Sakura had been denied a mother, her birth having taken her from this world. Despite this, her father did not once blame her. If anything, he had only treasured her more and expected the same from his people.

There was nothing that was out of reach that she could want. She was put on a pedestal by her people and father alike, the next ruler of Blossom, the prosperous city. Their Princess.

This caused Sakura to live in quite the bubble. A golden bird cage. She didn’t get to play with other kids, not only were they too nervous around her, but her father was worried she could get hurt. Instead, she would remain in the palace that seemed to only get all the bigger and all the lonelier. Her one comfort was her father, who she knew was only trying to protect her.

Still, while Kitsune were long lived beings, they were far from immortal. It was different from Kitsune to Kitsune. Some never even make it to 9 tails. It all depended on power. While Shio was known to be a strong Kitsune, making it past 3 tails was not something he was strong enough to do. When old age strikes a Kitsune, it is like a disease. Quickly wracking your body and taking all that is youthful. It can take from as little as a week to a month for it to fully take them… But once it starts, it isn’t something you can ever hope to halt. The Aging.

That is why when her father went from able to take walks with her in the palace garden to unable to get up from his bed overnight… Sakura has no idea what to do. She cried and cried, but no matter what she did, his age only caught up with him all the more. Despite things though, her father found the strength to talk to her. No matter how much worse he looked, when his teeth fell out or when his hands shriveled up too much to be able to even pick up a spoon… He still would smile at his “Little flower petal.”

Sadly, he couldn’t keep it up forever. He put up a good fight, but within a month, her succumbed and passed away.

Without her father there, Sakura only got all the lonelier. His protection left her incapable of able to know of how to even talk to her own people. Instead, she was quiet and tried to carry herself with dignity. She had a duty to do so, even if she was a child.

The more time passed, the wider the distance between her and her people got. The more they put her on a pedestal that made her feel so far away… Like a foreign high existence that was there, from generation to generation. Rumors would start about her, which would only throw this disparity further out of proportion…Before Sakura knew it… Her people seemed to see her as some sort of immortal perfect Goddess… And she found herself wanting to live up to such expectations.

Were it not for Rowan poking fun at her every now and then, she may very well had drowned in trying to meet those expectations. Yet when the Shapeshifter came over, she found herself being reminded that in the end she was mortal. She too could get mad, be happy, be sad, just like everyone else.

Still, that did not mean she was free from the shackles of her people’s ever adoring gaze. She would do anything for them, the people of the Kingdom her father had built with so much care…

Yet that had not been enough.

One day, their intense admiration became a poison that turned into never ending hatred. The more things came undone the more she touched them. She felt like she was drowning, trying to keep the whole city together. Despite all her efforts things still only ended up in tatters.

She felt helpless, at time even wishing for The Aging… But it appeared despite her stress and grief, it was not her time.