My first Claymore fanfic. Be supportive and gentle with me please. Sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes and for the OOCness. Please R&R... and enjoy! That's the most important thing...enjoy!

Usual disclaimer: No need to remind me that I DO NOT OWN Claymore or any characters in it.

"Clare." 'Who's calling?'

"Clare." 'Who's there?'

"Wake up, Clare!" 'Huh?'

Clare woke up with a jolt. Her memory was fuzzy. She couldn't remember when she got there. 'Where am I?' The scenery was indeed familiar. But where? Slowly she tried to get up. 'So light, my body feels like feather.'

"Finally," a woman voice spoke behind her. A familiar voice whose owner was very dear to her. "Took you long enough to wake up. I never pegged you as a sleepyhead."

Clare turned around a little too abruptly. Her long brown hair swept her face, one strand got into her eyes. "Ouch," she moaned softly. Long hair was sure a hindrance when you were fighting Youmas. 'Wait! What? Long hair? Moreover, its color…..' Slowly, she raised her head to look at the person in front of her.

"Te – Te – TERESA?" Her heart stopped. Tears welled up in her eyes, forgetting the promise she made to herself long ago, even she couldn't remember when, not to cry. A tear slid down her cheek. "How is this possible?"

"Miss me?" Teresa smiled the sweetest smile Clare had ever seen.

"Teresa!" Clare screamed the name at the top of her lungs and lunged at its owner, hugging her fiercely, almost knocking Teresa off.

"Whoaa, calm down there, little missy," Teresa patted Clare's head gently. The girl looked up at the woman. 'Why is she taller than me? I thought I'd grown significantly taller these past few years?'

"You look just like I remember you. Is that how you really see yourself?" Teresa inspected the pale little girl in front of her.

"Eh?"

The blonde woman turned around and walked towards the lake in front of them. 'Was there a lake before?' Clare was officially confused by all these events that kept happening. 'What's all these?'

"Come here, Clare," The older Claymore beckoned the young one. "See your reflection," she ordered, pointing her hand towards the lake.

Clare cautiously approached the edge of the lake. Closing her eyes for a while, trying to gain some strength, she opened her eyes and gasped. No wonder Teresa was way taller than her. No wonder her hair was so long. No wonder it was still brown. The reflection she saw was of herself years ago, back when she was still pure human, back when everything was still making sense. "This is a dream, isn't it?" Clare asked brokenly. "You are not even alive," she stated softly.

"Yes… and no," Teresa answered, hands busy flicking the fire in front of her with a stick. The fire showed her face clearly with a faint smile playing on her lips. "This place and everything in it is a dream, but I'm not."

Clare just looked dumbly at the Hanjin Hanyou. Teresa chuckled at her expression. "Come sit here with me," she patted the place beside her on a fallen log.

"Teresa?"

"Why did you do it, Clare? Why did you become something like me? Why did you become a warrior?" Teresa ignored the young girl plea and instead bombarded her with question after question. A trace of anger flashed across her face for a moment and it was gone the next but Clare could see it clearly.

"Teresa?" Clare's voice was thick with tears.

"Didn't I make it clear to you that I wanted you to lead a normal human life? Even without me by your side? So why did you do it? Why?"

Clare jerked back as if Teresa had just slapped her. The tears of pain, confusion and loneliness that she had kept all these years rushed out like an opened dam. "I –," she was unable to find her voice, and her courage, to answer that question.

"Why, Clare?"

"I –,"

"Why? Why? Why….?"

"Because I wanted to avenge you!" Clare practically screamed her answer out, surprising the older Claymore.

Hearing the answer, Teresa's voice softened. "But why Clare? Why do you think there is a need for you to avenge me?" She hugged the trembling girl in front of her. "What made you think that I need it?" She asked, smiling slightly.

Clare took in Teresa's smell, her touch and the feel of Teresa's skin on hers and desperately tried to engrave it into her memory. She hugged the blonde back tightly, earning her a groan and a chuckle from the former #1.

"Ii ka, Clare? Your life now is driven by your desire to kill Priscilla. That's what fuels the fire within you. That fire in turn is burning your determination to become stronger and to stay alive. You're alive today because of that determination. But what happens when you've killed Priscilla? What's your drive going to be?" Teresa buried her hand into Clare's hair and stroking it gently.

Clare raised her tears-stricken face to meet up with Teresa's. "But, I'll be happy if I killed her. What more do I need then?"

Teresa sighed inwardly. "You're wrong, Clare. You'll feel lost then. You'll need me more than the happiness to stay alive. You'll need a new drive. And if you fail…..," Teresa closed her eyes.

"No, you're wrong, Teresa. I still have Raki," Clare explained, her eyes big in her eagerness to make Teresa understand her need for revenge.

"Ah, I totally forgot about that chibi who used to follow you around. When was that? Seven years ago? I bet he wasn't a chibi anymore, huh?" Teresa brushed her hair out of he face. "What if you die when you try to kill Priscilla? What about Raki then?"

"What about him? Of course he would be sad but he would go on with his life just like I did when you died."

"Yes, I see your point but did you like it when I died?" Teresa asked gently, looking deep into the girl's eyes, searching for something beneath all those layers of hatred.

"Of course not. I was lost and lonely and suic…."

Teresa cut in. "Then why do you intend on inflicting the same pain to others?" She prodded carefully, "After you've experienced it yourself?"

"I –," Clare was speechless. She averted her gaze from Teresa's, shame creeping up on her little by little.

"No matter how short my time was with you, I always felt like I knew you in and out, Clare. And I know you are willing to let everything go just to have that revenge. However, remember those that love you and how they would suffer if you were to die. Instead of living for revenge, try and live for them," Teresa got up and started walking towards the edge of the lake. Clare followed the once strongest Claymore closely, now wanting to lose sight of her.

"Do you know why you're taking the appearance of a little child and not the current you, Clare?" Teresa turned around to face the little girl who was just a little taller than her waist. She softly ruffled the auburn hair affectionately while waiting for the answer from the said little girl.

After a while and a few mental arguments with herself, Clare shook her head weakly before answering, "No."

Teresa sighed and pulled herself down to be on the same eye level as Clare. Putting her hands on Clare's shoulders, she explained, "Because your heart is still living in the past. Your spiritual development stopped the moment I died. Subconsciously, you're restricting your own growth, Clare." Teresa fell silent for a while. The evening wind felt uncharacteristically warm on her face. With a constricted voice, Teresa whispered, "You have to let go, Clare. You have to let ME go."

Clare's tears came flowing down, unstoppable. "But I don't want to forget you," Clare all but yelled.

Teresa chuckled softly. "Who ask you to forget me? I said let me go. Accept the fact that I'd died. Accept the fact that I moved on. Accept the fact that you couldn't resurrect me even if you killed Priscilla a thousand times."

"But Teresa, I have to kill that Awakened Being. I have too!" Clare's eyes beseeching the woman's eyes, trying to make her understand. "Are you saying that it's alright to let her roam freely and kill the humans?"

"Then do it for them. Don't do it because you've been driven by revenge. Do it because that's your responsibility to stop such thing," Teresa answered, brushing away Clare's tears with her thumbs.

"I don't understand," Clare furrowed her brows inquiringly but Teresa just smiled her faint smile.

"One day you'll understand. Now I have to go. I can sense that your heart is finally trying to let me go. And when it finally does, you'll understand," she said, turning on her heels. "Goodbye, Clare."

"No, Teresa, please. Not yet" Clare was frantically trying to grab the sleeves of the warrior's shirt before it disappeared altogether.

"Just remember me, Clare and I'll live in your heart for as long as you want me to."

"Teresa! NO! TERESA!"

****

"Oi, wake up, you freak!" Yet another familiar voice.

"Teresa?" Clare was still groggy.

"Teresa your ass! It's Helen, idiot!" Helen was standing over Clare, looking genuinely worried. "You scared us all with that yelling of yours."

"What's wrong, Clare?" Denève looked concerned. She had never heard Clare's screaming like that in her sleep.

"Are your brain fried or something?" Helen gently prodded Clare's head with her index finger.

"Leave her be, Helen, Denève. It was probably just a nightmare," Miria said suddenly, voice authoritative. She got up and looked closely at Clare. After a few moment of silence, she sat up straight again.

"Miria Nee-san?" Helen muttered.

"Nothing!" And to Clare, she said, "Whatever it was, Clare, think about it carefully," before walking away.

"Eh?"

"You'll understand it one day!"

A/N: My own delving into Clare's subconscious. My own understanding that revenge will give birth to nothing but more hatred. My own hatred for senseless wars and fights. My own way to tell the world that nothing will justify the killing of innocence. My own tears for this world and for the future.....