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The castle gardens had once been famous throughout the kingdom.
Every noble who visited spoke first of the roses.
Thousands upon thousands of pink roses stretched across the hills surrounding the palace, their soft petals glowing beneath the afternoon sun. Gardeners tended to them with painstaking devotion, trimming every branch with the same care they might have offered a priceless jewel. Their fragrance drifted through the air on every breeze—sweet, comforting, almost nostalgic.
Pink roses.
The flowers of admiration.
Of gentle affection.
Of happiness found beside someone precious.
Nene knew that because Emu had insisted on telling her years ago.
Back then, they had been children hiding from etiquette lessons beneath the old gazebo. Emu had proudly held up a picture book far too large for either of them, excitedly reading aloud every flower meaning she could find while Nene quietly listened beside her.
"Nene-chan!" Emu had exclaimed, nearly bouncing off the stone bench as she pointed enthusiastically at one page. "Pink roses mean happiness with someone you really, really treasure!"
Nene had glanced down at the illustration before looking back toward Emu's impossibly bright smile.
"They're just flowers," she'd answered matter-of-factly, though the corners of her lips had lifted despite herself.
"They're flowers with feelings!" Emu had protested dramatically before carefully poking one of Nene's cheeks. "Flowers are saying things all the time!"
"I don't think flowers can talk."
"They can!"
Emu had nodded with complete confidence before carefully plucking a fallen petal from the bench.
"They just need someone to listen."
Nene had rolled her eyes then.
She had secretly started memorizing every flower meaning afterward.
Years had passed since that day.
Now, as Nene stepped into that very same garden dressed in polished silver armor instead of a child's simple clothes, the sea of pink roses greeted her once again.
She smiled before she even realized she was doing it.
"They're still here," the knight murmured softly as her eyes wandered across the endless blossoms. "You took good care of them."
Her princess giggled. "I couldn't let them disappear."
Emu's familiar voice floated gently across the garden.
Nene turned immediately.
There she was.
A white dress fluttered softly around her ankles as she stood among the roses, sunlight catching in her pink hair until it almost blended into the flowers surrounding her. She wore the same warm smile Nene had carried in her memories throughout every battlefield.
For one fleeting moment...
Everything felt exactly the same.
"Nene-chaaan!"
Emu's face lit up the instant she saw Nene standing before her. She clasped both hands together in front of her chest before hurrying across the garden, her white skirts fluttering through the sea of blooming pink roses.
A bright laugh escaped her as she stopped just in front of Nene, unable to hide the joy sparkling in her eyes.
"You finally came back!" she exclaimed happily, looking up at her as though she wanted to make absolutely certain she wasn't imagining things.
A smile found its way onto Nene's face before she even realized it had happened.
She had imagined this reunion countless times during lonely nights in military camps and silent rides between battlefields, yet none of those memories compared to standing here in front of Emu again.
"I did," she replied softly, the warmth in her voice impossible to suppress as she met Emu's gaze. "I told you I would."
"You did!" Emu agreed immediately.
She clasped both hands behind her back before slowly circling around Nene, openly admiring the polished silver armor catching the afternoon sunlight.
Her eyes glittered with amazement as she looked her up and down. "You look really cool now."
Nene rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile, suddenly feeling far more self-conscious beneath Emu's admiration than she ever had standing before kings or generals.
"I suppose armor does that," she answered with a quiet laugh.
"It does!" Emu declared with complete certainty before stopping in front of her once again.
Her smile was so effortless, so trusting, that something inside Nene quietly softened.
Nothing had changed.
For years she had feared this moment more than any battlefield. She had wondered whether Emu would still recognize her beneath the armor, beneath the titles, beneath the countless victories stained with blood.
Yet here they were, laughing together again. For a fleeting moment, the weight she had carried across every campaign simply disappeared.
Maybe everything truly had been worth it.
Drawing a slow breath, Nene lifted her gaze toward the castle standing proudly beyond the gardens. Pride settled naturally into her expression—not arrogant, ambitious or boastful, but steady, hard-earned, and certain.
"I finally became strong enough," she said, her eyes lingering on the towering walls she had sworn to protect. "No kingdom can threaten yours anymore."
The words caused Emu's smile to falter. Her fingers slowly curled together in front of her dress as concern flickered across her face. "Nene-chan..." she murmured softly, searching Nene's eyes as though trying to find the girl she remembered.
"I protected everyone," Nene continued before looking back at her.
Conviction shone brightly within her eyes, unwavering despite everything she had sacrificed to reach this point.
"I did everything I could, now no one can threaten your future anymore."
"I know," Emu answered, uncharacteristically quiet. Her gaze drifted toward the roses at her feet before returning to Nene once again.
Nene's voice softened as she continued, the confidence from moments earlier giving way to something far more vulnerable.
"I finally became someone worthy of standing beside you."
She paused for only a heartbeat before adding with a small, almost embarrassed smile, "There isn't anyone left who can take you away from me."
"That's... that's right," Emu acknowledged gently, though there was no pride in her voice—only sadness.
Nene hesitated. It was the first time she had stumbled over her words since stepping into the garden. Looking at Emu now felt strangely more frightening than facing an entire battlefield alone.
"I thought..." she admitted quietly, lowering her gaze for the briefest moment. "I thought you'd be happy."
Emu remained silent.
After several long seconds, she slowly stepped toward the nearest rose bush. Her movements were careful, almost reverent, as though she were approaching something sacred.
Reaching between the branches, she delicately picked a single blooming pink rose before turning it thoughtfully between her fingers. Only then did she return to Nene and hold the flower out with a bittersweet smile.
"Do you remember what these mean, Nene-chan?" she asked softly, her voice barely louder than the breeze drifting through the garden.
Nene looked first at the rose, then at Emu. A faint smile touched her lips as old memories resurfaced. "You made me memorize them," she answered, accepting the flower with surprising care.
"I did," Emu replied with a tiny nod, a laugh escaping her despite the sadness lingering behind her smile.
"You wouldn't stop quizzing me..." Nene continued, remembering afternoons spent beneath the gazebo while Emu enthusiastically flipped through hanakotoba books.
Holding the flower close, Nene looked down at its delicate pink petals.
"Pink roses," she murmured thoughtfully before a small smile appeared once more. "They mean admiration."
Her thumb continued tracing the petals with almost absent-minded tenderness. "They mean gratitude."
Her voice grew quieter as another memory surfaced. "And happiness spent with someone precious."
"They do," Emu answered with a gentle nod.
Silence settled between them once again.
The wind stirred softly through thousands of blooming roses, carrying their sweet fragrance across the garden until it wrapped gently around both of them. Somewhere in the distance, birds continued singing as though nothing in the world had changed.
"Nene-chan," Emu called out after a long pause. Her voice had become unusually gentle as she met Nene's eyes once more. "Come a little closer."
Without the slightest hesitation, Nene obeyed.
She trusted Emu more than anyone else in the world.
One careful step brought her closer.
Then another.
Soon only a single breath separated them.
A tender smile appeared on Nene's face as she looked into Emu's tear-bright eyes.
"I missed you," she admitted softly, relief washing through her voice now that she was finally home.
A sadness too deep to hide settled across Emu's expression. Even so, she smiled back at her with all the warmth she could manage. "I missed you too," she whispered.
Something cold pierced through Nene's abdomen. A sharp, sharp pain. Her body froze before her mind could understand what had happened.
For one impossibly long second, Nene simply stared downward in confusion.
A slender, jeweled dagger rested between them.
Its gleaming blade had disappeared beneath the polished plates of her armor. Its crimson-stained tip emerged from her back.
Warm crimson steadily spread across shining silver.
The pink rose slipped silently from Nene's fingers before landing upon the stone path below, its delicate petals trembling against the ground.
"Nene-chan..." Emu whispered brokenly. Her hands shook violently around the dagger's hilt as tears spilled freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
Nene never looked at the blade.
Instead, she looked only at Emu.
Her cheeks were soaked with tears.
"W-Why are you crying?" Nene asked as one shaking hand instinctively reached toward the sword lodged inside her. "You..."
Her fingers trembled violently.
"This is..."
Nene breathed weakly, her voice scarcely more than air. She slowly reached upward—towards Emu's trembling face. "You're crying."
"I'm—" Emu answered through an unsteady breath, unable to stop the tears falling from her eyes nor the choking gasps.
"You..."
Her fingertips hovered near Emu's cheek before trembling from exhaustion. "Did someone make you do this...? Did someone... make you sad?"
Emu's breath caught painfully in her throat. A broken laugh escaped between quiet sobs as she carefully wrapped both hands around Nene's trembling one, holding it against her own cheek.
"I'm sorry, Nene-chan," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. "You really haven't changed."
"I don't understand," Nene muttered. "I finally came back, didn't I? I did everything—"
"I know,"
Blood continued dripping onto the white stone beneath them.
"I did everything." Her voice cracked under the weight of every memory. "I fought every battle, conquered every kingdom."
Her legs shook harder. "I stained my hands with blood because I thought..."
"I thought it'd let me stay beside you."
"I know," Emu cried. "I never wanted any of that, Nene-chan..."
Nene blinked slowly before lifting her gaze toward the endless gardens surrounding them.
The memories she'd buried beneath ambition clawed their way back into the light.
She clenched her trembling fists until the metal of her gaunlets groaned beneath the force. "I convinced myself every single life was worth sacrificing." She slowly lifted her head again. "If it meant reaching you."
"I never wanted any of that! I wanted Nene-chan to stop and come back to me— but... but—!"
Nene closed her eyes.
For a moment, the victorious knight disappeared. All that remained was the lonely child who had once dreamed about tending flowers for the princess
She swallowed painfully before forcing herself to meet Emu's tear-filled eyes again.
"I thought becoming stronger was what you wanted."
"It never was."
Emu moved forward despite the dagger still buried between them. Her free hand rose carefully before resting against Nene's cheek, trembling so badly she could barely keep it there.
"I just wanted my Nene-chan... that's all." she finally admitted.
Nene's knees finally gave out.
Emu immediately caught her as carefully as she could, lowering both of them onto the stone pathway between blooming roses.
Nene leaned weakly against her.
The sea of pink roses swayed gently beneath the afternoon breeze, their fragrance drifting softly through the air.
"They're..." she murmured distantly, a faint smile returning despite everything. "So pretty."
"They've always been your favorite," Emu replied, swallowing hard as fresh tears blurred her vision.
"I wanted..." Nene's breathing had begun to grow uneven, each breath shallower than the last. She looked out across the blossoms with quiet longing. "I wanted to come back before they bloomed."
"You did,"
"I was late..." Nene's smile became small and unbearably sad. "I'm always making you wait."
Emu didn't answer that. Instead, she carefully lowered Nene onto the warm stone path before kneeling beside her, supporting her with both arms. Holding her close, she rested Nene gently against her shoulder.
Nene leaned into her weakly, closing her eyes for only a moment before speaking again. "I thought becoming stronger was enough."
"Nene-chan..."
"I guess— I just misunderstood everything, huh?"
Nene looked toward the endless sea of roses surrounding them. The pure, blush pink of the roses being stained with the blood of a sinner.
After another long moment, Nene slowly reached up with trembling fingers.
It took all the strength she had left.
She gently brushed away one of Emu's tears. "Emu... don't cry. Please— don't cry."
Nene rested her forehead lightly against Emu's.
The strength was leaving her body faster now.
Every breath came slower than the last.
All she could do to comfort Emu was...
Nene started humming, gradually singing. That simple song from their childhood, one that would bring Emu comfort. She didn't care she was dying.
She had finally understood what she'd been fighting for all along.
"Please forgive me," she whispered.
Emu tightened her arms around her, holding her as though she could somehow stop time itself.
"You already were," she whispered through trembling lips as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. "You always were, Nene-chan."
The end is getting closer. Nene could feel her body giving up on her.
"I'm glad," Nene whispered as her eyelids slowly grew heavier, "that the last flowers I saw... were the ones you taught me."
Emu held her a little closer.
"And I'm glad," she whispered back as her tears slipped soundlessly onto Nene's armor, "that you came home to me."
Then, with the scent of roses surrounding them and the warmth of Emu's embrace never leaving her, Nene closed her eyes.