After Cheve, we actually go a while without running into any of the Hoshidan royals. What were they doing between Cheve and Izumo? And what became of Takumi and Sakura since the rebellion met its grisly end thanks to Hans?

When Sakura came around, her head still hurt. Be it from the headache or the surprise attacker, she couldn't tell. But she quickly realized she was back on the ship. She recognized that she was in the royal quarters, and could also faintly make out the image of Hana and Subaki standing nearby. Still a little tired, Sakura went back to sleep and dreamt of nothing.

The next time she woke, only Hana was there, but the samurai had noticed.

"Sakura, you're awake!"

Sakura sat up and realized that parts of her priestess gown have been removed, likely to make her more comfortable as she rested. She slowly blinked, still tired. "…What happened…?"

Hana's shock turned to bitterness. "It was awful. Those Nohrians completely wiped out the rebellion! Takumi barely made it out alive carrying you to safety. Lucky that Reina's Kinshi was there…" Then Hana began to choke up a little. "But… Reina herself… she didn't make it. Neither did Orochi…"

Sakura's grip on her blanket tightened as she turned her head down, glaring. Those demons… If I'd been stronger, I could've helped! The rebellion could be won! Reina and Orochi would still be here! But they're dead now, all because I can't beat Corrin! Why can't I do it?!

"O-oh are you saying a prayer for them? Can I join you, Sakura?"

Hana misunderstood why Sakura bowed her head. Come to think of it, she hadn't prayed to the Dawn Dragon since… since she left Hoshido, if her memory was correct. Seeing Hana this way infuriated Sakura, knowing that it was her fault Hana felt this pain. "We'll light some incense when we return home."

"All right…"

"I should be able to walk, right? I only got hit on the head…"

Hana raised her brow. "Oh, sure. Need any help with your robes?"

"… No thank you. I… I'd rather be alone…"

Hana bowed and left Sakura, as she got out of bed and changed into her priestess robes. Next time will be different. I won't hold back anymore! You have to be punished! Then you, and everyone else will see that I'm not a frail, helpless child!

Sakura learned that she, Takumi and all their forces were headed home. Between the incidents at Dia and Cheve, they were in no condition to keep going. Asking around, Sakura also discovered exactly how she and Takumi had escaped from Cheve…

Scarlet urged the Hoshidans to escape while they still could, while she would hold off the Nohrians to the best of her ability. Takumi found Sakura's unconscious body and struggled to carry her. His hip was badly wounded by an enemy soldier. Had it not been for Reina gifting Takumi her Kinshi and staying behind with Scarlet, they might not have made it out.

The healers already tried to fix Takumi's hip. He'd survive, but he would probably be limping from now on. If they had gotten to him sooner, maybe he could have made a full recovery. When Sakura paid a visit, Takumi was disinterested in speaking. Reina's Kinshi was similarly silent, as though they knew their old master would not return.

Sakura hung her head in shame. It's my fault that they're like this. If I wasn't such a burden on Takumi, he'd be able to walk properly, Reina would still be here, maybe Orochi too…

No one greeted Takumi and Sakura's procession when they returned.

It would seem things were falling apart for the royal family and their retainers. Ryoma had heard news of the incident in Cheve, and was working with Yukimura to devise Hoshido's next move. Since Notre Sagesse, Hinoka had thrown herself into her training, with even Azama beginning to fear for her health. More than once she'd had to be literally dragged away to eat and sleep. Then, as if Ryoma hadn't been through enough, Kagero was still missing, and Saizo took it upon himself to go find her.

In addition, Sakura learned that Kaze had not returned from Notre Sagesse. Now that I think about it, I thought I heard his voice in Cheve. Could Kaze have betrayed us too? She scoffed. I don't care. I think I'm numb to it by now. It's all Corrin's fault anyway. Yes… it's all his fault. No wait… it's my fault for being so helpless. But if Corrin hadn't betrayed us… "My head hurts…"

With nothing else happening and nothing to look forward to, Sakura, Takumi and their retainers tried to settle back into home life. But while Takumi took the time to recover, the young princess saw a golden opportunity.

Sakura joined Hinoka in training. She had passed shrine duties to another maiden, claiming she needed to protect Hoshido. The sisters didn't train together, of course, and Sakura was not nearly proficient with her yumi and rods as Hinoka was with a naginata. But still, the young princess would commit to training in the same way as her sister. Whenever she got tired, whenever she felt that she was about to faint, she would always motivate herself with her own mantra:

Make him hurt.

Weeks passed. In that time, Takumi had apparently bonded with Reina's Kinshi, and they began training together. Normally, Sakura would be happy to see her brother getting back out there, but she was too focused. Until she brought Corrin to his knees, she couldn't rest. Even Hana and Subaki were getting into it, intensifying their own training regimens.

Unfortunately, everyone's training was cut short when Ryoma called the family together in the throne room for an announcement. It had appeared Izana, the Archduke of Izumo, was throwing a banquet, and the Hoshidan royals were asked to attend. Of course we can't go! Our family is falling apart and there's word of Nohrians appearing in Mokushu, this is no time for a banquet!

"I think we should go," Ryoma declared. "Yukimura and I discussed it, and we think that if this dinner goes well, we may be able to work out an alliance with Izumo."

"Ryoma, that doesn't even make sense," Hinoka argued. Sakura felt as though Hinoka was saying what she herself wishes she could say. "They don't believe in fighting in Izumo!"

"I know that, but they can practice divination, and it is said that Archduke Izana has powerful magic. He also has a connection of sorts to the gods." The eldest brother folded his arms. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone like him on our side."

Hinoka gave up after that, sighing. "Very well. If you think this is a good idea, we'll go."

Sakura nearly scoffed out loud. It's not a good idea at all. The Nohrians have already crossed the sea! Who knows where they could be right now! They could attack Shirasagi while we're gone, and we wouldn't be able to stop them! "B-but what about the Nohrian invaders?"

Ryoma nodded. "We discussed the rumors of Nohrians in Mokushu. And while it is worrying, in light of Mokushu's allegiance to Nohr, we've received word that the daimyo has fallen."

"That guy was a real piece of work," Takumi said bitterly. "He'd fit right in with Nohr, there's no way they'd kill him. We're thinking it might be vigilantes disguised as Nohrians." He winced in pain as he began to limp over to a cushion nearby. More of these were placed around the castle, so Takumi could rest periodically. "Apparently Saizo hated that guy. I wonder if he knows…"

It was getting harder for Sakura not to be rude to her older family. Are you that foolish?! Nohrians only care about themselves, they would certainly attack Mokushu if it were convenient! What happened to you, Brother? You were right about everything before, but now you're changing your mind? Why? I finally understand why you hate Nohr, so why change your mind now?

Of course, they ended up departing for Izumo within a few days. It would be a much shorter trip than their journey to Nohr, but it still took away from Sakura's training. Since Izumo believed in nonviolence, Ryoma decided it would be good form to arrive unarmed, and without their retainers. Only a few guards. With every passing day, Sakura grew to resent Ryoma and his decisions.

Though he left Fujin Yumi back home, Takumi had seen fit to take the Kinshi with him. He and Hinoka kept themselves in the air, that they might get a better view of the road ahead, and of any potential danger. Whenever Sakura wasn't thinking about how much she'd rather be home, she had noticed that her two middle siblings were talking to each other more and more. They weren't this close before. I was always the one Takumi would talk to. I wonder what he thinks of me now. Does he know how strong I've become? Does Hinoka? Ryoma surely hasn't noticed. The way he frantically grasps at straws to think of ways to bring that cruel Corrin home. It's clear who your favorite is, Ryoma.

Sakura had heard of Ryoma's visit to Macarath. He thought he could bargain a Nohrian princess's life for Corrin's return. Sakura ground her teeth a little, thinking how selfish Corrin was. How selfish Ryoma was. They're perfect for each other, no wonder Ryoma wants him back so much. After everything Corrin has done to us, Ryoma still loves him. Your brother and sisters are hurting, Ryoma, but you're too obsessed with Corrin to see it!

When the family had met Archduke Izana, he certainly blew away their expectations. Instead of a serene and dignified sage, he was a loud, giggling man-child. Worst of all, his very presence brought back the throbbing in Sakura's head. Ever since Cheve, it had started to die down, but now it was back in full force.

They had not been in the palace long before Izana gathered Sakura and her siblings, wishing for them to meet some other guests of his: the Nohrian royal family themselves. Prince Xander, his sisters, and his brothers. Including Corrin.

"Corrin! What are you doing here?!" Hinoka cried.

Ryoma spoke next. "How… unexpected."

"You…" Takumi seemed as though he were making a threat.

Sakura had no comment. She refused to make eye contact. All she could do was curse herself for not bringing a weapon. She could attack Corrin right then and there, make him feel all the pain she had felt, if only she had brought her yumi along.

"H-hello, everyone…" Corrin greeted, meekly. Just then, the older Nohrian prince stuck his arm out.

"Stay back, Corrin. There's no telling what these dangerous people might try to do."

The young Hoshidan princess felt odd. Normally, she would be frightened by the mere sight of Prince Xander. But all she could feel was disgust. This man was set to rule Nohr, he'd been groomed to succeed King Garon. What horrible deeds had he done? How many families had he helped to destroy besides Sakura's own? As she allowed these thoughts to circulate, Sakura was vaguely aware that the two crown princes had begun to bicker like petulant children. It had even reached the point where Ryoma's Raijinto was going to clash with Prince Xander's own sword.

Ryoma tells us to leave our weapons at home, yet he brings his own. Why would he be so hypocritical? He must think lowly of all his siblings…

"No, no, no! Put those swords away this instant! Surely you wouldn't want to be responsible for breaking Izumo's neutrality pact, right? Riiiight?" Izana asked.

"Yeah," Takumi turned to Prince Xander with an air of smugness. "We're on his land right now! If you do anything to upset him, even your father won't be able to save you!"

"I don't like your tone," commented the youngest Nohrian prince, whose name escaped Sakura.

Xander put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It does not matter." He then turned to Izana. "I will respect your laws, Archduke. I too know the trials of being at the reigns of a realm." Though he spoke to Izana, Xander was clearly eying Ryoma, nearly begging him to react.

I had no idea the crown prince would be so catty. Is this the example he sets for his people? No wonder they're all either manipulative or barbaric. Or both. Izana stepped in and ordered Ryoma and the Nohrians to hand over their weapons, though he seemed more eager to have Ryoma's weapon removed than Xander's. After that, they were told to go their own ways and enjoy Izumo while dinner was being prepared.

Maybe if Sakura's headache wasn't acting up, she could have noticed how the palace had more Nohrian guards than Izumite guards. But Sakura was tired of seeing her life as a series of 'maybe ifs'. She was taken by surprise and thrown into an empty room with Hinoka and Takumi. Not long after, Ryoma was brought in as well.

"Ryoma, they got you too?" Hinoka asked.

"Those underhanded Nohrians!" cursed Takumi. "I should've known it was a trap!"

"D-do you think they're going to kill us now, or wait a while?"

"If I have anything to say about it, they're not going to kill us period," Ryoma told her. Sakura refrained from mentioning how they could have avoided this if Ryoma hadn't insisted they forego their weapons.

"Nohrian Scum!" Hinoka punched her palm. "When I get my hands on them, I'll… urrgh!" Hinoka slammed her fist on the wall. "Does Izana know about this?"

Ryoma stroked his chin. "He did appear to have authority over the Nohrian soldiers who'd abducted me. And we were planning on talking Izana into taking our side in the war. It's entirely possible the Nohrains got to him first."

"Oh c'mon, you're being silly!" Izana's unexpected rebuttal caught everyone off-guard, even Sakura. It looked as though he stepped from behind a barrel.

When the shock subsided, Takumi limped up to Izana, wincing in pain with each step. "Well if it isn't the liar and traitor himself! I thought Izumo was a neutral territory, what became of that?!"

The archduke waved his hands. "Whoa, whoa, calm down, man! You must be mistaking my doppelganger for me!" Sakura wondered if he really expected them to believe that tripe. Ryoma then asked the same thing, in as many words. Izana cleared his throat. "Well you see, I sent out invites to the Nohrians, because nobody likes to be left out! But then instead of King Garon or any of his family, I just got some shrimpy guy named… Zora or whatever. He seemed harmless enough, but then he had his bodyguards tie me up and shove me in here!"

"So you have no idea that the royal family of Nohr is here right now?" Takumi interrogated.

"Ooh, they are? Well hopefully they can talk some sense into their little henchman!"

"Hmph!" Hinoka crossed her arms. "As though they would. They're probably giving him a promotion right now!"

"Now, now, I'm sure it'll all work out," Izana tried to reassure the siblings, but to little effect. "Ooh, I know! How about I read everyone's fortunes to pass the time? It'll be a total spoiler party, teeheeheeheehee!"

That did it.

"Shut up!" cried Sakura.

Everyone turned to her in shock, including Izana himself. The pink-haired girl began to feel nervous, but it was too late to turn back. "Y-you heard me! Th-this is your fault! If you were more… more attentive, this wouldn't be happening!" She then directed her anger at Ryoma. "A-and you told us to leave our weapons behind! We wouldn't be captured so easily if we still had them! And why did you bring yours anyway?! W-we're all going to die, and we can't even-"

"Sakura, it'll be okay!" Hinoka tried to put a hand on her sister's shoulder, but she lurched away, her eyes beginning to water.

"No it won't!"

Izana was staring at a crystal ball. "Actually it will! We'll all make it out of here with our lives!"

Sakura was not finished, though. "W-well even if we do, what then?! We'll be lucky to leave Izumo and make it home before the Nohrians can find us again! And that doesn't change how Prince Xander and Corrin and all of Nohr will be on our doorstep before we know it!"

No one had anything to say to that. With knowledge of an impending invasion weighing on their minds, it replaced the fear of execution at the hands of Izana's lookalike. Thus the room fell silent. For a time, the four siblings would languish in silence, Sakura still nursing her headache. Even Izana seemed quieter than before, even if he still made futile attempts at small talk.

After an ambiguous amount of time, Sakura had no way of keeping track, she and all the others heard the sounds of a struggle in the hall. Shortly afterward, a large silhouette broke through the sliding doors. A giant, furry beast with strong arms and giant teeth had broken into their cell!

All the royal siblings tensed up, Hinoka even winced. "So this is how it ends?! They get a Wolfskin to do the job for them?!"

Ryoma narrowed his gaze. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Ooh, a Wolfssegner! I never thought I'd see one, least of all in my own home!" Izana commented. The beast scanned the room.

"You guys are the Hoshido royals, right? Well you're free to go. Zola, uh, changed his mind. Yeah, that's it. Now get out of here before I get hungry!"

Ryoma's stern glare remained. "…Very well. But know this: you might have saved us, but we won't forget what your country has done, Nohrian."

Izana stood up and got between Ryoma and the Wolfssegner. "Wait, wait, wait!" He turned to the wolf. "So that rude party crasher and his friends are disposed of?"

"Pretty much."

"Well… No sense in letting a perfectly good feast go to waste!"

Sakura was sure she was not alone in finding the current situation severely outrageous. Her family and Corrin's family were forced to sit together with Izana during their banquet.

"Phew! I almost thought I was toast, but now I get to celebrate with a toast! Get it?"

"Oh Izana, you're such a card!" the youngest Nohrian princess said, inanely laughing at one of Izana's jokes after another. "Most people can't say they get to meet two of the same guy in one day!"

Sakura kept picking at her food, pretending not to be disgusted. She's so childish. Are we really the same age?

"I'm… glad you guys are safe," Corrin told the Hoshidans. Sakura had to keep looking at her food, so Corrin couldn't see her decidedly uncivil expression. Here he was, just like in Dia, thinking he had any hope of getting into their good graces, despite leaving them in the dust of their mother's death. "Are you well, Ryoma?"

"You shouldn't get to speak to Ryoma like that, traitor." Takumi had no reservations about glaring, unlike his sister. In her head, she thanked him for saying what she wished she could say.

The youngest Nohrian prince decided to speak. "I'm sorry, but didn't Corrin, as well as the rest of us, just save your lives? Show a little respect where it's due."

"Y-you're not welcome…" Sakura said under her breath, purely out of spite. Nobody heard.

"Well you learn something new every day. Apparently even Nohrians have standards." Takumi accused. But then his mood changed to reluctant concession. "But I suppose we are still alive because of you... Don't think that means we'll do you any favors, though!"

"Or maybe they just killed off one of their own so th-they could look better, and catch us in an even worse trap," Sakura mumbled. Once again, nobody heard her. She tried taking a drink to calm herself.

The eldest Hoshidan princess nodded. "Yeah, don't go looking for thanks just because you killed one of your underlings. You should've had him under control!"

Ryoma tapped his glass with a utensil. "All right, that's enough." He cleared his throat. "Prince Xander, we are thankful that you and yours managed to free us from that mage's trap. I would like to think we would have done the same, if our situations were reversed." Sakura nearly spit out her drink. "And since rescue would be the natural course of action, I see no point in further gratitude."

"That suits us fine," said Prince Xander. "Zola was a traitor to the values and honor Nohr holds dear."

Sakura really did spit her drink that time. It didn't hit anybody, but it did earn her more than a few angry and bemused stares from the Nohrians. She quietly growled and looked to the side. "I'm… sorry."

"Wow, even I wouldn't do that!" commented the younger Nohrian princess. "I'm clearly the less embarrassing younger sister, huh Corrin?"

"Elise, please don't." Corrin's voice carried a tone of fatigue.

"B-but she's my rival, Corrin! What if she tries to win you over again?"

Sakura's fists were shaking under the table. She was close to tears, her breathing was out of sorts. You can relax, because I don't want him back! Not after all he did! You're such a spoiled brat! You and your smug brothers and sister can take Corrin and jump in the Bottomless Canyon for all I care! You… you… you-

"Are you okay, Sakura?" She knew that voice. Azura was there too. Sakura wondered how she hadn't noticed until that point. The songstress seemed to have a sympathetic look in her eyes. "You look troubled."

"I… I… No." Sakura could tell Azura wasn't convinced, but thankfully she didn't press the matter further.

The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence, if one could ignore Izana and Elise's chattering. Not long after, Ryoma apparently caught Izana alone and told him that he and his siblings had to leave, because Sakura noticed how she and the others were quickly leaving Izumo.

"And what happened to persuading Izana to join our cause?" Hinoka asked, not without some sense of superiority.

"Izana is a fool, and we're better off without him. Now, we must hurry back and warn everybody of the Nohrians. Hinoka, can your Pegasus carry me as well as you?"

"Yeah." She turned to Takumi. "Hey, can you give Sakura a lift?"

"I should be able to," Takumi answered plainly. Ryoma nodded.

"Good. We'll need as much of a head start as we can get."

It was inevitable. The Nohrians would attempt to invade Hoshido, and Ryoma needed to work out a plan. Sakura could sense that her brothers and sister were nervous. But not her.

This will be my chance. Once and for all...

To be continued.