All Stars (part 25 of 48)

a Original Fiction fanfiction by Al Kristopher

Back to Part 24
August 25th, Saturday, Carnegie soccer field

2:15 pm

 

As team manager, Freya von Hohenheim stayed behind with Leena and the 
rest of the staff to go over paperwork. Shiki took the team's uniforms 
and put them in a sack for laundry, Kathlyn went over their next 
training schedule, and Maria arranged for a small celebratory 
get-together. It was a nice day, though, so they didn't stay indoors for 
very long: soon Maria was on the road, giving Freya a deep parting kiss 
and Shiki a deeper parting glare. Araya helped Freya get into her car 
and drove off with the windows down; the weather was nice and they would 
be taking a path with lots of fresh air. It was a gorgeous Saturday and 
Freya wanted to spend it outdoors; she even entertained the thought of 
camping.

"Maybe we can invite the whole team over," she suggested softly. "If not 
this weekend, then certainly the next. What do you think?"

"It might be a little easier than arranging something with an outside 
source," Shiki answered. "On a different matter, that was a very 
entertaining game. Laudendale seemed like the perfect team for Carnegie 
to practice against. Do you think they'll be able to win another game?"

"I'm sure they will," Freya murmured. "We have a good lineup. Everyone 
is very dedicated."

"Especially you, milady," she smiled. "But you have to take it easy. I 
know you're trying to get into it for their sake, but you have to 
remember you're not as healthy as other people. Perhaps you should relax 
for the next game and let Maria and I cheer instead. What do you think? 
...Milady? Freya- are you asleep?" Shiki glanced in the rearview mirror 
and saw Freya reclining very uncomfortably over the seats. If she were 
sleeping, she probably would've unbuckled herself and sprawled out, or 
at least leaned against the window. Shiki pulled over to the shoulder 
and went back to check on her beloved. Freya's eyes were open, but they 
were dim and unfocused; her breathing was irregular and her pulse was 
weak. Shiki recognized the symptoms immediately and called for an 
ambulance. This had happened countless times before, and every time was 
like a horrible nightmare which no amount of waking could cure.

 

And people dream dreams that transcend time

Held in the arms of a still sea

As they looked up at the birds and clouds

It set their ephemeral souls on fire on a thousand mornings

I bet they're taking flight to where the light is headed

Now is the time to launch your dreams

Off into the frontier that is carrying boundless dreams

Farther and farther, dive in the sky

 

"Rest Thy Wings"

 

Freya drifted in and out of consciousness on her way to the hospital. 
Thankfully, the medics didn't list her condition as critical, and they 
didn't tell Shiki anything she didn't already know. Yes, Freya had 
"internal difficulties"; yes, she was suffering from exhaustion; Shiki 
just wanted to see her get well soon. She called Sierra Maethers, 
Freya's personal doctor, and the rest of the Hohenheims, and told them 
what had happened and where they could all meet. Freya was taken to a 
room and hooked up to an oxygen mask, but since Shiki technically wasn't 
a member of her family, she was not allowed inside until much later.

"I'm as much her family as her brother and sister! For crying out loud, 
I'm her maid and bodyguard! Isn't that good enough? I've known her all 
her life and saw her through countless emergencies, most of them worse 
than this!"

"I'm sorry, but we can only allow her immediate family inside." Shiki 
snorted bitterly.

"You'd let me in if I was her boyfriend."

"Just wait outside, please. She's not in any danger thanks to your 
actions, but we need to keep her here so she can rest." Shiki finally 
gave up when her cell phone rang, announcing the arrival of the 
Hohenheim clan: Freya's father Ezekiel, her brother and sister Gauss and 
Alita, and Ida her cousin. Maria was with them; she and Araya shared the 
exact same concerned expression.

"I came as fast as I could. How is she?"

"The doctors say she's fine, but I don't trust them. I called your 
mother, and she said she'd come by to give her opinion."

"Good. What was it?"

"Just exhaustion, they say. It's not really surprising considering how 
enthusiastic she was during that game."

"Yeah, that's our Freya," Maria relented. "And after all the times you 
told her to take it easy."

"The woman just doesn't listen to reason," she smiled sadly. Shiki 
started to tremble all of a sudden, and Maria instinctively drew her 
into an embrace. She was nervous and frightened- nervous that, even 
though this had happened before, Freya was slowly approaching the end of 
her good fortune, and once she crossed a certain point, there would be 
no going back. It wasn't merely weariness that worried her two closest 
friends: she had a medical condition which caused her internal organs to 
weaken, and it required constant medication, or else she would suffer 
from severe panic attacks. It would eventually kill her, so she must 
have surgery and treatment before then. Her family and friends had been 
holding this off, however, because there wasn't a precedent for her 
situation and the present operations were experimental- yet as time 
pressed on, surgery would become all the more dangerous as her body 
weakened, and there was no guarantee of a safe recovery- or even a 
recovery at all.

"I know," Maria whispered. "I'm scared too." She bent down to kiss 
Shiki's forehead, and sat with her, holding her hand, while they waited 
for their chance to see their friend. In the meantime, Dr. Maethers 
arrived, smiling at the two ladies briefly before heading off to Freya's 
room. Sierra Maethers had always cared for Freya as something more than 
just a patient. She was the daughter of her two most cherished friends 
(God rest the mother's soul), and as such, felt more like her family. It 
was the trio's greatest hope that one day, the association could be made 
on a literal scale, that Sierra would one day marry Ezekiel Hohenheim, 
and be Freya's new mother.

Yes, and while they were entertaining fantasies, Freya would be able to 
recover completely without any physical or economic strain...

At last their patience paid off, and Maria and Shiki were invited to 
visit. Freya was semi-conscious and would soon "go under", but she was 
lucid enough to welcome her loved ones. She was a little pale, though, 
and her grasp was very frail. Maria and Shiki tried not to look too sad 
as they smiled at her and clutched her fingers.

"You two should...know better than to...be worried about me," she 
murmured slowly. "This has happened...before, right? I'll be 
just...fine. Sierra...said I was just...tired, and that I spent...all my 
energy...on that game. I only have...myself to blame for that."

"Just concentrate on recovering," Maria said, squeezing her hand. Freya 
nodded.

"Will do. Take care of...things for me in...the game. We still...have 
one more match...to win. It's a pity I...won't be able to...make it."

"You'll only get too excited again and end up right back here," Shiki 
warned her.

"I know...but it's not often I...feel so alive. Well...looks like my 
time's...over. I have to go...to sleep now. What a...pain. Don't tell 
the...others to worry. I'll be...just...fine." Freya drifted away softly 
and sweetly, her smile lingering as everyone released an anxious breath. 
She looked like a fairytale maiden cursed into eternal sleep, forever 
beautiful and angelic until awakened by true love's kiss. Maria and 
Shiki kissed her cheeks, but no change came over her, except she looked 
lovelier still.

"Well, you all heard the lady," Dr. Maethers announced, breaking the 
silence. "We've done all we can, and now it's time to leave her in the 
hospital's care. Maria, I'll be staying here to speak with Mr. 
Hohenheim, so don't wait up for me."

"Okay," she said. "I'll go with Shiki. Tell us if there's any change."

"You don't have to worry," she replied, smiling thinly. "Freya's a 
strong woman, and she has excellent friends and family. Run along, now: 
I'll be sure to call you." Maria took a deep breath and followed Shiki 
to the hospital parking lot, where they got into their cars and drove to 
the Hohenheim estate in silence.

 

- Rain Howlet, 150 lbs (68.2 kg), American, no position-

 

Maria and Shiki did not say a word as they drove back to Freya's house, 
went inside, and tried to come to terms with what was happening. Shiki 
automatically started making dinner while Maria sat down and began 
making calls. Thanks to Freya's tireless research, she knew the phone 
numbers of the entire team, including the Coach's: they deserved to know 
what was going on so they wouldn't worry. Maria also made sure to tell 
them which hospital Freya had been admitted to, and what the visiting 
hours were, but she couldn't tell them when she'd be released.

"Maybe in time for the next game? I don't know; it all depends on how 
fast she recovers. Her spirit is willing but her body's weak- it could 
be awhile. I'm sure she'd enjoy it if you and the rest of the team 
stopped in to say hello." Gradually, Maria felt more comfortable talking 
about it, and when Shiki was about halfway finished, she visited her in 
the kitchen, trying to smile and lighten the mood.

"Well, that's everyone. I guess now all we have to do is wait."

"If you keep yourself busy, the time will pass quicker," Shiki advised. 
She stopped stirring and gave Maria a gentle stare, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sort of. I mean, this happens a lot, right, and you'd think 
I'd be used to it by now. But it turns out I'm still scared."

"I'm scared too," she smiled, idly returning to her work. "Deep down I 
know that Freya's going to make it, and that if I want her to continue 
living, I can't have these negative thoughts. But I can't help it; I'm 
only human. At least we know she's in good hands."

"Yea, mom'll take care of her for us." Shiki focused on her cooking 
again, leaving Maria standing in the cold. Yearning for comfort, she 
slipped her arms around Shiki's waist and clung gently to her, burying 
her nose in her hair. Shiki let her do as she pleased and only asked her 
to move so she could serve dinner. She was used to cooking for three or 
more people, so a meal for two was a change for her, and both women 
ended up with slightly larger portions than they were used to. Hunger 
was as far away from their thoughts as could be, but they had not eaten 
since breakfast (that little in-game snack didn't count), and to go any 
longer would be bad for them. Their appetite returned with a vengeance 
after a few bites, and both women cleaned their plates, regardless of 
how much was there.

"Excellent," Maria smiled. "That hit the spot!"

"I'm glad you liked it. Could you please help me wash the dishes?"

"Sure." Maria knew Shiki was only trying to be strong for her sake; if 
she were by herself, no doubt she would be crying in spite of her faith 
in Freya's health. But she would probably break down as well, so in the 
end, despite their petty rivalry and constant bickering, they truly did 
need each other. An element of play returned as Maria splashed Shiki 
with the water, and Shiki threw a drenched sponge into her cleavage. The 
two fought playfully as they tried to finish their chores, but they 
ended up laughing, wrestling, and rolling on the floor, soaked and 
flushed. Maria had pinned Shiki and glowed with ethereal light as she 
caressed her face, bent down, and embraced warm lips.

"Are you still scared?" she whispered, their lips millimeters apart. 
Shiki nodded, eyes wide open as she quivered with lust. "So am I. Do you 
think...we could...uh..."

"Yes, please," she whispered, not even bothering to hear the rest. Shiki 
pulled Maria close and kissed passionately. Their wet clothes clung to 
their burning skin; their tongues slithered and grappled; their hips 
thrust and their fingers wandered. Maria sat up to peel her shirt off, 
and Shiki took this opportunity to gleefully pounce on her, yanking her 
bra away.

"The one day I actually wear one and you just tear it apart!" she 
laughed.

"I never liked it," she growled, engulfing her rival and lover. Shiki 
was stronger by far and soon had Maria pinned. She struggled to remove 
her designer jeans while Maria fought to undress "her little 
Araya-chan". Shiki hated that name but her moans were rooted in 
pleasure; she begged Maria to call her that again. She blushed as her 
chest was bared, revealing two small breasts, pale as ripe pears and 
perky with desire.

"We need to get to a room," Shiki quivered as Maria kissed her chest. 
She groaned; she sang; she gasped; she loved it. "We can't stay in the 
kitchen for much longer! We have to...get somewhere!"

"Hmm, yeah, I don't wanna be disturbed now!" she giggled triumphantly. 
Yes, Shiki was stronger, but Maria knew what made her weak, and she 
delighted to exploit these weaknesses again and again, It had been so 
long since they had made love to one another (without their 
golden-haired goddess encouraging them) that everything felt like new. 
They must become reacquainted with one another's bodies and they must do 
it now, without any interruption. It was a testament to their discipline 
when they picked up their clothes and raced to the nearest guest 
bedroom, locking the door and picking up where they left off.

Shiki was helpless before Maria's loving caresses. She stood up and 
cooed softly as Maethers undressed her- slowly and sweetly so as to 
savor her beauty and strength. She made sure to kiss every bit of 
Araya's skin as it was exposed, and gave her bottom a good smack as she 
pulled down her panties and threw them across the room.

"You won't need those for awhile," she grinned seductively. Her face 
turned red as she saw Shiki's maiden flower standing bare and beautiful 
before her eyes, and she was stunned with wonder. Not sure what to do, 
Maria simply leaned forward and kissed it lightly, causing Shiki to 
squeak.

"That tickles," she breathed. Maria laughed and stood up, warmly staring 
into her rival's soft russet eyes. She was wearing very little but still 
wanted Shiki to finish the job.

"Now undress me," she murmured. After nodding shyly, Shiki went about 
her work, circling Maria's body once before slipping her socks and 
underwear off. She chose to massage her rival, touching with 
battle-trained fingers that Freya cherished so much; she slipped them 
into Maria's mouth, into her bottom, into her vagina, every touch 
delicate and loving. She bit down on her lover's shoulders and 
penetrated further, finding Maria's most delicate nerves and toying with 
them. Success came sooner than expected...and so did Maria. Shiki kissed 
her shoulders and her back as Maria wobbled to the floor, racked by the 
raw energy she had expelled, gasping and glistening with sweat. She and 
Shiki glowed at each other and embraced, naked skin against naked skin.

"Thanks. I really needed that."

"Yeah. We're a mess."

"We can get cleaned off later." Shiki felt a little discomforted at that 
statement.

"Later? What do you- " Maria kissed her passionately before she could 
finish, and tickled her lover into submission. She kissed over Shiki's 
body furiously, but returned to her nude womanhood, staring at it in 
awe. It had been so long...

"Oh, Maria, please!" Shiki begged her, bucking her hips as she felt a 
finger touch her most sensitive areas. "I can't wait any longer. I want 
you..."

"Want me to what?" she teased. Shiki smiled at her with complete love.

"I just want you." Maria grinned and descended into paradise.

 

The shower needed to be cool in order to douse their fiery passions. 
Steam swelled and clouded the bathroom as Maria and Shiki ravished each 
other, their body heat so fierce that the water evaporated as it touched 
them. Their orgasmic tides must have ebbed and flowed countless times as 
they rubbed soap over each other and giggled between kisses. Finally 
they stopped, sitting down to share a single fluffy towel, kissing and 
cuddling until they were both dry.

"I love you, Shiki," Maria whispered, radiating strong enough to light 
the room. "You know that even though we have our differences, I love you 
from the bottom of my heart."

"I love you too, dearest Mari-chan," she whispered in reply. "I love you 
more than I can bear." They kissed one more time before putting on night 
robes and padding back to the guest room, then took them off and held 
hands as they snuggled beneath the bed sheets.

"You know, we'd be perfect lovers if it weren't for Freya," Maria 
grinned. Shiki nodded.

"Mm-hmm. We'd get along so well. We'd never fight...I could teach you 
how to cook...you could teach me how to make clothes...we'd be such a 
happy couple."

"Thank god that's not the case! I'd say we dodged a bullet!" Maria 
chuckled as she caressed her lover's face.

"Yes, thank goodness she's around to keep things interesting. Are 
you...still afraid?"

"Not so much," she murmured, holding Shiki in her arms. "I still have 
you, don't I?"

"Mm-hmm." She kissed her lover good-night and laid there until sleep 
overwhelmed her.

 

- Elisa Berkeley, Hobbies: singing, Stephen King, 80s pop; left 
midfielder/reserve

 

Sometimes her world would be dark and dreamy; sometimes it was merely 
dark, countless epochs of emptiness where she neither felt excited or 
elated, where time and space had no meaning, a pure Limbo. Sometimes she 
felt herself waking up and was powerless to move; her body felt like 
iron, and only through great effort could she wade through her sheets 
and vault out of bed. She didn't realize she was dreaming about waking 
up, a bizarre circumstance to be sure. Whenever she did wake, though, 
she found her body responded perfectly normally, that she could move 
arms and legs and even her head, but she could not emerge from her bed 
yet. Her one desire, above all, was to get well and get out, so she 
could rejoin society and encourage her team.

During these lapses of sleeping and waking, Freya's body recovered from 
fatigue. She received the occasional visitor, usually a member of her 
family or Dr. Maethers (whom she considered family anyway), but one day, 
or one moment (she lost track of time while inside the hospital and 
could not discern the hours from the days unless somebody told her), she 
saw Arina Essylt coming in with a small bundle of flowers.

"Hello," she greeted in her willowy voice. "I hope you're well enough to 
receive a gift. They're artificial, so you don't need to worry about 
watering them or getting allergic."

"They're beautiful!" she exclaimed softly. "Thank you so much! I was 
getting a little lonesome. How did you know I was here?"

"Your lovers informed me," she replied, placing the flowers next to 
Freya's bed. "I had some free time, so I decided to come see you. Ah!" 
Arina smiled wryly as Lauren Ofdensen poked her head in the room, 
bearing a Game Boy DS, a recharger, and several games.

"Yo! Thought you could use something to pass the time. This is from Jen 
with love."

"Thank you," Freya smiled, feeling a little better now. "I'd much rather 
prefer people, though. I've been kept locked in here for God knows how 
long, and I hardly get any visitors."

"Make room, make room," she heard Fausta mutter. Alice and Terra were in 
tow, smiling shyly as the room got more crowded. Freya sat up with some 
effort and beamed in amazement.

"Hahaha...is this 'visit the feeble Freya day' at Carnegie, or are you 
trying to reenact the Marx Brothers' 'crowded stateroom' sketch?"

"I offered to drive them," Fausta indicated. "Your entourage made a few 
calls and asked if we could visit you while they took care of some 
things." Terra nodded in accord.

"And since you are a member of the team, we only figured..." Freya 
smiled for joy; she would've hugged them all if she could move. Kasumi, 
Nadia, Valencia, Shannon, Elisa, and even Amy and Fleur came in later, 
whether one at a time or in groups, filling Freya with happiness. They 
explained that the Coach would come by later, and Kathlyn might stop by 
for a few minutes if she had the time. Freya was more concerned about 
the game, and asked if they had won the right to play as an official 
team.

"Ya gettin' ahead of yaself, Frey," Shannon answered. "It's the Tuesday 
aftah our first practice game. You've only been in heah for three days."

"Oh, goodness, it felt longer than that. I thought you'd all be 
hunkering down for the winter by now."

"Come on, our brave little manger's tougher than that," Valencia smiled, 
wiggling Freya's toes.

"Shiki and Maria told us not to worry, because it's apparently common 
for you to pass out like this," Terra added.

"Probably because you spent all your energy screaming and dancing on 
Saturday," Kasumi muttered. Freya laughed bitterly.

"Ahahaha...yes, yes, I know, I've already been scolded a dozen times! No 
need to put salt on my wounds, Kasumi."

"I'm just saying," she grunted. "You should be more careful."

"I'll try, mother," she grumbled. "Anyway, why don't you tell me what's 
happened in my absence? Come on, don't hold back! I want all the juicy 
details!" Since only three days had passed, there were very few details 
to go over, juicy or otherwise. Kasumi and Valencia were dating, the 
team was putting their celebrations on hold, and Gardenia had shown 
Rashomon and Loving Annabelle for her double feature. On a more serious 
note, nobody had seen Rain at all since the game ended, not even Alice 
or Fleur, and Jennifer was supposedly dealing with family obligations 
now and could not tear away.

"Hearing things like this makes me realize how very little we know about 
each other," Freya murmured.

"Well, not all of us can be friendly," Elisa sighed.

"What about Felicity?"

"Don't know," Nadia said. "Was not at work, and I don't have her phone 
number."

"She hasn't been around the apartment very often, either," Kasumi added. 
"I saw her this morning, but..."

"She has been to classes, though," Terra added. "We share a few and I 
see her around, but you know her. She just keeps to herself."

"Something happen at game to make kitten sad," Nadia theorized. "I am 
wanting to help, but she doez not say much. Maybe just too tired from 
game."

"She is one hell of a player," said a familiar voice. The group felt 
their spirits rising as Jen entered the room, accompanied by none other 
than Rain Howlet. "Hey guys, look what I found! Oh, is that my DS? I was 
wondering who stole it!"

"You said Freya could borrow it!" Lauren wailed. Jen laughed and gave 
her friends a hug.

"Just kidding. Sheesh, it took me longer than expected to get out of 
there. My parents can be total A-holes sometimes."

"I know what that's like," Terra murmured sympathetically. Alice smiled 
and gave Rain a hug. She had never felt anything more relieved in her 
life.

"And what inspired you to show up?" Fleur teased. Rain backed away in 
offense.

"Hey, it's not like that. I'm not doing this because of the team. It's 
just, you know, I kinda like Freya, and I thought I'd visit her. Jen and 
I just bumped into each other along the way."

Everybody gave her the exact same "yeah right" stare.

"Do you really expect us to swallow that?"

"It's the truth, okay? I'm a fencer, not a...footballer!"

"Sure, sure."

"Seriously," she growled, giving Freya a bouquet of real flowers. "And 
once I verify the victim's health, I'll be leaving!"

"Okay, whatever makes you feel better, Rain." Her grumpy mood soon 
faded, though, and she gave Alice another hug to apologize for 
disappearing. Alice told her not to worry; she was just glad that Rain 
was here, regardless of her excuse. Rain then looked around and counted 
the number of women in the room, coming up with fifteen.

"Heh, looks like you're missing one. Isn't that pathetic, when someone 
who isn't even on the team visits a sick friend, while one of your 
players doesn't even have the heart to see her?"

"Hey, take it easy on Felicity," Kasumi said. "She's probably going 
through some difficulties. I do wish she'd open up more, though."

"I don't mind her not being here," Freya said. "Frankly, I didn't expect 
to see any of you, so this has been a very unexpected and pleasant 
surprise. But it would be nice if the whole team made it."

"Why, are we missing anybody?"

Everyone turned around, Nadia grinning beautifully, as Felicity Velur 
stuck her head through the door.

"Oh, guess not, unless you mean the Coach. Wow, even Rain made it!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she blurted. "You're the one that's 
late!"

"Am I? I didn't know there was a deadline." Nadia couldn't contain 
herself: she dashed against Felicity and hugged her.

"[Missed you,]" she whispered in Russian. Then, in her charming, lilting 
English, "So what haz been keep you? Is kittiez feeling okay?"

"Yeah, traffic was a nightmare, is all. Come on, everyone, I'm not 
heartless."

"We were just worried about you," Elisa said. "Kasumi and Nadia say they 
hardly ever see you. Did something happen?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she grumbled. Felicity approached Freya 
with a flower made out of ribbons and laces, and handed it to her. 
"Umm...I couldn't afford a real one."

"No, it's perfect," Freya whispered as tears came to her eyes. 
"Just...perfect! I love you all so much!"

"Okay, enough of this mushy crap!" Shannon grunted. "Now that we're all 
heah, let's talk about how we're gonna beat Anolis. I'm not leaving 
till' we get a good solid strategy!"

"Oh, I see," Freya warbled, still a little emotional. She sat up and 
grinned wickedly. "So that's why you all came here at the same time! 
Okay, I see how it is."

"Not me!" Rain scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "If you're healthy 
enough to talk sports, then you don't need me here. Catch you all on the 
flipside! Al, take care."

"Thanks for coming, Rain," Freya giggled. "I'll try to keep everyone in 
line. Will you be at the game?"

"What, are you cracked? Drag myself out in the hot glaring sun to watch 
you girls wrestle each other in the grass and mud- and piss off the 
Chairman? Ha!"

"So is that a yes?" Rain smiled, but nobody saw her.

"I'll think about it."

 

- Fausta Nazario, Hobbies: culture, history, mandolin; sweeper-

 

The week was a little more than halfway through before the hospital gave 
Freya clearance to return home. Sierra Maethers confirmed their 
diagnosis and even suggested that her patient was healthier now than she 
had been in days. However, none of the other Hohenheims could take Freya 
home until the weekend, which left Maria and Shiki the honors. They were 
glad to do it and took Shiki's car to the hospital, happy to have their 
lover in good spirits (although this would probably be the end of their 
"truce"). Since they were picking her up after school, Freya's cousin 
Ida Hohenheim insisted on tagging along. Normally they would fight this, 
but they figured it would be cruel to keep her away from her surrogate 
mother, especially now that she had recovered.

"Hi Mari-chan, hi Araya-chan!" Ida squealed, leaping up to hug them. She 
was innocent and gay; she loved them with the unconditional love of a 
child. Something was amiss between them, though. "Why are you two 
wearing scarves? It's not cold outside."

"It's, uh...fashionable," Maria improvised. "I made these myself, see? 
Um, do you want one? They're very soft and warm."

"But it's so hot outside, she grumbled. Ida was wearing a Hello Kitty 
T-shirt, shorts, and sandals (obviously not her school clothes), and 
when she got in the car, she asked Shiki to turn the air conditioner on.

"Well," Maria grasped, "sometimes style is more important than comfort."

"Oh. Is that why Alita wears those high-heel shoes?"

"Uh, sure."

"But you're not wearing any," she observed. "Your shoes look very 
comfortable."

Shiki snickered. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing."

"These happen to be very fashionable shoes," Maria grumbled stubbornly. 
She couldn't possibly tell Ida that she and Shiki were covering up 
numerous love-bites. They had been necking furiously, and were 
embarrassed by the reddish marks. Maria had gotten strange looks at 
school, but she endured it. Thankfully, nobody at the hospital seemed to 
notice, and a few people even complimented them. On their scarves, I 
mean.

"See?" she grinned. Ida smiled.

"I guess they do look nice. So what's this about giving me one?"

"Maybe for Christmas," Shiki replied. "You're a little too young to be 
worried about how you look."

"Aww." Freya greeted them in her wheelchair, Jennifer's game safely 
tucked in a sack on her lap along with all the flowers she had received. 
She definitely looked better than before, but...

"I'm still not at one-hundred percent," she muttered sheepishly. "I 
mean, you know. I've got my energy back but Sierra told me to conserve 
it. Anyway, thank you for coming to get me. Oh, hello Ida!"

"Mommy!" She hugged Freya and gave her a child's kiss; Shiki and Maria 
couldn't help but feel happy. All three of them were just as relieved- 
why feel jealous of Ida's affections? Besides, they had their own plans 
for showing Freya just how much they missed her!

"Did everything go all right while I was out?" she said, bouncing Ida on 
her knee. "Are we an official team yet? I hope I didn't miss Christmas."

"Christmas??"

"Your scarves," she pointed. "It's not December, is it? I can't tell 
from my window." The two women turned scarlet as they attempted to 
weasel their way out.

"Uh, Freya...it's not December: it's still August."

"Then why are you..." Freya was smarter than she looked: failing at 
athleticism gave her the excellent opportunity to strengthen her mind. 
As far as she knew, scarves were only good for three things, and since 
it wasn't cold and Shiki rarely accompanied Maria's fashion whims...

First she snickered, then she burst out laughing as the answer came to 
her.

"What's so funny?" Ida said. "Is it because their faces are red? You 
know, I told them it was too hot for scarves."

"I'm just laughing because I'm happy," Freya said, giving her two 
closest friends a knowing stare.

Onwards to Part 26


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