Falling petals

Release Them.

"Where is father and the uncles?"
 
Adonis turn toward the door when he noticed it has been a while since they have seen their father and the rest of the men.
 
Sapphire tried to hide her worries but when hearing her sons question she ended up spilling a bit of tea on the ground which was graceful and very unlike her.
 
"Mom? You ok? Did you burn yourself?"
 
Darius looked at his mother in concern and quickly walked beside her to check if her hand was burned or not.
 
"I am fine. Just seem a bit absentminded ohohohoho~"
 
"Make sure to watch yourself mother, a burn can do a lot of damage to delicate skin."
 
"Yes, your right Adonis, I'll be careful next time."
 
Sakura quietly watched from the side and already noticed many things since they arrived.
 
'Aunt Sapphire has been out of it for a while now. Her responses and conversation is dull and absentminded, contrary to her usual social skilled way she gained from years of social gatherings. And then there is Adaline who is still and quiet as a mouse. From the obvious odd behavior of the two, I can say that Uncle Gabriel wasn't in the best of health.'
 
With a calm mind, Sakura was able to notice many signs that Adonis should have noticed if he had thought in a more collected and focused manner. Yet it shows how he is still immature even if he is advanced in maturity and intelligence than his peers. The reason Sakura can think this far and interpret so much is because of passed Sakura years of life and of her own age that already matured to a young adult.
 
"Sakura...."
 
She turns toward the feeble and timid voice and makes eye contact with Adaline who spoke for the first time after showing up.
 
"..yeah?"
 
Sakura quickly noticed how Adaline didn't call her from that childish nickname that she gave her when they first met. But she didn't say anything and just waited to listen to what Adaline wanted to say.
 
"Do-do you know what happened?"
 
This vogue question confused the boys who was overhearing their conversation while Sapphire flinched and glanced at Sakura to see if she understood too.
 
Sakura kept her eyes to Adeline and there was just a moment of silence until she opened her small rosy red lips.
 
"I don't."
 
"H-huh?"
 
"I don't know what your talking about. What happened?"
 
"Oh.... uh, no-nothing happened."
 
"Oh ok."
 
With Sakura's blunt words and her disinterest to it was something Adaline didn't know what to do with.
 
Seeing how Sakura didn't ask for more information after being told nothing happened, Adaline now doesn't know how to bring it up again without seeming like she was forcing Sakura to speak again.
 
While watching Adaline and Sakura, Sapphire knew what Sakura did just now.
 
'She cut off any way of speaking about the topic in depth. Sakura doesn't want to know anymore or maybe she just doesn't want to even speak of it... now I feel like asking if she knows more than what she is letting on.'
 
"I'm tired."
 
"Sakura?"
 
"Excuse me for a moment, I'm tired from recent events and want to take a nap if possible."
 
".... that is fine. I'll have a guard take you to your room."
 
"Thank you Aunt Sapphire."
 
"Anytime Sakura. Make sure to rest well."
 
Sapphire didn't force Sakura to stay to speak anymore. She knew if even the others didn't want to tell her yet what happened, it is better to not force a child to.
 
'I'll just wait to hear from the others when I can.'
 
And with that, Sakura left the little tea party of sorts that they had and headed out with a guard.
 
Just as she was earshot’s away from the group, she stops and turns to the guard.
 
"Take me to visit sir Gabriel."
 
"Pardon me?"
 
"Take me to the room that Sir Gabriel and Madam Sapphire share. I wish to visit my uncle and my father."
 
"But how do you know if they-"
 
"Because they would always stick together when one of them is suffering.”
 
"H-huh?"
 
"Nothing. I remember father say they will discuss something in private, so they decided it over in the office of Sir Gabriel which is connected to his room, is it not so?"
 
"O-oh! I see. I apologize, I shall take you over then."
 
"Thank you."
 
Sakura walks in front and can hear the light steps of the guard who follows behind her. She could have gone alone but she thinks it's better to go along with a guard since it is true to worry about their surrounding.
 
'If I remember it well, one of the Stewart's are members of the occult group and was the husband of the maid who was killed in the forest. Heh, poor bastard didn't know his wife was sleeping with the leader and I bet the child she was expecting must have been told to be his. How pathetic, but soon I'll have him sent right beside her.'
 
Her eyes flashed with a chill when she plans to erase as much of the rats she can.
 
"We have arrived."
 
Without noticing, she arrived right in front of the door and looked at it.
 
'I wonder how he is now. And if my hypothesis is right. Then he may have gained a past memory.'
 
She knocks on the door and tries to listen for some noise but hears nothing, only of the door handle moving and opening. Looking up, she is facing one of the men in her life that means more than life to her.
 
'If it is true, then I wonder how much he would remember.... I wonder how long I can keep the prophecy farce until they all begin to remember bits and pieces only to understand how much their lives are just a game. A game that is being played by not me or the past me, but by the gods they worship and look up to.'
 
"Sakura?"
 
"Hello Raphael. Can I please come in."
*****
 
"Sakura?"
 
"Sakura!?"
 
The men who were just thinking of the one person that can have answers to all were surprised when they hear that that very person came on her own to visit them.
 
"Hello Raphael. Can I come in please."
 
"How-"
 
"It is best to talk about this with less ears around, don't you think?"
 
Ariel can see from the doors gap that she was smiling up at Raphael when she spoke, that's when he noticed the guard who may have been sent to watch over her just a feet away from her. Ariel glances at the smiling child when she spoke.
 
'She seems different from usual, but I can’t tell what it is.'
 
"Ah yes. Thank you for bringing her over, we will be here to watch over her so you may go."
 
"Understood."
 
The guard does a small bow of acknowledgement and turns. Sakura and Raphael watches as he leaves till his footsteps can't be heard, then Sakura enters the room only to feel intense gazes all around.
 
"Seeing as Raph is here. Then I was right to think papa is here too."
 
"Sakura..."
 
Listening to her the rest started to notice the same thing Ariel noticed. Her way of speaking changed, it held a hint of a different tone than the usual childish words of a kid. It held something more... knowledgeable, someone who sees more than what a child knows.
 
"Hello papa. I bet you all have something to ask, but I wish to speak of something else with you all. And I bet Uncle Seraph would like to hear whatever you guys are curious about to be discussed with him there as well. Don't you think?"
 
She still held a childlike smile, yet it didn't hold the emotions of a child, but of a calm minded person who wishes to make a deal.
 
"Sakura."
 
She turns toward Gabriel, who calls to her and she is obviously looking at his state.
 
"Did you see something?"
 
"!!!"
 
His widen eyes was all the answer she needed and her smile soon turn to a frown.
 
'So he did... then they all may see something sooner or later, or maybe some already have.'
 
Thinking that she glances at Mihkael and as well noticed his widen eyes.
 
"I won't ask anything more. Just that I have a more important thing to talk about."
 
"What is it?"
 
Mihkael can tell her change and can feel she knows more than she let's on, however he can wait till whatever she wants to speak about while having his smart Minister around to hear it.
 
"Release Kano and the rest who was sent with me and Adaline to the town."
 
"Sak-"
 
"You have to papa. How long would you keep innocent people locked up when you now know they aren't spies nor traitors. Please papa."
 
When pleading for a moment she return to a child who is pleading to her parents and wish for something.
 
"Haahh~ that's fine. I'll have Raphael send an order to release them. Would that be ok to you."
 
"Thank you papa!"
 
She runs to him and hugs him in joy to hear he will let Kano and the rest go.
 
'Kano is someone who is bound to me on an oath, he is someone who can't betray me or else he will betray his honor and to a sacred oath even those bastard gods believe in.'
 
"Raphael."
 
"Yes Mihkael"
 
"Have the men freed."
 
"Oh! And make sure to bring Kano with you after you release them Raph! He is my personal knight after all."
 
"Haha, understood my dear princess."
 
They can only smile at her innocent mind. At that moment both Mihkael and Raphael are thinking of ways how to get Kano to accept in performing a ceremonial acceptance of being her personal knight, without knowing that he has done an oath of devotion to her.

"Thank you!"
 
The men watched the strange atmosphere that Sakura gave off turn back to how a child would act. Without knowing it, they actually let out a breath of relief.
 
Raphael leaves to set the men free.
 
"How is Uncle Gabriel, Uncle Uriel?"
 
"Just a bit dehydrated, but all together  he is well. Right Gabriel?"
 
"Yes, I'm actually honored to have such care from our dear princess."
 
He smiles kindly to her and she smiles back to him.
 
"Of course I'll worry about you Uncle Gabriel. We're family, aren't we."
 
His smile turns to loving care as if looking at Adaline, he reaches out and lightly pats her head.
 
"That's right we are family."
 
"Hehe~"
 
She moves her head to his hand and smiles in joy at the pat.
 
'Yeah... I'm really am glad your ok Uncle Gabriel. Because I still owe you for that time.'
 
***
"Don't die! Please, please don't."
 
His emerald green eyes and the mix of the dark pink that gave him a feeling of blooming flowers are filled with tears as if rain falling in those planes of greenery and flowers.
 
He tries to use the little bit of magic he holds after fighting his way to her. He waits for his sworn brothers arrival and tries his best so she doesn't crystallize in a translucent glass like form, which would mean her end.
 
An old memory of years ago returns to haunt him while he sees her lay in his arms with a pool of her blood.
 
"Please!"
 
Sakura looks up at this man who is holding her while tears stream down his eyes. She recalls of a distant memory of his daughters death. What he must feel at this moment must be as if he is repeating the past of not being able to save his child.
 
A feeling of guilt forms in her heart, she more than anyone can understand the trauma he is growing through, after all, she lived this life too many times that she lost count. Each one giving her another trauma to take to the next life.
 
In this life she was finally able to gain her conscious and memories just a few moments ago. With that she decided she wouldn't allow it to kill Raphael like it was planning to and so she cut her throat while laughing at the bastard who enslaved her mind.
 
In this state she made sure to cut deep enough that the bone can be seen, she coated the blade in the poison that the bastard was planning to kill Raphael with and smiled while feeling his rage seer inside of her.
 
That was how Gabriel had found her. Smiling like a maniac while holding the dagger with her blood while losing so much of it each second that passes.
 
Her last moments in this life was thinking about his trauma and tears.
 
'I hope the next time living again, he doesn't end up having traumas of my death in his arms.'
***
'Now knowing that they can end up remember it. I feel even worse if he one day remembers that scene... I would feel guilt if they all remember the ways I died in front of each one.'
 
Those were her thoughts while seeing this man's warm smile toward her.