of remembrance; like he had felt this before.
"Ryo," she said her golden eyes pleading with his. "You have to believe me; I would never betray you or any of the others."

Ryo fought within himself.  He desperately wanted to hold her and tell her that he believed her, to tell her that he didn't care that she was Talpa's daughter, to tell her how he felt about her, to tell the others that he didn't care what they heard, she was his best friend and would never do that to him. But he couldn't.

"Why should we believe you?" he asked softly. "You betrayed your own father, what's to stop you from betraying us?"

Sakura's eyes widened with hurt and welled up with tears; she slowly backed away from Ryo, turned, and ran.