disclamation: need I say it this time, too? I own nothing except this fanfiction.

The scene cuts into the cliffs which border the tiny kingdom's shores, and the narrator starts to speak once again.

Miyako 'Yolei' Inoue: Sora's one and only great comfort were the letters that her father would send her from his travels. The weeks away lengthened to months, but every day would bring his thoughts from some distant part of the world.

Lawrence: Miss Sora, it's the mail. It's come.

Miyako 'Yolei' Inoue: Until late one afternoon…

Sora hears a knock at the front door, so she opens it to see…

Sora Takenouchi: Farmer Katsuya?

Farmer Katsuya brought his hat down.

Farmer Katsuya: Miss Sora, it's your father, miss. He took ill on the road. He's passed on, miss. He's gone. In the end, he spoke only of you, miss, and of your mother, Toshiko. I was asked to give you this, Miss Sora.

Farmer Katsuya holds out a branch to Sora, and she knows that it is technically what she asked for from her father precisely, but since he is not with it, she cannot enjoy the gift.

Leilani is worried about how Sora might just be taking this news, while Jun is more worried about their gifts that he promised them.

Jun Motomiya: But, what about my parasols? And the silk you wanted so badly, Leilani?

Leilani Motomiya: What about how Sora is taking this news, Jun?

Sakura Motomiya: Can't you two imbeciles see that none of that matters anymore? We're ruined, is what the whole family is now that Haruhiko's dead. How will we ever even be capable of going on with our lives?

Leilani Motomiya: Sora's still in our lives. We still have her.

But Sakura and Jun take this as an idea instead of a consolation like Leilani has intended.

Sakura Motomiya: How brilliant of you, Leilani.

Jun Motomiya: Yeah, sis, for once.

Leilani Motomiya: Thank you, Jun, mother.

It suddenly dawns on Leilani that she has given her mother and sister the wrong kind of idea.

Leilani Motomiya: Wait a minute, you two. What did you mean when you called me brilliant, mother?

Sakura Motomiya: Oh, it's quite simple, dear Leilani. Sora can take over for the servants who are unable to stay, and there probably won't be many servants who can afford to stay here, either.

Leilani hears her mother's words loud and clear and suddenly realizes what she has accidentally set her stepsister up for. She tries her hardest to fix it…

Leilani Motomiya: OK, mother, that isn't really what I meant when I said that Sora was still a part of our lives.

Sakura Motomiya: It doesn't matter what you meant by it. I always wanted this place to become ours instead of hers, anyway.

Jun Motomiya: Let's run our stepsister ragged, Leilani. You and me.

Leilani can hear them perfectly, but Sora is far too busy drowning in her grief to hear what her stepfamily is saying. She tries to reason with them.

Leilani Motomiya: Don't you think that it might be a bit wrong to use Sora and take advantage of her kindness towards us? I mean, I like how kind she is even to all of us, don't get me wrong. I just think it's a tad bit wrong to use her like that.

Sakura and Jun, however, do not want to show any mercy towards Sora for her troubles, unlike Leilani.

Jun Motomiya: And yet, you still find yourself helping us run Sora ragged every single day up to now.

Sakura Motomiya: Since you're the only one who's so concerned about her, though, dearest Leilani, you will be the one who's responsible for her whenever she's ill or injured.

Meanwhile back at the door, Sora has finally thanked Farmer Katsuya for the branch Haruhiko had originally promised her for he, himself, to come back with.

Sora Takenouchi: Thank you, Farmer Katsuya. This must've been very hard for you.

Farmer Katsuya: I'm terribly sorry, Miss Sora. I wish you luck.

Back inside the house, Leilani is very worried about how things will ever stand to be the same as before. Luckily for Leilani, she is not alone in hearing exactly what Sakura and Jun have in mind for poor Sora.