"Might be time for a break."

Understatement of the year.

Red may have kept herself in pretty good shape, but running around fighting Processes for hours on end was not part of her daily exercise regimen.

She was too exhausted to even run when that Jerk showed up out of nowhere. She wasn't sure how she had survived that one.

She was beginning to like the name he had come up with for those things. They really were Jerks.

And so she found herself hobbling through the backdoor, dragging that anvil of a sword behind her.

Wasn't it supposed to be the man who carried the woman around?

Not in this relationship, it seemed.

If only she could point it out. He would probably find it funny. He needed a good laugh. No matter how much he tried to put on a brave face, she could tell he was suffering.

Just like her.

As she trudged over to the hammock, that tame Process that hung around came to greet her. What had he called it? Luna? It didn't matter now. She ignored it and continued on.

"Just a short nap. Then, back to work."

Sometimes, it was like he could read her mind.

Red climbed into the hammock and set the sword down next to it as gingerly as she could, her fingers lingering on it a few more seconds.

It was hard to make herself let go; to become fully alone again.

After all, what did she really have left? The music had ended, in more ways than one. She would never speak to anyone again. And even if she could, anyone she knew in Cloudbank had probably already gone to the Country.

All she had was him.

She reached down and pulled the sword into the hammock with her.

"Something wrong?"

Her arms and legs wrapped themselves around the flat of the blade, and she rested her head on top of the hilt. The edge pressed against her chest, but it didn't cut her.

Of course it didn't. He would never hurt her.

Still, her skin was met with cold, unyielding metal. No arms returned her embrace. No heart beat underneath. No chest rose or fell.

She didn't really have him at all.

Tears flowed freely as she wordlessly sobbed.

"Red, it's going to be okay. We'll get your voice back. I don't know how, but we'll figure it out."

He thought she was crying about that?

This wasn't about her. Not really. This was about them. There were so many things she had never told him. So many things they had never done together.

And now, she might never have the chance.

They had squandered their time together, and now it was gone.

"Red... I'm here for you. You know that right? No matter what, I'm always here for you."

The tears slowed. Yes, she knew.

She leaned over and planted a light kiss just above the red eye, figuring that to be the equivalent of his face.

She wasn't sure if she could stop the Process. As far as she knew, it might even be too late already. But there was one thing she was certain of.

Before this was over, she was going to see him again, face-to-face.

Even if they were the only two people left in the world, if she could only have that, she would be satisfied. Cloudbank could live on through the two of them.

They would be together again. No matter what it took.