Ever since the snow began melting, Sakura watched the trees in forlorn, wondering when the buds that had been appearing one by one would finally open. Just this morning, her face broke into a girlish delight when she saw the first blossoms of the year. She would have to wait a bit longer for the peak bloom where most of the flowers are open and the festivals, but for now this is enough.

Of course, a few days later, the petals will fall like a flurry of pink snow, leaving only the leaves in place.

Not a day passes when Sakura doesn't miss her siblings and mother. She couldn't protect them, so she keeps the dolls modeled after her brothers and Azura in a safe place in her room. She wants to remember their faces, what they looked like and the possibility that she may forget one day, lost in years' worth of memories, frightens her. The dolls of Corrin and Hinoka she also keeps in a good condition, but the one of herself has sustained quite a bit of wear and tear in the past year. She's only started making an effort to restore it.

A year ago, the future either scared her or it didn't exist. She had been lost and defeated, hanging onto the foolish hope that her family would save her somehow – a hope that was lost to her when she heard Takumi had thrown himself off the Great Wall of Suzanoh when he was defeated.

Of course no one wanted to save her, she had thought. Sixteen years was far too short of a life, but maybe Sakura had simply been destined for one. Her only regret was that she couldn't even die in a way that could mean something. Dying alone in a cell like this was a fitting end for a pathetic, powerless princess who couldn't even protect her own people.

In the end, she didn't. She was released with no strings attached when the war was over like every other prisoner of war taken by the Nohrian army. When that happened, Hana and Subaki had been waiting for her. Though Sakura wasted away, she was far too valuable to be harmed. Her retainers did not have the same protection. Hana had her lip split and her nose bloody while fresh bruises and cut marks littered across Subaki's face. All fresh wounds that should have been treated immediately, but they hadn't cared about such 'trivial' injuries.

Not when they saw Sakura.

Under their tearful smiles and undignified sobbing before Nohrian troops, Sakura felt ashamed for thinking no one would miss her if she was dead, that everyone was better off without something as useless and worthless as her weighing them down. She didn't know what the gods were thinking when they chose to spare her instead of her brothers. They had been strong and irreplaceable, both born to be the kind of kings that could make a difference in the world, but she was the one who was alive – and before her were two people who considered that a blessing.

Moved to tears by their love and devotion, love and devotion Sakura felt she didn't deserve after how badly she had failed them, she decided to try to live for their sakes if not for her own.

That was last year. Since then, Sakura had somehow managed to put herself back together with the help of the people around her, something she hadn't thought would be possible. Of course, she never once thought that anyone from Nohr, Azura and at one point in time, Corrin aside, would be able to impact her life in a good way either, let alone after such a war.

The blossoms on Leo's gift had withered and fallen not a week into the New Year when the magic sustaining them ran dry, but Sakura keeps the branch in an ikebana arrangement in her room. Between it and Hinoka's little hints, Sakura is fairly certain that Leo feels that same way about her as she does him. However, despite her sister's blessing, despite everything Leo has done for her, Sakura doesn't do anything about it. She continues with her duties, spending time with her sister and retainers or playing chess or shogi with Leo when they both have the time like nothing has changed.

A part of her is afraid that this was just a big elaborate joke. Maybe everything Leo has ever told her was a lie; honeyed words used to endear himself to a stupid little girl he did not care for, save for what she could give him. A chance at sitting on her sister's throne, perhaps – he wouldn't be the only one, Sakura is certain despite Hinoka's successful venture at keeping prospect suitors away from her – or maybe he thinks it would be amusing to see how far he could string her along before he got bored.

Afraid of getting hurt as much as she is convinced that no one besides her sister and her two closest friends could possibly love someone like her for simply her, Sakura never confronts Leo about the cherry blossoms while snow blankets the ground and when the trees are still bare. He returned to Nohr for a time soon after, something that she was grateful for despite missing his company. When he returned, she tries not to feel guilty when she occasionally sees the hints of impatience in his eyes, but instead carries on like their conversation at the temple never happened.

It was utterly selfish of her, but isn't that what Ryoma always thought? That a little bit of selfishness would do her much good? She feels awful for leaving Leo hanging like this. He doesn't deserve that, but she wants to be sure that this is a risk she wants to take. The first time she opened her heart to someone from Nohr, it hadn't ended well for her. She survived that though and now she knows what it is like to be betrayed by someone she trusted. She knows to be prepared. It cannot hurt worse a second time.

Today however, the cherry blossoms seem to have given her courage, keeping the doubts that plague her at bay. When Sakura finds Leo leaning over the railings overlooking the river that runs through the capital with his back to her, she smiles and walks towards him instead of away. Leo hears her footsteps on the wooden planks when she approaches, giving her a small smile when he turns to her. Her mouth curving into a smile of her own in response, Sakura takes the spot next to him at the top of the arched bridge.

The last time she had stood by him next to this river had been during the New Year's festival. Despite declining her invitation and explaining that, as Nohrians, he and Niles would just be intruding, Leo had nonetheless been drawn out by all the activity surrounding it. He had stayed at the fringes, mostly watching the festivities with a sort of guarded curiosity rather than participating in any activities himself, but accepted a skewer of dango when she offered it.

Hands fidgeting, Sakura doesn't look at Leo except in the water. In a few more days, petals from the cherry blossom trees that flanks both sides of the river will turn the entire river pink when they fall following their peak bloom, but the water is clear.

She doesn't spend a lot of time looking at her reflection, but she finds herself thinking of her brothers again as she often does, and how she held onto their clothes as she followed her family down the streets during the cherry blossom festivals. She cannot say they would have approved of Leo if they had lived, but she likes to think they would rather she live her life instead of staying in a stasis of grief.

Sakura is in the middle of thinking about ways to address the matter when she hears Leo say,

"I remember seeing these trees in full bloom when my siblings and I marched through Shirasagi last year." His voice is casual, but it is the topic puts Sakura on alert. The war isn't something they talked about on a whim and even then, they tended to side-step uncomfortable facts and avoided going into unnecessary detail.

"I didn't get to see them at all, even though I wanted to," Sakura replies, just as lightly. "What... what were they like then?"

He makes a contemplative sound and doesn't answer her question. Instead he asks, "Your name... It means 'cherry blossom' in the Hoshidan tongue, doesn't it?"

"Y-yes... it does." She fingers the hair ornament in her hair. Ryoma had given it to her when they parted ways, not knowing it would be the last time they would see each other. He asked her to remember the story of her name when she wore it. Sakura hadn't thought much about the significance of her name before her eldest brother had told her. She isn't the first princess or highborn lady to be named 'Sakura', she wouldn't be the last, but once she learned how she had been given such a name, it gave her a new appreciation for it. "B-but you knew that already, didn't you?" You wouldn't have given me that tree branch otherwise...

"Heh, I guess I did..." She sees Leo's fractured reflection turn towards her a moment before he continues, "You know how I feel for you."

Sakura sighs and nods.

"Had it been under any other circumstances, I would have been more direct," Leo admits, pulling back and straightening his posture, "But these circumstances are much more... delicate."

"They are," she agrees, "So... so thank you for being so c-considerate of me." Romantic attention is not something Sakura is used to, so it is not something she knows how to respond to. Had Leo approached her with an outright deceleration of love instead of a more subtle confession, Sakura would have thought it came entirely out of nowhere. Had she been put on the spot like that, Sakura could only imagine what sort of idiotic ramblings would have ended up coming out of her mouth.

Confiding in Hana and Subaki certainly helped. They had an outsider's perspective she could turn to and they had both, with varying degrees of grudging, agreed Leo's feelings for her are most likely genuine, but who could tell with Nohrians?

"I..." She swallows. She's had months to sort out her feelings for him and come to terms with his for her. She also knew she would have to get this over with sooner or later.

"A-are you s-sure you're okay with this?" she blurts out. "O-okay with s-someone m-me?"

He stares at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I..." Sakura licks her lips nervously. "I... I-I'm always g-going to be a princess of Hoshido first and foremost," she explains, "C-can you live with that? I-I'm Hinoka's only h-heir right now, s-so if something happened to her..."

"And I am first and foremost a prince of Nohr," Leo replies, "How is that any different?"

"U-um..."

"Second prince," he corrects, mostly to himself, "and currently third in line. I suppose that is a difference."

"I-I'm glad we c-can agree on th-that, at least..." She catches his eye and they each let out a small laugh.

"If you cannot return my feelings, I understand" Leo says, his eyes set and resolved. "The last thing I want to do is to hurt you more than I already have, but please... just give me some kind of answer."

"I-I want to trust you when you say that," Sakura admits, her head turned towards him, though not entirely as she tightens her folded hands. "B-but your brothers d-didn't really set a good precedent f-for that kind of thing..."

Even from the corner of her eyes, the annoyance is clear on his face. He opens his mouth and she expects that he is about to argue with her – she knows how he dislikes being compared to Xander and Corrin. How could she use that against him like that? – but he closes it before saying a word. Finally, he releases a long sigh, the ghost of a sardonic smile on his lips, "Can you at least trust me when I say I have never wanted to step out of my brothers' shadows more than I do now?"

"I-I d-don't mean to speak ill of them," she says, her eyes downcast. "Y-you and your brothers, th-that is... It... it's not you or them. I mean, i-it's not fair to you that I..."

"Sakura..."

"I-I do feel the same way for you," Sakura admits at last, "But I d-don't want you to w-waste your time with someone like me. Y-you deserve better, Leo."

It is such a nice day. Sakura could spend hours here, just doing nothing but listen to the water flow and trying to see if she can find any fish swimming below her. It is all that is preventing her voice from cracking as she tells him.

"That's not true," Leo replies softly, "If anything, I feel like I should be the one saying that I'm not worth your while. Not everyone has it in them to turn the other cheek after they have been hurt, but you did. I can't bring your brothers or your countrymen back Sakura, but I do want to do right by you. If your wishes in this matter do not align with mine, whatever your reasons are, please tell me and I will not press the matter further."

"I..." She glances up at the trees, her heart aflutter. "Is... is it okay if we take things slow?" she asks at last. "Just...spending time together playing chess or shogi and talking like we have been doing... Things like that? U-until..." I'm more comfortable. "Until later th-that is. I-I know it's terribly s-selfish of me, especially since you're so far away from home, I completely u-understand if I, I mean, it's n-not worth the tr-trouble–"

She is cut off on her rambling when Leo rests a hand onto of hers. It gives her a chill and it makes her so much aware of it, but without the panic that made her slam her yumi onto that knight to make him let go of her or the overwhelming sense of helplessness that overtook her as she was taken prisoner.

("You'll never be an inconvenience.")

"We could start with a stroll," he suggests, his expression soft, "Down this river, perhaps. I didn't pay the cherry blossoms any mind last year and that was my mistake. Things like that... you can't find them in Nohr."

Sakura blushes. "Th-that sounds like a wonderful idea, Leo," she tells him. "M-maybe... we c-can also do this sometime i-in Windmire? Th-the one underground, that is... and, um, M-Macarath too? Y-you were telling me a-about the apothecaries there the other day..."

"I think..." With a smile like the one he is wearing now, she wonders why he scowls so much. "I would like that very much, Sakura." He offers her a hand, palm up.

She takes it. Whatever happens afterwards, she promises she won't regret it. No matter what, the cherry blossoms won't be any less dull this year, in future years, than they were in the last.

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AN: I always intended to end this story with Leo and Sakura starting a relationship in the "I like you a lot and I want to try being more than friends with you" sense. There's still a few bumps up ahead yeah, but I wanted to end things on a hopeful note rather than a pessimistic one.

It has been brought to my attention that Senbonzakura is now on the Fire Emblem Fanfic Recs on TVTtropes! I would like to extend a thanks to Mosquito Man :)

Before I go, I would like to give a shout out to o0whitelily0o for making the tumblr post that inspired this fic and to LovelyLori for being my beta for these last two chapters. I couldn't have done it without you guys!

Of course, many thanks to everyone who read, followed and reviewed. Thank you for sticking with me for this fic, I had tons of fun writing it!