AN: And so it ends. I was stressing out about this chapter a lot but I think it came together in the end. Shout out to Rapis-Razuri for being an angel by being my beta. I'm 85% sure I drove you up a wall haha.

Enjoy.

Even after Christmas, the multicolored lights and yards of tinsel still shimmer and sparkle as they decorate houses that are miles away. At one time, Leo thought them to be beautiful and wondrous, and would find himself gazing at them for a while. When he'd gotten older, he's allow himself to spare a glance every now and again.

This year, however, he isn't feeling the holiday spirit. Not after his dream of Sakura's death.

She texts him often – sending him messages like "I hope you're having a good time with your family," and "I miss you." A few times, she's even sent cute pictures of her wearing a Santa hat or in a shop, holding a mug with some witty joke she thinks he'll like. But no matter how adorable she is, Leo can't bring himself to say anything more than "Thanks, you too," while he avoids telling her that he misses her too.

It's hard for him to decide if he really does miss her when the dream from a few nights ago still gets him so heated. She is the last person Leo wants to talk to, both because of how upset he is with her and because he doesn't want to yell and fight with her. Instead, he takes out his frustrations on his brother – though not on purpose.

All the negativity and suppressed anger seems to be exerted as soon as he sets foot in Xander's house the day after Christmas, as he carelessly tosses the gift that Camilla has so carefully wrapped for him to his brother. Xander catches it with ease, but confusion shows across his features as his eyes dart from Leo to the gift, and then back to Leo.

"Merry late Christmas or whatever," he grumbles as he shoves his hands back into his pockets.

"Uh, thank you?" Xander says, uncertain. He sets the gift on top of a nearby table. "Though, I could do without that attitude of yours."

"Funny," Leo shoots back with a fake smile. "I could've done without the time where you withheld important information from me, but here we are."

Xander's gaze hardens the same time as Leo's does. If Xander didn't spend the holidays over at his in-law's house, Leo most likely would have confronted him about his most recent dream then. Maybe this is for the better. The last thing Leo needs is to have their family overhear him becoming genuinely upset over something that sounds like fiction.

"Leo, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Xander said, patience already wearing thin. "Care to enlighten me?"

His lips curl upwards, almost into a scowl before he says, "'Oh, the Hoshidans – they've lost their princess!' 'Oh, it's best if you let things happen naturally!' Is that enlightening enough for you?"

Xander pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh of exasperation. "Ah, so this is what the attitude is all about. Leo–" he begins, but is unable to finish.

"Don't treat this like this is some silly little temper tantrum, Xander, because it's not," he warns. "I asked you if she was okay, and you told me nothing. You could have at least told me that she didn't survive very long after the war or something!"

"No, I couldn't have told you that," says Xander.

"And why not?"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I shouldn't be the one speaking of things that Sakura purposely didn't tell you?" he asks. "It's not my business to disclose, it's hers. So, if you're angry, why don't you try talking to her?"

Leo lets out a sigh, running a hand through his blond hair. "Because I don't want to talk to her right now. I'm going to say something I don't mean, and it'll be worse than the ridiculous name flub situation." And he'll be damned if he screws up his relationship with Sakura all because he can't keep his cool.

"So, taking it out on me is the next best thing, is it?" Xander asks.

Leo's eyes widen in shock for a moment. "Xander, I'm not taking out on you… or, I wasn't trying to. Ugh, I'm sorry. It's just so infuriating to be continuously left out of the loop." Sakura and Xander know everything while Leo still struggles to understand and sometimes even accept his past life. It's all unfair – to go his entire life without sickening dreams of war and bloodshed, only to be told that those nightmares are a reality in some twisted past life.

"It's alright," says Xander. "I understand how frustrating it must be. The dreams happened out of nowhere for you, and we kept you in the dark for a while. I'm sorry about that." He pauses. "Remember when I said I'd try to explain everything to you as best as I can? I might not be able to tell you anything about Sakura, but if you ask about anything else, I can try."

He folds his arms, trying to think of one of the many questions he's had in the span of over a year. "About father," he begins, voice quiet. "Can you tell me what happened to him? All I got from those dreams was he was a monster the whole time, and that's it."

"I don't even know all the facts, but I'll tell you everything I know," says Xander. His explanation doesn't answer each question Leo has, but that's okay. His questions don't stop at the topic of their father, however. Leo asks about the purpose of the war, if he knew about the disappearance of Odin and Laslow afterwards, and even about Corrin and Azura.

Corrin and Azura are an even bigger mystery in this life than in their past life. Xander thought to search for the two of them, but gave up on it. If they're content in their lives right now, then he has no reason to interfere. Leo can't help but wonder if the two of them are closer than they think.

Sakura is a smart woman.

She's usually on top of her school work, and always has these brilliant ideas that Leo never gets tired of hearing. She's able to read people's emotions properly and overlooks nothing, taking every detail into consideration. It should have come as no surprise when she calls him one night, and asks if everything between them is okay, because she feels as though Leo has been a little distant lately.

But of course, she ends her statement with, "Or, maybe I'm just overthinking things… I-I'm really sorry if that's the case." Ever so doubtful even when she's in the right, as usual.

"You're not wrong," Leo speaks after a long pause. "I had one of those… dreams recently. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone after I had it."

"Oh, Leo…" she starts, her voice filled with anxiousness now replaced with warmth. "I'll always be here to talk about them with you. You don't have to face them alone."

"You've said this to me before, but sometimes I have to wonder if you're actually sure about that." When she expresses her confusion, Leo continues. "Why didn't you tell me that they happened to find you face down at the shallow end of some river?"

Leo can hear Sakura gasp on the other end of the line. "W-Was that where I ended up…?"

He can't tell if she's asking him or herself. "Do you not remember what happened to you?"

"I… I don't remember hitting water," she says, "b-but I remember falling." This was getting ridiculous. Was she pushed? Kidnapped and tossed away? Those scenarios seem so unlikely when she died in her own kingdom, where the people should have worshiped the very ground she walked on. When he takes a sharp intake of air, Sakura shakily asks, "Are you mad at me?"

"I won't lie to you. I am."

She sniffles. "A-Are you going to break up with me?"

"No," he answers quickly. "Of course not, Sakura. Why would you even ask me that?" One of the reasons he's been so distant is to avoid a big argument and a possibly messy break up. After all they've been through, simply walking away from her wasn't an option for Leo.

"I… b-because it sounded like that was where things were headed," she spoke. "I-I didn't think that you'd start getting dreams after the war was over…"

"So you thought you hide your death from me forever, is what you're saying," he speaks, his tone dull.

"N-No, that's not true!" she squeaks. "I just… I d-don't like thinking about it. I'm sorry."

Leo takes a deep breath in, then exhales. "No, it's fine. I'm not expecting an apology from you. I – I'm more upset about the fact that it happened, and I feel that way because I care about you, Sakura. I just want to know what happened to you."

"Can we… um, c-can we talk about it another time? I-I think this might be easier to talk about i-in person."

But he can't wait until classes start up again just to talk to her. It'll take too long. "Then I'll come see you in a few days, and we'll talk about it then."

"You're coming to see me?" Sakura asks, astonished. "A-As in, you're coming over to my house?"

Where else would he be going? "Yes. It shouldn't be a problem, should it? Unless I'm not allowed over because your brother still has it out for me."

He can hear shuffling, and then in a whisper, she spoke, "M-My family doesn't know that I have a boyfriend yet s-so… you know… a-and Shirasagi takes forever to get to. You'd waste half a day getting here…"

"Sakura, you're going to be 19 this April. I'm sure your family can handle a guy coming over to see you – you're old enough," says Leo. "And listen, driving out to come see you isn't a waste. It's important. You're important. So, unless you actually mind, I'm going to see you."

"Leo…" The way she says his name is so sweet. "Okay. I'll be waiting for you. O-Oh, and Leo?"

"Yes?"

"I miss you…"

There's something about the way she says it that makes him feel warm inside. "I miss you too." And when he says it, he means it.

It's officially the new year when Leo sets out to visit Sakura's hometown, and the change in weather is so drastic upon his arrival. Snow covered the sidewalks and rooftops near his home. Elise even jokes that he'll have to shovel his way out of the door if he wants to go anywhere today. Snow is breathtaking when looking at it, but a terrible inconvenience when you need to get somewhere, Leo concludes.

In Shirasagi, the snow barely dusts the streets. The sun melts away the ice that has been here since the last snowfall, and everything is slushy and brown. Not the prettiest sight to behold, but it makes driving easier. Once, during his second year of college, Leo and Niles had taken a day trip here because Niles insisted on having authentic Hoshidan food.

The day trip ended up turning into a weird weekend in which the two got a little too drunk and were forced to share a motel room together. It's something Niles brings up once in a blue moon that Leo would rather not talk about. Instead, Leo wants to make new memories here, and taking Sakura out for a date after making up with her sounds like it'd be a wonderful memory.

When he reaches the front door of her house, his nerves start to set in. He's so focused on getting to talk to Sakura that he didn't think about who would be opening the door. If her family is as protective of her as that brother of hers is, Leo prays that it isn't her father he runs into. He rings the doorbell, and recites what he'll say to her father should he open the door.

Of course, he can't call himself Sakura's boyfriend, especially when she hasn't mentioned having one. Then again, what if after their conversation a few days ago, Sakura did tell her family about him? It'll make him look like a jerk if he refers to himself as her friend. While he spends time with his arms folded, thinking of a plan, the door opens suddenly, and it almost startles him.

He's met with inquiring brown eyes and a head of unkempt, red hair. It's strange. His mind automatically calls her the queen of Hoshido, but that isn't right. Hinoka, he remembers the name as it fell from Sakura's lips with warmth. Her name is Hinoka. The silence between them isn't long before she furrows her brow and says, "Look, our computer works just fine, we just switched cable companies, both my parents have health insurance, and we really don't wanna buy whatever you're selling."

"What?" Leo asks, dumbfounded. He shakes his head. "No, no. I'm not here to sell you anything. My name's Leo, and I'm a friend of Sakura's… is she home?"

"Oh!" she cries with a look of surprise on her face. "Sorry about that! We just get so many sales people around here so I'm sorry for assuming. Uh, Sakura huh?" Her eyes narrow at him. "…Give me a sec to go get her."

When the front door closes, Leo lets out a small sigh. He hadn't been expecting Hinoka of all people to answer the door, but this is probably one of the better scenarios. He shuddered to think what would happen if Takumi was the one to open the door and cause a fuss. It wasn't long before Sakura rushed out of the door, almost knocking into him.

"Leo! Why didn't you call and tell me you were here?" She sounds a bit panicked, but Leo isn't sure why.

"I called you three times already. You didn't pick up," he says.

Sakura digs into her coat pocket and pulls out her phone, eyes widening in surprise when she looks at the screen. "O-Oh… you really did call me. I'm sorry! I knew you were coming and I was all over the place. Um, w-we're not going to stay here and talk, are we?"

"No, why would we?" he asks. "If it's okay with you, let's just get in the car and go–"

"Okay!" Sakura cries as she walks past him. "Hinoka is watching from the upstairs window, so we have to leave right now." Leo starts to look up towards the window, only for Sakura to say, "No! Don't look at her. Pretend like I never told you anything and let's at least just get in the car."

"…Alright then," he says before following her to his car. Once they're inside, Leo turns to look at his girlfriend as she breathes a sigh of relief. "So, it's safe to assume you didn't tell your family about me."

She gasps. "N-No, they know who you are. They just don't know that we're a couple. M-My sister was questioning me about you when she came back in, about why you came all the way out here just to see me and all, a-and she wasn't buying the whole 'he's a really good friend who drove hours just to come hang out with me' thing, s-so I ran…"

A low chuckle escapes him. "You're terrible under pressure."

"I know…" she says meekly as the two of them drive off. Once they're a good distance away from her home, Sakura looks over at him as she fidgets with her fingers. "Um, so… where did you want to go?"

"You're the one who lives here," says Leo. "You tell me."

"We agreed to talk today so someplace quiet would be nice…" she says. "Oh, there's a park not too far from where we are now. We can go there and take a walk."

He nods, and lets Sakura guide him to the park. She tells him about how pretty it is during the spring, when the flowers are all in bloom, and reluctantly asks him to visit during spring break if he can. He agrees in a heartbeat. Leo has only seen pictures of the city during the spring time, and has always wanted to experience those annual spring festivals.

Now, he can experience them with her.

After Leo finds a suitable parking spot, the two of them walk hand in hand into the park. The paths are cleared, making them easier to walk on, but there are still patches of snow and ice in the soil. The shrubs, or what's left of them, barely look alive. Leo takes his eyes off of them to look at Sakura, who watches the path ahead of her. He squeezes her hand gently, and when he has her attention, he asks, "Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip. "I… I don't know where to start."

"Tell me why it happened."

"Okay," she breathes. "A-After the war, I really missed my brothers. I was s-so miserable. Hinoka was queen, and with the aftermath of the war, she was so busy. W-We rarely had time to talk and I felt so lonely. I'm… not sure what happened to me. Over the course of a few months, I couldn't motivate myself to get out of bed or eat properly, no matter how many times my retainers begged me to. I just… existed."

As she speaks, Leo feels a tightness in his chest, and it isn't a good feeling. Her pain, her sorrow; it sounds to him that they smothered her each day. He watches her wrack her brain to find an adequate word for what she's felt, but he knows exactly what it is. Then there is a sudden feeling of guilt, because he had an indirect part in the heartache she's been through.

Sakura continues, "I-I spent most of my time alone, crying about my brothers and about my mother. And then one night I… I snuck out of my bedroom and I took a walk around the outside of the castle. Th-There was this cliff side I came across but I couldn't see what was below it. I thought about it… wh-what it would be like if I fell…"

"And then you jumped," Leo finished, almost bitterly.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Sakura cried. "…I mean… I-I did mean to but… as soon as my feet left the ground, I regretted it."

Slowly, Leo asks, "And why is that?"

"I… Hinoka," is all she manages to say before getting choked up. Leo gives her hand a comforting squeeze, and she belatedly returns it. "I was stupid. I l-left my sister all alone. I knew she was sad over Ryoma and Takumi's death a-and I still… I gave her another life to mourn over. I'm a t-terrible sister."

"You don't really think that your sister resents you for that, do you?"

She shrugs. "M-Maybe not anymore, b-but that's only because she doesn't remember anything…"

"Sakura, even if Hinoka did remember, she could never be mad at you for it. You're her sister." He pauses. "What if the shoe were on the other foot? Don't tell me you'd start hating your sister just because she went into depression committed suicide, because I know you wouldn't."

She lets out a small, shaky sigh. "Of course I wouldn't, b-but… Hinoka's so much stronger than I am. E-Even in the face of weakness, she'd never–"

"You don't know that for sure," Leo says, gaze hardened. "You of all people should know how easy it is to fall into despair, and how easy it is to act on dark thoughts that hound you every day. You're strong… you still remember all the trauma you went through in that past life so clearly, and you've kept it to yourself for so long. I would have never thought you'd do something like that but… it happens."

His arms reach out to pull her into an embrace, and she immediately wraps her arms around him, resting the side of her face on his chest. "She wasn't angry with you. I'm not angry with you."

After a moment of silence, Sakura speaks, "You know, I can't apologize to her about what happened but… I try to make up for it by trying harder for us to be closer. I-I don't know if I'm only acting this way because I feel guilty or because I really want to be closer to her but… I want her to know how much I love her."

"She knows you do, I'm sure," says Leo, ever so slightly tightening his embrace. "She did back then and she does now."

He can hear her let out a long exhale before she mumbles, "I-If you say so, then I'll believe you." There's a small pause between them, then she tentatively asks, "Um, s-speaking of siblings… h-how's Corrin?"

Leo removes himself from her, brow furrowing in confusion. "You mean… he's not with you?"

Now Sakura is stunned. "N-No… I thought he was with you… you know, b-because of how everything turned out in the past…"

"Other than in my dreams… the name doesn't mean anything to me." Leo can feel how much Prince Leon cares for Corrin but, in this life, Corrin is someone he's thought heavily about on occasion. Then, something dawns on him. "Wait, isn't he your brother? Why isn't he with you?"

"I… my mother, Queen Mikoto, wasn't my actual mother… but back then, I thought that we were at least related by father," she speaks. "B-But he's not here, a-and my birth mother is with me in this life… s-so m-maybe we weren't related… which makes all my crying about this whole thing just silly, huh?"

Leo is silent for a while. Then he cracks a smile, and he can't help the bout of laughter that escapes him. Sakura's eyes widen. "L-Leo? Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just," he takes a moment to catch his breath, "this person who was the staple in our lives in another life… he's not even a part of our lives now. And here we are, wondering if he's okay in the other person's family." Honestly, it was causing them undue stress.

Sakura blinks. Soon, her face scrunches up, as if she's trying not to smile, but she fails. "This life is so… strange. But, I'm glad that I'm a part of it." Her smile falters. "Do you think we'll get to meet him in this life? O-Or maybe even another one?"

"I don't doubt it," he says. "Why? Do you want to see him again?"

"I… I do," she nods. "If he remembered everything that happened to us then, I'd want to talk to him… b-but not about the past. I think that I've made my peace with him on that that now. If I could meet him in this life, I'd tell him that I'm a lot happier now, and I'd wish him the same happiness that I've been feeling."

Leo takes hold of hand, his fingers filling the spaces between hers as the two of them return to their walk around the park. "So, tell me. What's been making you happy?"

"Oh! Well, I've made some really great friends recently… and I think my family spoiled me with gifts this year…" her voice begins to trail off. "A-And I have a boyfriend who I was thinking of asking to take me to a sweets shop later on..."

Leo's lips curve into smirk. "You ask, but you know that I can't say no to you."

As he looks at the coy smile on her face, Leo thinks about how incredibly lucky the two of them are to be together in this life.