Why?

Finishing up the tear jerking scene. Sakura quickly covered her face with her childish hands, but not even half of it was covered.

She can hear her grandmother's soft giggles and feel her hold on her grew tighter.

"Oh~! Aren't you just adorable!! I just wanna eat you up!" Her grandmother just holds her close and rubs their face together while gushing over Sakura. Causing Sakura to whine in embarrassment.

"Grandma no~ I'llth have makeup in my faceth~"

"Hahaha, who said I'm wearing any, the only makeup I have on is lipstick."

'... freaking pretty people...'

Sakura lightly cursed at natural beauties, forgetting that now, she is one too.

"I believe her highness wants to eat some of the snacks, your majesty."

Ariel lightly chuckles while seeing the scene, but noticed that the table was finally filled. He reminded the previous empress and lightly glanced at the maids when he said it.

She understood right away what he meant and got in to a more serious bearing. She sits straight in her chair, but held Sakura so she was now in her lap.

"We will call when needing any assistance. You all may go and finish any other assignments you have."

The maids bow a thank you and quickly exited the area they were in.

The only ones are Ariel and Azrael; Sakura and her grandparents. And maybe a few hidden guards.

'They were the previous rulers of this empire, I bet they would have a few hidden ones.'

She thought of that and looked around, as if she might catch a glimpse or something if she did so.

"What may you be looking for Sakura?" Her grandmother giggles a bit and lightly pats her while seeing her grandchild strange antics.

"Nothing grandma, just wondering ifth there's any strawberry shortcake."

Sakura cutely looks up at her grandmother and smiles at her with the innocent of a child.

While her grandmother hugs and pampers Sakura. Her grandfather grabs a small slice of shortcake and places it in front of her with a small spoon, however, seeing that she was still being smothered by his wife, he lightly takes a scoop of the cake and brings it to Sakura's mouth.

Sakura stares at the piece then at her grandfather, wondering if this man is actually trying to feed her. But seeing how he is just staring back at her, with the spoonful of shortcake still in his hand.

Sakura slowly inches closer to the spoon and opens her mouth, and eats it, while chewing, she can't believe she actually was spoon fed by Hector Eternity! Well now it's back to Serenity, but still!!

'This man here thwarted a coup d'état from his brother, and then single handedly created the strategy of the battle, went on to battle as a general and ran on the frontlines, creating little to no loss to his army and people. It was magical, amazing!! It was one of my most favorite scenes in the flashback scene in the game when the heroine was learning of recent history of the empire.'

Sakura was still in a state of a daze when she looked at this man going for a second spoonful of shortcake, and readying it to feed her again.

'He was one of my favorites, especially when he came back to battle the corruption when it began its rise and created havoc once again. It was such a pity when he died...'

Sakura gazed at her grandfather's eyes and she squinted in pain when she recalled one of her favorite characters death.

"WE WILL NOT FALL!! LET US MOVE ON!!" The low yet majestic sound of his voice rang through the battle ground. He stood straight and burned down the enemy that stood in his way. His men shouted in response, all moving forward to intercept any beast from approaching their leader.

Hector stood strong, the scorching head filling the air around him. He never once thought that a battle this grand would ever have occurred again, he wished that something like this never happen in his grandchildren generation.

Yet here he stands, fighting in this war against beast created in the shadow of their world, accumulating in numbers to once again wreak havoc in their homes. He looked on to the place he wants to reach, his eyes blazing and staring straight at one person.

The girls hair fluttered through the wind, the golden silver glitter with each movement, her hands raised to her sides, each side a portal big enough for a carriage to go through, and she was keeping it open to allow even more of those creatures to enter the fight, not allowing a moment for rest for Hector's men.

His eyes burned the image of his grandchild painful eyes, they were consumed by the corruption that her beautiful eyes were just pitch black, nothing by darkness, yet he feel like he can see her fighting to get control again, yet failing because it was stronger than her.

He wonders for how long she must have faught alone? How long was it infesting itself in her mind for it to finally gain control of her. He should have noticed, he stayed by their side after the coming of age and her sisters appeared, he should have noticed her internal struggles, yet he did not... no one noticed, not until the moment her mind broke.

'But don't worry, soon I'll take you home. Soon you will be safe and cherished like you were supposed to have been. My poor child, grandfather will soon save you.'

His eyes burn with a resolution to save his grandchild, even if it may lead him to meet his end.

"SAKUURRAAAA!!!" He roared in the top of his lung, creating a grand wall of fire. His men knew what he was going to do, and quickly moved out of the path, he released the flames in front of him, and the howls and screeches of those creatures filled the air, and just seconds later they burned to ashes.

The soldiers quickly blocked the creatures way so that their leader can run the straight path to their princess. She stood there and slowly clutched her hands, causing the portals to disappear.

She watches the man run and reach out to her, but there was no expression to be seen in her face, only the dark orbs that are now her eyes. Yet inside, there was an internal struggle for power.

Nooo! Don't come any closer, please!!! No more, don't do anything to him!

Hahahahahahaha!!! Give up already, you can't do anything but look, see how I end this old fools life!!!

A small smile bloomed in Sakura's lips, just when Hector was inches away from grabbing her, the hope surging inside him.

But a piercing pain extinguish it the next second, with the flow of his blood, that hope disappeared.

He looked down, and saw a sword pierce right through him, he glanced behind and saw a man smile devilish at him, the man's whole hair and eyes pitch black, as if a shadow was there and not a human being, and behind that man, was a portal Sakura created so the man can take the chance to stab Hector.

His men yell and tried to charge forward, only to be barricaded by the horde of monsters that appeared with the young man that stabbed their leader. He swiftly pulled out the sword and slowly and gently cleaned it.

Hector ignored the pain and took a few more steps and hugged Sakura, his voice in a low whisper, that it was hard to hear in this chaotic situation, yet Sakura was able to hear it clearly and loudly.

"It... isn't your.... fault. I'm...... Sorry, I-!" He started to cough and guff for air.

"I-I'm sorry.... I.... co..dn't tak.... you... ho-" he couldn't finish his sentence, and started to slip, only to be held strongly by Sakura, one of her eyes lost the pure darkness and held her original eyes.

Yet the corruption was slowly consuming it again, yet she used the bit of time of control to create a different portal, while glaring at the man who appeared.

"I won't allow you to use his body to parade in the battlefield, I'll never allow you to shame any of them how you shame me!"

She let's go of her grandfather and pushes him through the portal, she felt another part of her die, and knew that the corruption will take advantage of it. It already is.

It's your fault he is dead, you killed your own grandfather!! Hahahahahaha!!!!

She wanted to scream for it to shut up, but knew nothing will stop this guilt that is eating her up, she didn't even have Raphael to help her because he was sent to interfere with her father. She sent her grandfather there, because she knew that they would take him straight home.

"....I'm sorry..." she whispered those last words to him and closed that portal. She looked up at the gray sky and screamed her pain, her voice filled with her pain and anger, the shriek filled the battlefield, and even reached the other area that Raphael and co. were.

"Sakura!?" Raphael looked away in panic and heard the scream, wondering it anything happened, the others looked where he stared at and then noticed a portal appear beside Raphael.

A body slips out of it, landing on Raphaels arms.

Everyone felt the surrounding turn cold, for they knew who that man was, it was Hector, Mihkael's father. Raphael gasped and steadied the body, and looked at Mihkael.

"Mihk...." it's been so long since he used that nickname, but the shock of holding Mihkael father's corpse left him in a daze. He didn't even move when Mihkael and co. Ran to him, taking the body to see how grave the wound was.

"Mihkael move!! I'll heal him!!" Uriel quickly went beside them, he pours healing magic to the body, hoping, praying that he wasn't dead, just badly injured. He kept pouring it, even when Azrael tries to pull him away.

"No! He can't be dead, he isn't dead!! Please.... don't be dead."

Tears poured from Uriels eyes, everyone there felt his suffering because this man, was like a father figure, or even a second father for them all.

Azrael tightly held Uriel, covering his face from looking at Hector. Mihkael was carrying his father, his shoulders shaking, and his eyes covered by the shadow of his hair. Raphael quickly turned to where Sakura is and shakes his head.

"No... no, no, no, no!!!" He quickly moves, heading to the area she was in.

"Raphael, Stop!!" Ariel grabs his wrist to stop him.

"Stop this madness and help us get her, why are you standing beside her, allowing such things to happen!!"

He yelled and tighten his grip. Trying to get his friend to come back and help them get her back.

"I can't!!! If I do that then to her it would seem as if I'm abandoning her!! I can't allow myself to cause her that type of feeling, she already feels like she has no one by her side, I, who stood with her till the end, is keeping her from fully loosing her soul. So I would never leave her side, even if history writes me as a traitor of this continent, of this world!! I will stay beside her."

He yelled what he felt and threw shards of ice at Ariel, causing him to jump away.

The group stare at their cool headed friends, they see tears slide down his eyes, pain filled his eyes when he looks at them.

"I can feel her pain, I bet at this moment, the corruption is trying to break her further, by blaming her for her grandfather's death, I have to stand by her side and assure her it isn't, I will be that voice that speaks for her good and no one else's."

He grimace in pain, and let's out a small smile.

"I can never leave her side, she was the child I raised and watch grow, yet I didn't notice once the pain she was going through. This is my punishment. Feeling my heart being eaten by the inside each time I watch her fight on is my punishment, so I will never leave her side, the only way is in my deathbed."

They can see and hear the resolution in his voice, and watch him turn and use a teleportation stone, created by Sakura so he will always teleport by her side.

"Raphael!!!" Before he can enter throughly, he turns and catches a stone thrown at him, and looks at Mihkael.

"Let's work together. I won't allow you to take the full blame, I as her father should have noticed. Let us both save her."

Mihkael tightens his grip on his father and looked in Raphael's eyes, the same resolution filled his eyes. Raphael took the stone and turned and left through the portal.

Only to witness the heartwrenching sight of Sakura weeping, yet laughing.

Her hair was a mess from her pulling on it, her eyes pitch black, yet weeping a frightening sight of blood, her veins a ghastly sight, that pops out from her pale and sickly skin.

Her mouth letting out a crazed laughter, while the tears still streamed out. Those around were frightened by the sight. They felt her pain but didn't have the time to go and help.

The soldiers and knights fighting were at a disadvantage, yet because the portal she created was closed, they didn't suffer from an onslaught. But they were in a mess because they just lost their commander. They were in defense against the creatures.

Until they heard an amplified voice of their emperor.

"Leave! We are retreating! All men and women fall back!"

With just that they retreated with the barrier mages blocking any blows from behind, reaching out of the corruptions scope. Sakura was fighting internally with the corruption, even more fiercely, which caused internal damage, to her body and soul.

She went in a coughing fit and her lips were died red and black with blood, and the corruption infecting her body. Seeing this sight, Raphael could only cry and he held her in his arms.

"It's not your fault, keep fighting it Sakura, I know you can win. Just a bit more, please!"

He whispered that and held her tight, as if trying to cover her from the danger of this world.

"Hahahaha! She lost long ago, I don't understand why she still bothers? There is no return for her, she is too far gone."

The man who stabbed Hector was still there, watching with a smile in his face while taking this scene in.

"I still can't understand why you haven't given up on her yet? Look at everyone else, they gave up, they don't want her, shes much better with us."

"Shut up!! All you say is lies, they haven't given up, stop filling her mind with such things!"

Raphael growled those words out and glared at the man, he hated this man, for he always found ways to stab at Sakura with his words, making her loose a bit of herself each time.

"Haha!! Fine, fine~ let's go. Or what? Are you planning to take her back? You know the moment you do, I will end her life, before you can take her to get purified."

The man smirked and opened a portal, stepping in first, as if knowing Raphael will follow along. And he was right.

Raphael was shaking in shame and anger, but knew the man would do it, he wouldn't think twice about it. With a snap of a finger, have the corruption break her body and kill her.

He stood up shakily and carried Sakura with him, he knew he had to act, and he needed to act fast.

Remember the game and how very detailed it was in the story. She noticed how strange it was.

'This was a romance game, yet why was it so detailed in parts that had nothing to do with the romance? Why did it express so much of the supposedly side characters? Why were we shown the struggles of Sakura? Wasn't she the supposedly villainess of the game? Why.... why haven't I found it so strange when I played it?'

Sakura felt something strange was with this game. She found that it had more in depth than any other romance game she ever played, then she noticed something else that sent shivers down her spine.

'I remembered something my friend told me once.... in one of the capture targets route, the three options she was given each time she interacted with the villainess, were completely different from the options I had.... why haven't I ever questioned that!?'

She felt a coldness enter the depth of her soul. She didn't understand why she never once questioned that when her friend told her that.... no, rather that question it, they changed the topic as if they forgot about it even when they were just talking about it that instance.

'This game...... is it really just a normal romance game?'

Those were Sakura thoughts when she looked at the people around her.

"Are they really just fictional character created by a game company? Or is there something else that I haven't noticed yet?'