Part Six: Champions Ashes of Loss Sarah and Joyce stood together outside MERCS headquarters, awaiting news of their comrade's return. The two were interacting well despite the "misunderstanding" that arose from Sarah's first appearance, and were now inseparable. It seemed they both liked being alone, or at least away from all the others, having barely spoken to anyone unless it was necessary. This was understandable, since both girls had frightening powers that had isolated them from everyone else, even the kindest or most understanding soul—and yet here they were, together, holding hands, awaiting the arrival of the few people they were comfortable with calling friends. They noticed two vehicles coming instead of one, but merely assumed that more people were needed for this trip. Only four people came out of the vehicles: Xianq, Kailin, Sanaa, and Marissa, each looking as gloomy as the last. Their very bodies seemed dark and burdened by some great sadness; it was all they could do to limp out, shuffle aimlessly, and stare ahead, their eyes ghastly. They looked like they had peeked into some hellish abyss, their minds subsequently warped and their souls wrung dry. Joyce chewed her lip anxiously as she noticed that Aura was not among them, and stepped forward with a concerned face. "What happened?" she asked. None of the four older girls looked like they had the strength to say. Their combined despondency was contagious—soon the younger girls felt it as well. Finally Sanaa, the eldest in the group, managed to speak, though her voice was hardly there. "Get everyone together, would you? We have some awful news, and I don't want to repeat it more than necessary." Her brown eyes offered a further look into her soul's darkness; their stare alone was enough to convince the young girls that things really were serious. They ran off, and together, gathered everyone inside, even Dr. Kamaguchi and Pandora, who had isolated themselves from the others. Those who knew the four returning women well enough could tell that only a catastrophe would make them so distraught, so defeated, so hopeless in their agony. It took them awhile just to deliver said news; the reaction was just as they expected. "Aura Valeria...is dead." Gasps. Murmurs of denial. Some wailing. One person cried. Another growled. Some merely shook their heads, unable to believe it. Others were silent, contemplative, their faces like stone. Nobody took the news well, not even Kamaguchi, who was the first to really speak. "That is a shame," she said. "How did this happen? Weren't you all with her?" "There was nothing we could've done," said Xianq, her perky voice now dead. "She was...taken from us by somebody—that man that came here looking for help. His name was Darred the Numb-Mind, and he was one of the Dead Zodiac." Those that knew that title turned pale from shock, or else red with anger, or green from sickness. Marissa then recalled the events that had happened, in a chillingly monotone voice, straining her emotions near the conclusion. "We were apparently deceived by some form of strong mind control," added Xianq, "hence his name, I suppose. I was asked...to string dynamite around the building, and Kailin was asked to light the fuse. I didn't even know I was doing it." "Don't you dare tell them what I did!" barked Hsu angrily. "Don't you dare! It's my fault she's gone! If I hadn't been there, she might still be alive!" "You can't say that for certain," Xianq told her, but the younger girl was stubborn, enraged, and inconsolable. "But I was the one responsible for her death! If I hadn't been tricked into using my powers, she'd still be alive! Don't you get it? I'm cursed!! I'm just a stupid cursed fool! I hate myself! I hate my powers! I'm never going to use them again, never! I'm not going to be responsible for any more losses—NO!!!" Before anyone could even approach her, she lashed out at them, eyes burning with self-hatred. Again and again she denied the world hr abilities, even her own sense of value, and cursed herself and her family and her teacher and anyone else that had encouraged her, even Rin. "Just stay away from me, all of you!" she roared. Bubblegum Black finally had enough, and slapped Kailin across the face, making a small hand-shaped red welt on her cheek. The snapping sound was loud enough to be heard by everyone; they winced. "Do you think you're the only one who's in pain?! Just look around you! Everyone here's affected! Aura brought us all good fortune—no, she brought us good friendship! Everyone here is just as sad and angry as you are, Kailin! How do you think I feel?! She was my best friend! I was there too, I saw it happen—I had a hand in it, for heaven's sake! Don't close yourself in a sphere of misery without acknowledging how others feel! Don't be so selfish!" Bubblegum Black and Kailin glared at each other, both at their wit's end, both ready to break down into pieces. Kailin sniffled, and her eyes started to leak tears. She excused herself silently and went to her room; Rin sighed. "Damn," she snorted, "just one thing after another. I better go talk to her." "May I go instead?" asked Kathy, holding the older girl back. "I think she will need somebody a little more...understanding of these things. I have lost a cherished friend once, so I sympathize with her." Rin frowned but relented, and could only watch as the Angel ascended the stairs to their room. She looked at Snowblood, who was only faintly stoic, and then to Ferret, who was downright miserable. She decided to go off by herself, to think things over, and to let her friends absorb this disaster and calm down. Once things seemed a little calmer, Sarah finally asked, "What about that guy that went with them—Darred, I think. What happened to him?" "That's the only good news in this whole tragedy," Sanaa answered. "He thrust Aura into the warehouse before it blew up. It's safe to say that there's nothing left of him. It's one less enemy for us to face, but...such a cost!" She wouldn't say anything else, except for a brief "excuse me". It seemed then that the meeting was over, so everyone was now free to go off on their own and reflect what had happened. Yohko stayed behind, smoothing the wrinkles out of her coat, eyeing Pandora carefully. "Don't look so smug, Soma," she said evenly. "I know what you're thinking: one less freak of evolution in the world, right? I would say the same too, if I didn't have a use for them. Unfortunately in my line of work, they are all necessary evils." "So what exactly are you using them for? Look, I don't mind working for you—I actually like it—but I don't get why you have to have so many of them around. It's like living in a leper colony." She sneered and shuddered, as if already infected with some disease. Yohko nodded and fixed her glasses, more an act of habit than necessity. "Look, I know exactly how you feel. You know our feelings on them are the same. If I had no use for them, I'd take all my staff away from here and blow the place sky-high. But trust me, they are helping." "With what, your missions?" Yohko frowned and invited her colleague to sit down. The two shared a couch; she draped her arm around Pandora, as if they were closer than they acted. "That's just on the surface, a ruse, a legitimate reason to keep them here," she said, her voice low and conspiratorial. "You're a friend, and one of my most valuable employees, so I think it's time I let you in on my secret—the real reason I'm gathering them." Pandora smiled, and felt like she was finally making some progress in understanding Yohko's motives. "Go on." ......... Joyce retreated to the small garden that she frequented whenever she wanted to get away from the world—basically, her second home—and Sarah came with her, squeezing her hand in support. Jameson was plainly crying even as she walked through the quiet rows of vegetables and flowers, her teddy bear hanging by its stuffed paw in her other hand. The two stopped at a stone bench and sat, letting the day's ironic beauty attempt to warm them. How wonderful: Aura would've wanted this day to be pretty. Neither girl said anything; they just sat, holding hands, thinking back on how good Valeria had been to them, how she accepted them and befriended them, and how, luck aside, she had enriched their lives. "Just like my brother," Sarah whispered. "Taken away from me... But this person was a monster, wasn't he? He meant to do this. I still hate Sally, but even I know she didn't mean to..." She let out some air, and rested on Joyce's shoulder. Jameson turned pink just a little, smiled, and leaned over to kiss her dear friend on the cheek. A second butterfly, different from Kari but just as pretty, landed on Sarah's exposed neck, and rested its wings. Joyce didn't flinch when more insects came to gather around their mistress, not even when hornets or beetles arrived. She wanted to love them all, because Sarah loved them, and she loved Sarah, as only one monster could love another. "Oh, I'm sorry," came a voice from the door that led inside. Joyce looked up and noticed it was the Spoon Man, Haanz Glucklig. "I didn't mean to disturb you; I just thought this might be a good place to meditate." "You can join us," Joyce said. "I wouldn't mind...company." He smiled and thanked her, and took his time walking through the garden, careful not to disturb the girls. He did grimace a little as he noticed the insects crowding around Sarah—truly, this young girl had awesome powers—but he respected her and her symbiosis with them, and tread carefully. "I...heard you have both lost a good friend today," he told them a few steps later. "I didn't know Miss Valeria that well, to my misfortune, but I can surmise she was well-loved. I'm sure she is happy now, wherever she is. I just spoke with Miss Takamatsu; she seems confident of this. I...don't mean to embarrass either of you," he muttered shyly, "I'm just doing my best to comfort you. Forgive me if I..." "It's all right," Joyce assured him, smiling. "I appreciate it. You're...not such a bad man, Mr. Glucklig. I just...wish more people...could be so kind." He chuckled dryly, rubbing his naked scalp. "Oh, I'm not that nice! Some people in here call me names, most of which are true. I'm just...some fool who got a crazy power, and the will to use it to defend others. That's all I'm really good for, but defending people isn't such a horrible life. I do wish I were more like you, though—not thrust into this world of war, though I guess you are now involved. And there I go again." Now Joyce joined him in chuckling, and if she could move without disturbing Sarah, she would've hugged him. "It's all right. Thanks for making us feel better. We're both probably going to cry some more, but at least...it's peaceful now. Aura would want that." He looked over and smiled. "Yes..." "...What is it?" Neither Mora nor Lyn felt like continuing their rivalry. The moment was just too heartbreaking to keep something so petty fueled. Neither woman bristled as Cobra came to the balcony, stood next to Bloodbane, and leaned against the railing. The day was beautiful, sunny and warm, the way their hearts should have been. The loss was terrible, but how much more would it have been if the day were murky? "Mind if I join you?" "Why?" Johsen shrugged. Shival hissed. "Go ahead. Not that you care, but I liked Aura very much. She... I think she understood me a little. She made me feel more...human." "Oh? I thought that's what you were." "None of us are human, Johsen," she stated bitterly. "Being human means not having these freakish powers. Look at you, you're a snake, and I... Every time I bleed, I create a nihilistic object. You tell me that's normal. Aura, though...she really accepted herself, no matter what she could do or what she looked like. I admired that in her—maybe even I was jealous. But I liked her, and now that she's gone, I feel...less of myself than before." Mora said nothing. She wouldn't even know how to comfort her closest friend, much less this woman she hated. "Listen," she said after a lengthy pause, "I'm no good at this sort of thing. I've never had the opportunity to grow close to anyone. My family didn't want me, none of them. I had to live by myself, grow up alone, be my own teacher. It's a miracle I can even read and write. Even within the Divas, I never felt like I really belonged." A longer pause. "You too, huh?" Mora blinked. "You...as well?" Lyn snorted. "Don't get me wrong. At least you had a family, whether they liked you or not. I don't even know where I came from." "So you have amnesia?" "No. I remember perfectly. I just...don't...know. The only clue I have is the word Solaris, and that's it." "Solaris?" "A kind of flower found only in a tiny section of the world. It grows at a great speed, and its fluids harden in a matter of seconds. The people who discovered me thought I was half-flower." She chuckled to herself, at the absurdity of such an idea. Cobra blinked curiously. "Are you?" "I could be," she shrugged. "I've endless possibilities with my history. But who cares, right? I'm just Bloodbane, Lyn Shival, without an identity or a friend in the world. And I still hate you, Mora." She smiled faintly in spite of saying that; Mora returned it. "Oh really? Well that's great, cuz' personally I can't stand the sight of you. You're so damned ugly..." And yet...they found each other in an embrace. They shared each other. To love and to hate, to cherish and to cast away, to lose and to gain... Clouds and sun high above the world, matted against a monochromatic sky... Julie Smith cried herself to sleep, and she nearly dragged Kristin with her. Masterson was happy just to hold the tender-hearted girl in her arms, remembering to be careful with her strength. Even at its lowest level, she could crush bones and flesh with a tight enough squeeze, so she had to treat everyone, even the toughest person, with tender care. Maybe that was a way of compensating for her inability to express herself—tenderness over words, quiet love over passion. Julie woke up an hour later and smiled as she realized she was still safe in Kris' grasp. She cuddled the dark-skinned girl close, so happy to be with someone who not only loved her for who she was, but even one who saw her as somebody beautiful, in and out. They didn't say much to each other—all Julie did was cry, and Kris didn't know Aura well enough to comment—but maybe it was for the best. Kris greeted Julie's awakening with a smile, and leaned in to kiss the girl's lime-colored cheek. "Feeling better?" she asked. Smith nodded. "Yes-yes, Krissy good for making I feel better. Good person. Have very deep feelings for her. So good." She beamed beautifully, still unable to grasp the full concept of love, but willing to express it anyway with her limited vocabulary. Kris let the white-haired girl nuzzle her neck, feeling dizzy from the contact, and kissed her through that fuzzy mop. She wanted to hold Julie's face, to look into her red eyes, to see purity and love, the kind only a gentle monster could offer—but no, Julie was no monster. She was...so gorgeous... "Julie," Kris whispered, fulfilling her desires. Smith's skin felt so good... She smelled so wonderful... Masterson leaned in, now a breath away from the kiss that had been interrupted the other day—"I...love you, Julie..." Their relationship was sealed forever with but single act. Unfortunately, Julie had no idea what was going on. She just smiled, enjoying this new stimulus. "What was that?" she asked once her lips were freed. Kris grinned. "A kiss." "Kiss my mouth? Why there?" Kris was at a loss for words. How could she explain the epitome of nonsexual physical love? "It's...a very special symbol of love between two people. It means...I love you very much, and I wanted to...show you." "Oh. So Krissy loves me?" Kris blushed and nodded; Julie, for her part, suddenly glowed bright with happiness, and tackled her friend with enthusiasm anew. She tried a few primitive kisses herself, planting her lips clumsily against Kris' rosy mouth, sending jolts of pleasure through every one of Masterson's nerves. "Oh Krissy! I love you too, so much! So, so, so much! I love you, I love you, I love you!" Kris laughed—she was being suffocated—and wrestled back, playing with this beautiful girl, sharing love that was so primitive, so new and fresh and scary and wonderful. Then, after awhile, Lurker started crying again. "What is it, sweetheart?" asked Masterson, cupping the girl's pretty green chin. Julie sniffled. "I wish Aurie was here...so I could say I love her too." She moaned very softly and flung herself into Kris' arms again, but Masterson was not quite as receptive. Was Julie in love with Aura too? Did she even understand what she was saying? Didn't she know anything? Ah, but why would Kris know that as well, one who was so equally inexperienced? All she could really do was embrace Julie back, caress her and kiss her, and tell her that somehow, it was going to be all right. "I miss her too, sweetie," she said. Xianq Shou wept, but not like one who had no hope. Angel reported that Kailin was feeling better, although she still blamed herself, and still refused to use her powers again. Xianq knew the Ronin well enough to have heard their story, especially the part about their journey into the Afterlife. If Aura really was gone, then she was probably there, resting in peace and happiness, away from every sorrow. She had returned "Home", for good this time. How then could anybody be so sad at her parting? Yes Xianq missed her best friend, but...she could find joy too. Aura was now literally in Heaven, so there was no reason to be hopelessly depressed. "You all right?" asked Steve, who had been beside her as she wept. Xianq Shou managed to nod and even smile. "It'll be awhile before I can walk around without feeling the pain. I might eventually become that hyperactive young woman I once was, but something's going to be missing regardless. It's not every day you lose your best friend, especially since...I had a part in..." "You know it wasn't your fault," he said. She took in a deep breath. "Yes... Now I just have to believe it. How're Sal and Merry taking it?" "Well, Merry hasn't destroyed anything yet," he answered, smirking a little. Xianq finally giggled, just barely. "No," he continued, "they're both strong. Sal's more worried about Sarah—you know, because of her brother—and Merry's got her missing friends on her mind." "So today marks the first time, possibly, that we have all lost something. Heh... ‘The Lost'. I really wonder what all that means." "It means...that we're all the same," he replied, as honestly as he could. She smiled. "Yeah, you've got a point." She leaned up to kiss him, placing her mouth on his. They were still a little unaccustomed to being a couple, but they were trying. Sally and Merry soon joined them, just as concerned as they had been, and together spent a moment as four friends would, if one of their own had passed on. Merry, who didn't know Valeria, still swore to avenge her, along with her missing friends if the need arose. Sally just wanted peace, and to talk to her parents. She longed for the arms of her mother and father, to feel them comfort her in this hard moment. So much death, in such a short period of time! "We've got to have a funeral," Xianq suggested at last. "Aura would want that. After that, we've got to strike back at these enemies." "Where do we start?" wondered Merry. "We've got the remnants of the Dead Zodiac, those people calling themselves the Seven, plus this woman that killed Rin and Kailin, not to mention that Dark Scion Kagemush—I mean, Amielle mentioned. And do you think this Kissa character could be an enemy as well?" "I hate to add fuel to the fire," murmured Sally, "but Pandora seems suspicious as well." "One at a time, hon. Let's just rest for now, and have that funeral. We owe it to her at least." Setsuka had her daughter nestled in her lap, explaining why everybody was so sad. Innocent little Kohona still did not understand death, but when it was explained to her—"It's when somebody goes away...and they never come back."—she started to cry. She wondered why Aura would do something like that, but her mother told her that sometimes, people can't help it. Eventually everyone died—"Yes, even you and I will die someday, Kohona." "So you'll leave me alone then, mama?" Setsuka managed to chuckle. "Oh, not for years and years. By the time I go, you'll understand." "I don't want you to go!" she moaned, clinging onto her mother tightly. Setsuka hushed her child, blindly stroking her long hair with sensitive fingers. Rin, who had been talking to the Ferret until then, popped in her two cent's worth. "Don't worry, kiddo! Dying isn't so bad! You go to this real awesome place that's better than anywhere you can think of! Think of it as...going into another world. Yeah, that's it! Aura's in another world, and she just can't come here because, well...it's really far away." "Really?" Kohona wiped the tears from her eyes but still looked inquisitive. "If it's far away, how'd she get there?" And dear Rin, beaming happily, had the perfect answer. "Well, think of death as a kind of...one-way rocket ship. It goes so fast and so far, it takes the person to the other world instantly!" "Really? Can't they come back the same way?" "Uh, sorry, the rocket's one way. It turns into a star once it's carried the person away; that's why there are so many stars in the sky. I bet if you look real closely, you can see Aura's!" "Really?" This unusual explanation seemed to please Kohona, who finally smiled and clapped. Ferret was more inconsolable: she had performed several ghosting attempts since learning about Aura's demise, but wasn't able to contact her. "It's like she's not even there," she murmured, out of earshot from the child. "I hate to think...she'd be in the other place." "Eh, don't worry. It's a big friggin' place. Maybe it takes awhile to look for people." "...I hope so." "Hey!" Rin exclaimed, drawing poor Joanna into her grasp, "Why so glum?! We know she's in a good place, and we can probably revive her easily! Just look at Kailin and me!" "Would you really ask this Kissa person to bring Aura back?" Rin stopped to think about it, and came up with an answer. "...My God, that'd be terrible! She'd probably ask poor Aura to do something evil, like she did with us. I wouldn't even put my worst enemy through that." "Maybe it won't be so bad!!" insisted Joanna, raising her voice in desperation. "Maybe...she'll just have Aura do a harmless favor and that'll be that! Like...make a delivery, or cook her lunch, or fetch something from the store! We could ask her! We could beg her! We could..." The woman looked away, afraid to let others see her cry. Setsuka sighed, placing Kohona in Rin's care as she went over to Ferret and touched her shoulder. "...You were in love with her, weren't you?" "What if I was?" she snapped. Silence. "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It's true, I had a crush on her. She seemed like she'd treat me like a normal person, and not...like a freak, even though I am one." "No more freakish than any of us," Rin offered, but Joanna wasn't in the mood. "You have no idea! All of you, even the ones that belonged to that Lost group, are normal next to me! I'm worse than all of you put together! I'm just a...mutated freak! Every time I get close to somebody, they run off in terror when they find out my secret! It's better if I never get close to anybody! Nobody would accept me for what I am anyway, not even her!" "Joanna..." White was now bleary with tears. She had to cover her face with her sleeve, just to appear more in control. "Leave me alone!" she wailed. "You don't understand, none of you do. You only think you've had tough lives, but they're nothing next to mine! Just...leave me alone, please. I'm...sorry to sound rude, I'm just...sensitive about it. Excuse me." She stormed off, and nobody had the heart to go after her. Rin and Setsuka exchanged a glance, wondering just what was eating away at their friend, but they knew now was not the time to pry. Snowblood had a daughter to put to bed, and Rin had some inquiries to make. "What did you ask us here for?" Amielle, Alicia, Marissa, and Sanaa stood around patiently as Rin wrung her hands, looking at each of them expectantly. She knew that if there was any hope of getting Aura back, it would rest in these people. "Well, I've been thinking. If Aura's gone, can't we just bring her back, like what happened with me and Kailin? I know Kissa's a creep, but it's got to be better than what's going on now." "I'm not sure that's possible," said Sanaa. "You told us that Kissa was able to restore you, yes, but she had bodies to work with. Except for a...noticeable loss, the two of you were more or less already there—and in case you don't know, I don't really think there's enough of Aura left to...well, I don't want to sound grim, so I'll just shut up." She looked to Marissa, who gave her a very pale smile. She was glad Sanaa had stopped when she did—otherwise, the bad situation would only get worse. "...Oh," said Rin, grimacing. "Oh. I haven't thought of that. And she did say that it was easier to restore life if the body were whole. Umm, Amielle, Alicia, any suggestions? You two seem to have exceptional powers." The shadow warrior and the possessed girl looked at each other, their expression far from promising. "...I can't work such miracles," Amielle replied. "I can only deal in the dark. This goes beyond my understanding. If Pale were here..." Suddenly, the room glowed brightly for an instant, and when it became dim again, Alicia—now Pale again—stood to her feet and nodded. Amielle grinned. "Well, the squeaky wheel gets the grease..." "I heard everything," Pale told them, "but the situation is more hopeless than you know. If Aura's body were intact, bringing her back would be a simple matter. But even I cannot achieve that level of skill—only my Master, the almighty one, and He will not listen to me." "What about with me?" asked Marissa—the first time she had spoken of her revival outside of Kamaguchi's office. Rin looked confused, but since she was the only one there that didn't know, she had good reason to be. Marissa realized her error, and so was forced to tell Rin of her own destruction and revival. But that only made things more puzzling. "From what you said, your body was just as destroyed. How did you come back?" "It was a simple matter for me," answered Sanaa, though nobody had asked her. "My soul just had to be moved back into my body, and the hole in my chest sewn up—in layman's terms, I mean. Pale mostly did that on her own." "And Marissa?" Wainright turned dark red from embarrassment. She didn't want to talk about it, not even to save her friend. The method used was just too indescribable. "That path...is unavailable," she managed. "Trust me on this. We cannot use...that method. It is completely impossible." "Why?" "I don't want to talk about it!!" Rin shirked away, knowing when to leave well enough alone. Things really did seem hopeless now, but she didn't want to give up. "It doesn't matter how determined you are," Pale told her. "The fact of the matter is that Aura is gone, and there's no bringing her back. I am sorry. Sometimes...these things just happen." "So there's no other way?" Pale shook her head. Rin's face twisted in disbelief. "What a load of shit!!!" she screamed. Nobody saw her crying as she stormed away, and nobody would. The remaining girls simply basked in the hopeless silence, knowing there was nothing more they could do, except perform the final rites of passage, and pray for their friend's soul. ...... Everyone attended, even Dr. Kamaguchi and Pandora, though the latter had been forced to go. Since there was no body, a weighted casket had to suffice. The whole thing was held outside, in the garden that Aura had frequented, and nary a dry eye was in sight. The people who considered themselves her friends stood up to speak, saying nothing but praise and love for the young woman, each one proclaiming how much she meant to their lives. "She did not merely have an aura of good fortune to her," said Father Pochanski, who performed most of the service, "but an aura of love, of devotion, of humble selflessness. She was always helping those in need, those who were most desperate for her skills, yet she never sought to further her power. For one so good to die so early in life, to be taken from this world so violently... It brings a tear even to my eye." He paused to dry his cheeks, and continued. "Aura Miracle Valeria, brought into this world against all odds. One could say she sacrificed herself in order to destroy the enemy. Others could say that she died so that others might live better, more full lives. Those of us here that know death, or the edge of it, know now that she is happy and at peace with herself, finally with those she has lost. No better fate...could await any of us. I was...happy...to have known her...and I shall miss her, though I know now she walks in the house of the Lord." He wiped his cheeks again, and excused himself for others to speak. Few refused a chance—even Kamaguchi said a few kind words—and once they were done, flowers were laid to rest on the casket. It was decided that the vessel would be sent to drift in the ocean, and so Aura's six closest friends volunteered to drive it down to the sea, and cast it off with tears and weeping farewells. Later that night, Joanna White, not yet devoid of tears, paid a visit to her friend Kailin, and found her nestled safe in the arms of an Angel. Rin and Setsuka were sharing a bed as well, little Kohona sandwiched between the two. Sarah and Joyce were together, Sally and Merry were together, even Mora and Lyn—even Steve and Xianq shared a bed. Few people could say they were alone that night, except herself. She stayed up all night, refusing to go to sleep until the stars showed up. She wanted to see which one was Aura's, to bid the girl she had fallen for one last farewell. And so, the night opened, played through its act, and steadily turned to morning. One week passed. Joanna definitely felt better as she stepped outside in the sunny air. She was visiting what was now called Aura's Garden, the small place that Lady Luck had visited so many times, the same one where the funeral had taken place. It was now an eternal memorial to the girl, where anyone could go to meditate, and often many people did. Joyce and Sarah were there, already up and playing, looking much happier now that they had both been given time to cry and recover. Joanna smiled and even managed to laugh a little as she watched them run around. "Hi! Have you two seen Kailin anywhere, or Xianq?" "Hsu's in her room with Kathy," said Joyce, who was making good social progress. When Ferret looked at the young girl, a kind of...understanding could be seen between the two, as if their pain and isolation were something they both knew. "As for Beeg," she continued, "the girl's off on some date with her boyfriend." "Oh, that's great. Do you know if Hsu's in a good mood or not?" "Can't say. We only saw her once. She didn't look happy or sad." "Oh, I see. Well, I hope she's getting along okay. Are you two well?" Both girls smiled brightly, holding hands and looking rather darling together. If at that age, they were just discovering the first twinges of love—with each other or even other people—then Joanna was happy for them. Even if she never found that special someone, at least her friends would, and that was a joy, the quiet sort, the one that few people noticed or appreciated. "We're pretty good," they sang. Joanna returned their smile and, except for some light chatter, left them alone as she patrolled the garden and took in its small wonders. Flowers, exotic bugs, the clear sky, the few other people there, the stone erected to commemorate Valeria... Surely the Lady Luck would smile upon it. After a few hours of staying in that place, Joanna decided to go back in for something to eat, but took the long way around since it was such a pretty day. She didn't pass anybody else, although if she looked very, very hard, she could make out a small blur off in the distance, like a mirage. A mirage that was growing. A mirage that was coming closer. She squinted, peering carefully (shielding her eyes from the sun), wondering if it was just some trick, maybe her eyesight growing worse. No, that was definitely somebody on the horizon, and they were coming closer, slowly closer, steadily onward. Probably a visitor, or a client, somebody here to see the doctor. Joanna decided she'd greet this person, maybe make a new friend, and waited patiently. She soon wondered if her eyes were deceiving her again, for the person in the distance looked awfully familiar, and if she peered just right... But no, it couldn't be! ...Could it? Could it? She dared hope. Her skin crawled as the person came closer, closer, closer still, now so visible that she could see them limping. Her mouth widened in surprise, her heart leaping for sheer exhilaration, hoping that her vision was true. The person saw her, and smiled. Tears of delight formed and trickled down the Ferret's face as she called out their name, singing for joy. "...Aura!!!" Next chapter: Liberation
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