The girl punched him again. She did it especially harder this time, causing her to use strength that she wasn't really capable of controlling. The recoil made her fist feel as though it was on fire and she could feel her heart beating within it. Her gaze drifted down to her fist and she placed the other hand gently around the back of her wrist. She mumbled quietly as she put eye power into affect and began to fade.

"Don't say things like that…" The girl whispered and then faded away. Kano sat up on the ground and Mary walked over to him with a washcloth and began to wipe a little of the blood off his face.

"Are you okay Kano?" Seto said as he walked over to where the boy was.

"Yeah," he muttered as he took the washcloth from Mary. He paused for a minute to mouth a thank you and then took it and wiped the rest of the blood off, "But, man, Kido sure put a lot of energy into that one. Geez, you would think she was trying to kill me!" The boy chuckled.

"Well, you know she doesn't like any of us to say things like that. Especially after, well, you know…" Seto trailed off as he pressed a band-aid against the boy's cheek, causing him to wince. "Kano, I know you understand what kind of effect that day had on Kido. It hurt all of us but she took the most damage. Try to be more sensitive…" He pressed another one against the boy's forehead.

"…Okay…"

Kido sat in her bedroom. She glanced down at her still clenched fist as Kano's previous remark echoed vividly through her mind. It made adrenaline race through her body and Kido felt almost as if her brain had shut down when those words had spilled out.

The two of them had been in another pointless argument which led to Kano chuckling slightly while Kido grew more and more enraged by the second. Eventually Kido had pulled Kano up into her face by his shirt collar and was glaring down at him. Finally Kano spit out laughing.

"Kido, you look like you're about to push someone off a building!" Her eyes had gotten cloudy within that moment, and her fist just pummeled him in the face. If he had said anything else it would have been perfectly fine. Any other remark would have been fine. He had somehow pushed her into a mental corner and aimed for her weak spot. The Kido shifted her gaze to the sliding glass door and watched as the light drizzle of the rain dripped off the gutter. She slowly curled up into a ball, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her head sideways on the knees facing the window.

The door creaked open and Kano slithered into the room through the small opening. He shut the door and shuffled over to the bed, where Kido sat.

"It's sure is a dismal day, eh Kido?" Kano whispered as his legs dangled off the bed, his back towards Kido, "I'm not a big fan of these rainy days. It's always so humid and the rain just seems to stick to you."

"…I like rainy days…It reminds me of the times when we would stay inside with Ayano-nee and play games…" she mumbled, not moving a muscle. Kano looked over his shoulder at the girl and smiled a little. He pulled his legs up onto the bed and gently wrapped his arms around the girl. He nuzzled his face against her dark olive hair and spoke in a smooth voice that did not seem to belong to him and that would calm even the most hysteric child.

"Tsubomi-chan…Ayano-nee loves you…" The girl began to shake as tears fell down her face. Once again, Kano had broken down the wall she put up in her mind. He had broken down the fake personality she had built up.

Seto knew that I understood what Ayano's death did to Kido, he also knew that I was the only one who could help her cope. Kido and I, we were very similar. Whenever I lost sight of myself, she could knock me back to reality. Kido needed me for a different matter. She didn't need to be knocked back to reality. She faced reality straight on. That was what destroyed her. Kido needed someone to remind her that she still is a child. We all are, until we are able to face reality with our childhood fantasies. We shouldn't leave behind memories, but we shouldn't let them slow us down either. We need to hold onto the memories, even the bad ones, because we can use them as little reminders to help us overcome our current and future issues. But, sometimes, you can't just face reality with memories you've made, but you'll need the ones you are making. Even the just taking one step right now, that memory is now one you have made, but it was one you were making. Each one will help you on your journey. We all have a journey, and even though they are different, it is a journey not until the end of time, but the end of our time. Ayano's journey had finished, and the memories we make remembering her, they will help us move on. Kido, I will knock you back to the fantasy world when I can make my eye power stronger. Then I will be able to make you see a world that will make you smile again. Even if I reach the end of my time by doing it, I will make you smile again, in the same way Ayano did.

I will become your Ayano, Kido.

I promise.