She'd always thought it'd be hard, but she had underestimated just how hard…
Every muscle in her body burned. It hurt to breath, let alone move. But move she must. She had to, there was no other way for her. This was her decision, it was her dream… And she would be damned if she was going to let a little thing like pain stop her.
"Again! I want to do it again!" Rosetta shouted angrily up at her trainer.
Ken Robinson looked down towards the young Belgian woman who snarled up at him from the dirt floor. He had to admit to himself that Rosetta had grown much since the time he first met her. The stubbornness that the little Diablo prodigy showed was still running strong in the young woman before him. If anything, Rosetta's determination has grown with her in age.
"Alright, let's do it again," Ken agreed with a nod of his head. He then recalled back the steel ball with the same weight as Sora. He set it into position while Rosetta gritted her teeth in a fierce smile and forced herself to her feet. She raised her right hand, and held her arm straight, ready to catch the mini-wrecking ball that was about to fall her way.
Not far off, another cry of pain was heard in the distance. Ken hesitated and glanced back over his shoulder towards where he had heard Sora. He sighed, softly before looking at Rosetta again. Ken would have liked to help Sora re-train for the Legendary Great Maneuver, but Sora had asked him specifically to be the one to train Rosetta. She had said that she trusted him to teach Rosetta, and Ken, being unable to refuse her anything, agreed. At first he hadn't understood why Sora insisted on retraining for the great maneuver, but then the Japanese performer told him that Rosetta deserved all the hard work that Sora had given Layla.
That was just like her. In spite of the fact that she had already performed this maneuver before, Sora still approached this training as if it were for the first time.
"I'm ready, c'mon!" Rosetta's voice jarred Ken back from his thoughts and he nodded his head in return, and released the steel weight.
"Arrrghh!" Rosetta let loose an angry cry as the ball swung in an arc, straight for her. Her gaze was fierce as she stared down the steel ball. With a meaty SMACK, the ball connected with Rosetta's hand, and Ken's heart leapt for a moment, sure that Rosetta had finally caught the weight in her palm! But Rosetta was thrown off her feet by the momentum and tumbled to the earth once again.
Rosetta gasped for air as she laid on her back, her entire right arm aching and stinging. The shock of the weight slamming into her palm was like lightning up and down her entire arm. It seemed impossible. How was she supposed to stop that thing? But she knew that it was possible. That Sora had done it. Not only had Sora stopped that weight, she had also thrown it back full force. Just as she had been able to stop the momentum of Layla Hamilton, and perform the Legendary Great Maneuver.
Rosetta's hands balled up into tight fists and she slammed them down on the dirt beneath her. This was so hard, but there was no way that she was going to run away from this. No way at all. This was the way to her dream. She'd come so far just to be at this point. She switched her focus away from Diablo to the trapeze, and although it wasn't easy to break into something new, she had managed it. She had done it.
And she could do this.
"Again," Rosetta said softly from the ground. But then she sat up and shouted stronger this time, "AGAIN!"
Ken paused. He almost told Rosetta that enough was enough. That she should rest. But he recognized the look in her eyes, the same look Sora would get in her eyes. Rosetta was far from done. Ken made a judgment call; Rosetta's body could handle a little more training. She was young, and strong.
"Alright, get up. You managed to catch the weight, but you have a long way to go. Now you need to actually stop it, and push it back!" Ken pulled the weight back, and readied it again.
"Right!" Rosetta responded. She gritted her teeth and once again forced herself to her feet. I can do this. This pain is nothing. It's not going to be an obstacle. I'll work past this pain, and I'll achieve my dream! My dream of doing the Legendary Great Maneuver with Sora!
Sora. Rosetta owed her so much. Sora had given her so much, and showed her so much. It was Sora who had taught Rosetta what it had felt like to perform for the audience again. Sora who had given her back her smile. Sora was her hero, her role model, her dream! Ever since Rosetta had seen Sora perform the Legendary Great Maneuver she couldn't think of anything else.
For days Rosetta would close her eyes, and she could still see Sora and Layla circling through the air, suspended by magic. She would lie in bed, and that would be all she could think about. And then… she started seeing herself in the air with Sora instead. The shock of nervous excitement that flew through her at the thought made her gasp. She knew that she wouldn't be happy unless she raced towards that vision.
Rosetta still loved Diablo. She could never imagine giving up such a large part of her life. Diablo had been with her for almost as long as she could remember. She loved the way she felt when she learned a new Diablo move, and the pride when she perfected it. Rosetta had always been the type to race towards something full speed. When she had a goal in mind, she would give it her all. Of course, she was sometimes consumed by this very tenacity. She would strive obsessively towards perfection. It was this part of her nature that led her to become the Diablo Machine.
Before Diablo it had been her studies. Rosetta was never happy with herself until she could get a 100%. An A wasn't good enough for her. She had to get every answer right. She had to do everything right. She worked so hard, and would become consumed with her school work. Her agent, who was only her mother then, worried about her. Her mother worried that Rosetta would spend too much time inside, so she encourage Rosetta to pick up Diablo. Rosetta's own mother had practiced it a little as a child, and thought that it would be a good past time for Rosetta.
Of course, it had been a fantastic past time. But of course Rosetta became too focused on perfection once more, and became the Diablo Machine…
Well, now she had something else to focus her energy on. And that was her training right here right now!
"You know, Rosetta, I think you're probably just as crazy as Sora is," Mei said critically as Rosetta hobbled into the dorms.
"Hehe, I'll take that as a compliment," Rosetta said with a weak chuckle.
"Of course you would," Mei said with a sigh, and then helped Rosetta to her room. Mei Wong had grown considerably kinder to Rosetta and Sora. Sora especially. After viewing the Angel's maneuver Mei had grown calmer. She was still as proud as ever, and she still claimed constantly that she would beat Sora, but she wasn't as loud and obnoxious about it as she used to be. She now accepted Sora as a worthy opponent, and Rosetta secretly believed that Mei had accepted Sora to be better than her.
"Did Sora come back yet?" Rosetta asked before flopping on her bed, not even pausing to push aside a stuffed animal, she still kept.
"Shockingly, yes," Mei said with a shrug of her shoulders, "You finally managed to work out there even longer than Sora did. She came back a bit ago."
"Really?" Rosetta exclaimed in shock, and she started to sit up, but then gasped in pain, and laid back on her bed.
"Yeah, really," Mei responded as she turned away, "I'll tell her you got in, she was looking for you. And being really weird to boot. It was like she was talking to the air. Something about fortune telling, and a fool."
"Oh really?" Rosetta asked non-chalantly, already putting two plus two together. The fool had probably seen something in the stars about their training for the Legendary Great Maneuver. It must be something big, or else Sora wouldn't have made such a scene in front of Mei... "Well, thanks Mei."
"No problem," Mei said as she shut the door behind her.
And so Rosetta was left alone with her thoughts.
"You worked hard today, do you need a massage?"
Her thoughts and a fool…
"Fool! How'd you get in?" Rosetta gingerly sat up and looked at the floating little man.
"Through the window, now, about that massage…" The Fool floated dangerously close to her chest, his hands reaching forward grasping the air.
"Cut it out!" Rosetta yelped and swiped at the Fool causing him to fly through the air and smack against the ground. The perverted man had also began to notice Rosetta, now that her body had matured. Rosetta still had a bit more respect for the Fool than Sora ever gave him, but her adoration of the Fool had waned with time, and knowledge of his true nature. It was hard to be in awe of a little doll that constantly tried to peep on you in the bath.
"Ughh… what happened to the sweet days of 'Master Fool'? …" Fool sobbed miserably on the ground, shedding pained tears of frustration.
"They ended when I caught you in the shower with me," Rosetta said with an irritated gaze.
"Oh, the Fool is here already," Sora said surprised as she opened the door to Rosetta's room.
"Sora!" Rosetta's face broke into the brightest of smiles as she felt the familiar flutter of butterflies in her chest at the sight of her role model.
"Hi, Rosetta. You were out there a long time," Sora said with a soft laugh. She pulled a chair over to Rosetta's bed side, smiling. She looked about as bruised and bedraggled as Rosetta did.
"Speak for yourself!" The teenager said indignantly, "This is the first time you ever came home before me!"
"You got a point, hehe," Sora responded sheepishly and she scratched the back of her head. The years of time since Sora first performed the angel's maneuver showed more readily on Rosetta than her. Whereas Rosetta's body had room to grow from her childish physique to the body of a young adult, Sora's body had already matured. The biggest physical change would be that Sora's hair had grown much longer. It was almost as if Sora was unconsciously imitating her old partner, Layla. However, the most prominent changes weren't on Sora's body. They were on her soul. Sora had matured through her challenges and years in Kaleido Stage. However, she was still as optimistic and joyful as ever, the same Sora that everyone loved.
"Well, now that you're together, I have something to tell you two," The Fool made his presence known by gracefully floating up between them. His expression now somber.
"Oh, that's right. Fool, you were saying something earlier about our stars. What was it?" Sora asked.
"The Ram and Sagittarius are nearly aligned," the Fool said, and Rosetta felt a leap of exhilaration. "The light of the Ram wavers as it approaches Sagittarius's brilliance. If nothing changes, the Ram and Sagittarius will be extinguished…" The fool's expression turned grave, and he focused upon Rosetta, harshly, "Meaning, if you attempt the Legendary Great Maneuver… you could die."
"I already know that!" Rosetta cried out, throwing her hand to the side, "I already know that I'm not ready! I know I'm not worthy to be Sora's partner! That I'm not nearly as good as her! I'm still training! You don't need to tell me what I already know!"
Angry tears collected at the corners of Rosetta's eyes. She hated that she cried so easily, but she couldn't stop herself. Her throat was knotted tight, and the tears wouldn't stop, no matter how much she tried to will them away. She wasn't a kid anymore! Crying wouldn't solve anything!
"Rosetta," Sora's voice was as soft as the hand that rested on her shoulder, "Don't you see?"
Rosetta swallowed hard, twice, before daring to peak at Sora from the corner of her eye, the tears of anger still flowing, "What?"
Sora smiled gently at Rosetta, "Rosetta, you don't believe in yourself. Don't you listen to yourself?"
Rosetta blinked in surprise, and her breath hitched. She was frustrated that she couldn't stop crying, frustrated that she was being such a baby in front of Sora. That frustration only made her want to cry more. A vicious cycle.
"Rosetta, of course you're good enough to be my partner. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing this with you. I believe that you can do this, that you're my partner. Why can't you believe in yourself? Rosetta, as far as I'm concerned, you ARE my partner."
Rosetta stared at Sora with a look of… almost wonder. Then her expression crumpled and the red head lunged forward, "Sora!" and buried her face in Sora's chest. She hugged the older woman tightly and bawled.
Sora laughed and patted Rosetta's back, both of them hurting from their excursions, but neither caring. Sora just hugged Rosetta back as she cried, just as she had done many times before. They stayed this way until Rosetta's tears began to dry up.
"Sora!" Rosetta suddenly sat up, and grasped Sora's shoulders.
"Ah! Y-yes?" Sora blinked.
The girl's expression was intent, and there was a fire in her eyes. Her blue eyes were reddened, but no tears lingered in them, "I'm done crying!"
"That's good," Sora said carefully...
"No! I mean," Rosetta shook her head slightly before fixing Sora with her gaze again, "I mean I'm done crying from now on. I'm not going to cry anymore! I'm going to work harder than ever. I will complete my training, Sora, and we'll do the Legendary Great Maneuver!"
"Of course," Sora said brightly, as if Rosetta had stated a well-known fact, "That's what I always felt."
"Right!" Rosetta said with the brightest of smiles on her face. She looked just like the child that Sora had seen, right after she had won the Diablo battle. The same child that-
"Thank you Sora!" Rosetta cried out, and threw her arms around Sora's neck, and then kissed her cheek.