The next day, Akihiro was working in the fields when gunshots were fired in their area. Many of them were killed right on the spot, while a few including Akihiro managed to escape.

On the other hand, the houses nearby the fields are also starting to get terrorized by the Japanese soldiers. Cries for help, gunshots, and bombs exploding can be heard everywhere. Tala saw the soldiers approaching so she ran back inside  the house and quickly got the bolo that Akihiro forgot to bring.

She pulled it out of its sheath and shielded Corazon behind her. "No one can touch my sister!" She declared. "You'll have to go through me first before you can do so." The soldiers laughed at her as they switched from their guns to their swords. Having no experience in sword-fighting, Tala was definitely haphazardly attacking her enemies but still managed to hit their vital points. Four men were already down but the fifth one was so skilled that she couldn't even keep up with his speed and stamina.

"What's wrong, little girl? Getting tired already?" The soldier spoke to her in their own language.

Tala's eyes widened in horror, "Y-You!" She gasped. "You betrayed your own country for this?!"

"Who cares? The government of this country doesn't give much benefits to its soldiers anyway. Our current Emperor loves his military so much he's willing to annihilate every single person in this damned country!"

Tala charged at him but the soldier stabbed her so deep on the abdomen, that the blade of the sword pierced through her back.

"TALAAAAA!!!" Corazon screamed in shock and anguish, which resulted for Akihiro to hear it from the outside. "Stop!!! Let go of me!!!" He immediately made his entrance to the back of their house, only to find Corazon being almost sexually assaulted by a Japanese soldier.

"Let go of my wife, you piece of scum!" He yelled as he grabbed the golden dragon hairpin from his pocket and stabbed the soldier's neck which killed him instantly. Corazon, dressed in a long floral dress, ran into Akihiro's arms while crying in fear.

"Where is Tala?" He asked and Corazon just shook her head. "Where is she?!"

Corazon pointed to her sister's dead body and Akihiro felt his whole world crashing down as soon as she saw Tala lying lifeless on the floor. They both cried as he pulled her dead weight in his arms to hug her one last time. To them, it felt like they had just lost their own child.

—

The couple decided to leave their home after giving Tala a proper burial. As much as they wanted to stay and remember their days with her, they couldn't do so because of the threat in their lives. "Let's stop and camp here for the night. I'm sure those soldiers won't be able to reach us here." Akihiro suggested and so they set up a little campfire.

"You're the only one that I have now." Corazon spoke in a soft voice as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "Please don't leave me, Akihiro. No matter what you remember from your past..."

Akihiro tried to fight back his tears but failed and so he engulfed his beloved into his loving arms while wishing that he was born into the same race as her so he wouldn't have to worry about leaving her behind once he remembers his true origin in this current lifetime.

—

Their journey continued at dawn-break, in hopes of making it to the next village without having an encounter with the Japanese soldiers; however, luck doesn't seem to be on their side for today.

A dozen soldiers came out from the bushes all of a sudden, while their guns pointed at both Akihiro and Corazon. "Let us go! We just want to live peacefully." Akihiro spoke up in a loud, stern voice.

All of a sudden, a tall man with a much more intimidating aura appeared amidst all the soldiers and smirked. "You dare to order a general when you, yourself, had abandoned your duty to your own country?" He said in a cold, sarcastic tone. "I don't even get why the Emperor values a son like you."

"W-What?" Corazon asked. "What is he talking about, Akihiro?"

The general looked at her, "It means that he is the long lost Prince of Japan." He responded before a shocked Akihiro could. "And all that's happened to your village recently is because-" He pointed to Akihiro. "-of this man right here."

"The Emperor has been looking for him amidst this war." He added.

Akihiro turned to Corazon, whose eyes were stricken with grief and pain of betrayal. "Corazon, I swear, I didn't know I was THAT person!" He tried to pull her into an embrace but she pushed him away while in tears. "Please! Believe me!"

"You told me you don't remember anything from your past!" She cried.

"And it's true! I don't! I still have no idea who I really am except for the fact that I belonged to the race that's invading your country right now."

"The golden dragon hairpin that you're wearing right now is the proof." The general chimed in with a teasing tone. "How dumb and naive can you be to not think that he's not some kind of a royal?"

Corazon stood there frozen as all of the bits and pieces of information were now starting to make sense in her head. She removed the golden dragon hairpin and handed it to Akihiro. She looked up at him and smiled sadly, "You should go back."

Akihiro shook his head frantically, "N-No! No!" He cupped her face into his hands. "I made a promise to your sister that I would protect you no matter what! You can't just tell me to go back to where I came from!" But he knew that Corazon had already given up.

"We were supposed to get married..." He cried. "Corazon... c'mon... don't do this to me."

She stepped backwards and looked at the general. "You may now take him." She said and so the soldiers did but Akihiro struggled as he resisted from their grasp.

"I will come back for you, Corazon! Wait for me!" Akihiro screamed as he got pushed into the royal carriage.

The general stepped towards Corazon, towering over her small, petite body and drew his sword from its sheath and pointed its sharp tip at her neck.

"If it weren't for the Emperor's Decree, I would've already killed you but since you took good care of our Prince and returned him to us safely, you will be spared." He said in a cold tone and then he put away his sword.

"Tell your Emperor to go fuck himself." She cursed which earned her a slap and a hair pull from him.

"Listen here, you ungrateful brat. The Emperor who you're telling to go fuck himself is the father of the man that you love and the one that asked to spare your life!" He hissed. "So if I were you, I'd be grateful to have my life been spared even though I personally do not even see a thing that's worth living in this country of yours anymore."

He then pushed her off to the ground while she cried silently and helplessly.

—

Two years had passed after that incident and everyone has been trying to rebuild the life that was once broken by the invaders. Corazon is currently living in the next village, in hopes of having a successful life out there and she did make the right choice.

She worked hard while studying her heart out and even graduated and passed the exam with flying colors. She is now teaching at an elementary level, in memory of her sister whom she lost during the war.

On the other hand, the Emperor died due to an illness and so, Akihiro had no choice but to take over. If everyone could get close to the previous emperor to make political suggestions, things with Akihiro were different.

He purged out all of his father's advisers and replaced them with younger and compassionate ones. He considers every political suggestion carefully and wisely and will refute them if they are not in line with his morals. Some were scared of him because of how cold-hearted and shut-off he had become but some managed to see through that façade of his, accept him and understand why he does things a certain way.

Akihiro now completely remembers who he is in this lifetime; he is a member of the royal household of Japan and he was the one who murdered Corazon's and Tala's parents which made him loathe himself even more.

"Your Highness, it's already getting late. You should retire into your quarters." Kaito, his most trusted adviser and childhood friend, told him.

"It's alright. I'm not that tired yet." Akihiro replied while examining another official document at his desk. "You can retire for the night, if you wish to. You don't have to accompany me, you know."

"Y'know, you don't have to bury yourself in all of your workload just to mask the pain and longing that you feel." Kaito stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my guy. I am just simply making sure I don't make the same mistakes that my father did." Akihiro replied without taking his eyes off of the document.

"C'mon Aki! We both know that you miss her."

And with that, Akihiro gazed up from the document and sighed as he closed the folder. "Why don't you just go and pay her a visit?" Kaito suggested. "I'm sure she misses you too."

Akihiro sighed, "It's been two years. She probably has a husband already."

Kaito threw an envelope on his desk. "She only went to university while supporting herself through part-time jobs after you two parted ways." He started off while Akihiro opened the envelope and scanned through the notes about Corazon and her pictures. "She now works as an elementary school teacher."

"Rumor has it that she's still unmarried, although there are men that want to pursue her." He added.

Akihiro put all of the contents back inside the envelope. "Let's just leave her alone." He said as he put the envelope into his desk's last drawer.

"Please don't tell me that you will go through with an arranged marriage?"

He smiled sadly at his friend, "It is the only way that I can secure the lineage of this family." He then looked out of the window, vowing to himself to put his duty as an emperor of his nation first before his own happiness.

Little did he know that back in the tropics of the Philippines, Corazon never forgot him and was still waiting for him to come back, like he promised.