A Blossoming Flower (Falling Petals)

Tragic First Love.

Sakura stared at the boy who was sitting down like a proper and noble child with a serious posture. His hair the same shade of green like his father and his eyes holding the pure and distinct Jade green with the blue that matches his mother's peacock blue. His skin was of paler complexion, definitely a trait he got from his mother.

The eye shape round and will long and thick eyelashes. His lip and nose desplay his own father's, like a copy and paste of a younger childish version.

However he didn't have the usual smile his father Gabriel has, but a straight line and a serious appearance that doesn't reveal a hint of warmth.

When Sakura saw this boy, she can only remember the tears and agony the game Sakura went through when she found out the man she fell in love at first sight, her fiancè tell her he fell in love with her half sister the moment he laid eyes on her.

The amount of begging and pleading she done for him to reconsider, to give her a chance tossed and disregarded just because he believed in his heart , ended up breaking hers.

***

"What?"

What left her lips at that moment was a shakey and low whisper.

Her hazel eyes mixed with a light silver looked like glass marbles with the black rims and the iris seemingly darken to indicate her state of mind.

The man before her was holding Rose's waist and held her protectively, as is expecting Sakura to try and harm her in anyway.

"I don't see why you are surprised at the situation Sakura. I cannot marry a person who uses her position of power to harm her own sister just because of jealousy."

Adonis looked in Sakura with pure disdain and shame, as if he was disappointed in her.

"Adonis. I do not understand what you are saying?"

Sakura shakes her head in pure disbelief.

"You are condemning me for something I did not do! You are breaking our engagement of 10 years just because of rumors!"

"You can still lie to me!?"

He raised his voice which caused Sakura to flinch. This was the first time he has ever risen his voice against her.

"People have seen you speak to Rose as if she was below you. They have seen you glare at her and slap her in the back of the school building. There is even witnesses who has seen you speak to others to try and cause harm to her! How can you let your simplemindedness almost harm the one person who can save us from the corruption just because of your childish insecurities against her!?"

"!!! How can you say those things... I told you my feelings of insecurity and fear because I trust you, not for you to use it against me."

Sakura was shaking, her hands clenching her palm and seem to dig deep into her flesh.

"I let you see my weaknesses because I believed you were my companion, my soulmate! I would have thought you would side with me rather than against me knowing how I feel!!"

"Do not try to change the subject Sakura! Don't make it seem that you are the victim while you were in fact the perpetrator. You think I wouldn't piece together the hidden truth and understand that you have motive to harming Rose? You think I would hide it to protect you while you are trying to hurt an innocent person."

He shakes his head in disbelief and narrows his eyes in distaste, which cause Sakura to feel like someone has stabbed her in the chest and turn the knife so it can wound her even more.

"I never told you those things so you will see me as the victim.... I told you those things because I trusted you to be there and to listen to my worries, I have never seen my emotional pain as use to gain your pity, but because I but my whole heart in believing you I-"

"Sakura!"

He raised his voice and cut her off in continuing.

"Is that the only thing you care about right now? Are you trying to waste time and avoid the main thing right now!? What you want to tell me just sound like excuses and you trying to avoid your punishment from trying to lay a hand on Rose!"

"Wait Adonis, maybe the things you heard were wrong, I don't believe my sister would do those things to me."

He held Rose close to him, and looked down at her in pity because she started to cry.

"It is because you are pure and naive that you can't see the bad in people, but do not worry, I'll make sure that all the injustice you suffered will be heard and the person who tried to hurt you is punished, even if she is trying to cover her wrongdoings."

He turns to Sakura and glares at her, she takes a step back and shakes her head, her rosy lips opening and closing, but no words are said.

"Sakura, I want you to confess your crimes and receive your punishment for them, but if you still try to deny it, then I would go to the emperor and tell him everything."

Sakura winced at hearing he would say all this to her father. She knew that her father held her half sister in a special place in his heart, he treated Rose more as a daughter than he has ever done so for Sakura. To her it seemed as if Rose was the one he raised since infancy, rather than Sakura.

She didn't know if her father would look deeper into the situation or believe that she actually done any of those things she was being accused of.

Sakura snaps out of her thoughts when she sees Adonis turn with her sister to leave the room they were in.

"No!"

Sakura runs to him and grabs his arm before he leaves. He quickly shakes it off which in turn caused Sakura to sense another knife pierce her heart, but she tried to ignore it.

He turns his head to her, waiting for her to speak quickly, if not, he would just walk away and not stop to turn to her again. And the thought of that scared Sakura that she quickly spoke.

"Please Adonis! I do not know what you have heard, but those things that were told to you were exaggerations. I won't lie that I warned her of her actions, but I did so because she represents the royal family. Her every move and words will be judged! so I advised her to not do things that a noble would not do! And I did call to her to speak behind the school, but I never once slapped her or tried to physically harm her! And I have never once asked others to harm her. I swear to you Adonis. I swear in the name of my mother! And you know I hold her close to my heart and would never lie in her name."

Her eyes redden as if close to tears, her hazel gold-ish and silver eyes grew hazy. She reaches out to hold his arm again, but was stopped by hands grabbing her wrist.

He let go of Rose's waist and held both of Sakura's wrists, his whold body was turn to her and he was looking straight into her eyes.

Sakura felt a blooming of hope rise inside of her and her mouth shakingly turn to a smile.

"Adonis yo-"

"I never had expected you would lie to me using your mother's name. You have lost all my respect and I hold nothing but repulsion for you. You have changed and I can't even tell who you are anymore. I tried to believe that you would take responsibility because you are a person who wouldn't try to hide their faults. But like everyone has said, you are a cold and selfish person. I should have not wasted my time in trying to convince you to confess."

His eyes held only a coldness as if seeing a thing that deserves his loathing. Sakura felt her legs go limp and she falls to her knees while he let's her go. She looked as is she was progressing what he said just now. A single tear falls, and then another follows. Her beautiful and bright eyes grew dim with pain. She heard him take a step away and a feeling of horror entered her very soul. She quickly grabs his leg and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please! please believe me Adonis!! I'm begging you to believe me and not the words of others. At least believe in me for all the time we known each other, for all the years we were engaged!!! I would never lie to you. Believe me please!"

Her voice was shaking and she took gulps of air through her crying, her beautiful and shining platinum blond hair stick to her tear stained face which almost made it appear like cracks in her pale porcelain skin. Her hands clenched his pants as if holding her lifeline.

"Please believe that I would never lie to you Adonis, for I love you with all my heart and soul. That I would never ever in my life lie to you. I'm begging you not to leave me. Please at least use an ounce of something you must have felt for me for our years of being beside each other to believe me. Do not leave me like this, please..."

She looked him in the eyes and saw hesitation enter his eyes. She believed that he was finally listening to her, only for it to shatter again when Rose reached out and gently grabbed his arm, snapping him out of what he was thinking.

He didn't speak to her and sharply moved his leg away, causing Sakura to fall forward to the floor.

"Its no use to act pitiful. What we had was just a promise between our parents, I have never once had strong feeling like love for you. You were just my fiance my parents decided on."

He turn to look at Rose and looked at her in a warm and adoring gaze.

"The one who actually made me understand what love is was Rose, and I cannot forgive you for trying to hurt her just because of envy and those superficial feelings you have. I will speak with his majesty, and you will receive the punishment you deserve for your crimes."

He didn't look back to her again and left the room with Rose once again in his arms and shut the door with strength causing the floor to shake from the impact.

The only noise that was heard in the room was the wailing and weeping of a girl who hope and love shatter in a million pieces when the man she fell in love with all her heart at the first meeting never grew to love her. That he would believe the word of others who slander her just because they knew it had something to do against Rose that people would believe them.

Her hands clenched to her chest as if to hold her broken heart. Her agonizing wails spreading everywhere without a care if anyone hears.

"Aaaaahhhh!! Uhhh whaahhh!"

No other words left her lips but those. The only thing she can hear are her cries and a voice that wants to ripp apart the pieces of her shattered heart.

"See? I told you he was in love with her. You and I knew when we saw him first lay eyes on that girl."

Sakura shakes her head as if doing so will shake those thoughts away.

"You knew. You saw the way he looked at her and knew, because the way he gazed at Rose was the way you have always gazed at him."

It felt that that voice was a small devil whispering in her ear, trying to break her. She hiccups and sniffles but feels like the tears still wouldn't stop. 

"She took him away from you, just like she took your father away, your childhood friends away!"

'Stop.... please stop.'

Sakura couldn't speak or say anything with her cries and can only beg in her mind. She lays in the floor and cocoons herself while holding her knees. But the voice won't stop. It whispered more thing than ever, as if taking advantage of her moment of weakness.

It only stopped when someone else entered the room. The person hurried to her side and lifts her in a sitting position. Sakura was in a daze and couldn't hear his calls, only after a while longer passed did she finally hear him.

"Sakura!"

She slowly looks up and sees an older man, his clear ice blue eyes look into her, worry and pain can be seen in those eyes.

"Ra.. phael...."

Only a low and fain voice left her lips.

"My dear princess. Do not be sad anymore, please don't be sad anymore."

He gently rests her head in his chest and she can feel his shaking palm.

"No one believes me... everyone is against me.... I have no one."

Her eyes let out tears and she clenches her teeth as if not to allow another pitiful sound to leave them.

"No! Your not alone. Ple-"

"Shut up!"

She slams her fist in his chest, trying to make him let her go, but he doesn't and he let's her vent her feelings out.

"You aren't your highness. You have me, I'll always be beside you. I will never leave your side."

He hugs her and gently pats her head. Her tears flow but she stopped slamming her hands on him and holds his clothes.

"You promise?"

Her voice hiccuping again. It was a bit muffled because her face is hidden away in his shoulder.

"I promise- no, I swear in my life. That I will always be with you, even if the world condemns you or turns against you, I will always be there beside you, I will never leave you alone or side with anyone else."

He felt tears slide down his face when he felt her tears damp his shirt, her shoulders shaking while holding him as if he was that last thing she had in this world. 

He was in the throne room a while ago and heard Adonis telling Mihkael of what Sakura did to Rose. But he didn't believe it, he knew Rose wasn't such a child to do those things. 

Regardless of that fact, he didn't understand how everyone there did believe she would do those things. How easily they turn away from her. He knew she must be crying alone so he went to look for her. Only to find her in such a frail state.

'I won't ever let her believe she is alone, even if everyone else believe those lies, I will always be beside her, always like I have been when she was a child.'

The scene slowly darken with only Sakura and Raphael in the middle of the room, and a low chuckle that sounded in the shadows.

***

"Sakura!"

Sakura turns to see Uriel looking at her in distress, he seem to be wiping something that's in her face. Confused she raises her hand and felt her cheeks damp. Then she felt an internal pain in her chest.

'Ah.... I started to feel Sakura's pain again. It really hurts.'

She was in a dazed state and didn't think about stopping the tears, she just feels so much pain that her face grimaced and she let out a small cry.

"Uhh."

She clenched her chest and shut her eyes with the tears still flowing from them. Azrael was panicking and didn't know what to do, so he as well use his own fingers to wipe her tears.

However, feeling the warm hand trying to gently wipe her tears made her cry even more.

"Uhh- waahhh!"

She held her chest tighter and cried. Gabriel and Ariel quickly got to her side, while Seraph had a maid take the children and Hedwig to a different room.

"What's happening?! Why is she crying in such a way?"

Seraph quickly reached them and saw how her crying went to hysterical sobbing with her hiccuping and breathing hard.

"I-I-It hurts. I- Ith hurts so muthch!"

Through the sobs she let out a sorrowful and pitiful voice, which caused them to panic and feel helpless from watching her in such a state.

"Where does it hurt? Sakura dear, where does it hurt?"

Uriel tries to soothe her and reaches out to try and take her from Azrael, but she shakes her head with so much force that it scared everyone that she might snap her neck.

Gabriel and Seraph notices she is clenching her chest.

"Sakura, does your chest hurt? Did something happen?"

The only answer Gabriel received was her cries and gasps for breaths.

"Please Sakura, tell us what's wrong so we can help you. Please."

Hearing Uriel's pleading voice reminds her of how she pleaded and begged Adonis to believe her, how she begged while holding his leg in such a pathetic state.

"Ahhh!!"

She let's out a yell of suffering and opens her eyes to looks around her, as if looking for something to save her.

"Sakura, what are you looking for, we want to help, so tell us."

Seraph walks toward her and looks her in the eyes, he can see that she was staring at him, bit he felt that she was looking at someone else. His eyes widen when she reached out to him.

"Uncle Ser~"

Her childish voice and feeble weeping reached his ears and he felt a stinging pain in his own chest. He gently took her from Azrael and felt a sense of daja-vu when she wrapped her hands around his neck. 

"Ra-"

"Hm?"

"I wanth Raphael."

Sakura spoke through the tears and looked at Seraph with pleading eyes.

Everyone else looked at her and at each other. Seraph glances at them and to Gabriel, he doing a slight tilt of the head to signal him to leave with him. He does a slight nod back and leaves the room with Seraph following behind holding Sakura.

"Her attachment to Raphael doesn't seem just that of a child to a parent."

Ariel was the first to speak while looking at their backs. Uriel doesn't say anything but seems to agree with him.

"I worry that something much bigger that what we think must be happening to her. I wonder when she will be able to let us in and protect her from the fears she has."

Uriel goes to hug Azrael and can feel himself tearing up from the pain of seeing Sakura cry in such an agonizing and heart-rending way.