Two weeks after his first meeting with the Cykes family, Simon was working on another case, alone at his office. A murder one, again. God there is killers at the moment.

He had already acquired some great experience on analytical psychology, in only a few days. Metis' lessons were very effective: he learned quickly, she was an excellent teacher. He was on the verge to manipulate some witnesses already, which made him feared by some people, mostly by the rookie attorneys he faced. Despite of being a beginner in his job, he was a promising prosecutor who had won more than half of his cases.

We were Wednesday, and he had just finished to prosecute a simple murder case this morning, in which the defendant was found guilty and convicted of killing her husband to get his money. Of course, common motive. The other case he was dealing with was far more complicated than that because neither the dead body nor the murder weapon was found. Absolutely nothing. There were only traces of blood, blood which belonged to the victim. It was pretty more difficult to prove the culpability of the defendant if nothing was left on the way. Therefore, the accused might be released. This same person was charged with murder only because a single witness crossed his path, leaving the murder scene when there was already blood on the ground. Besides, they found a gun at the accused's house although no prints were on it, as well as all the bullets. The police investigation was not over yet, so Simon still had hope for tomorrow's trial. He wanted to get some decisive evidence.

However, he warned Dr. Cykes that he would not be able to come at the Space Center today because of that same case. "Athena is very disappointed", is what he was told. The little girl was much attached to him now, far more than the first day he came to the lab.

He liked to spend time with her: they had always something to do together, like playing childish games –though it didn't bother him a lot- or drawing. Athena enjoyed teaching him how to draw correctly; he wasn't a pro at all. His eleven-year-old friend, on the other hand, was starting to acquire drawing skills. She drew during most of her free time –and she had a lot since she was usually not at school. Often, they both laughed when seeing the catastrophic result of one of his drawings.

"Look, I'm going to show you." She suddenly said, and she grabbed a blank piece of paper. Then she started slowly to draw the contours of Ponco, the robot she used as a model this time. Sometimes, they spent one entire afternoon to draw or to paint, and Simon was surprised to find an evolution in his capacities.

"I'm glad to see your progress! That's not as tough as it seems, isn't it?"

"Yes, you're right. It would appear that I do better than the first times…" Simon answered. "Athena. I'm going to suggest you something."

"What is it?" The little girl came closer to him, looking at him with stars in her eyes.

"Why don't you watch a Samurai series with me? That's very good for kids, I'm sure you could like it." He was a bit embarrassed to admit that he was watching that kind of series at his age –and it was one of the reasons why Aura usually laughed at him when they were alone.

"But Simon… You're not a kid anymore, aren't you?" She finally asked. He was sure of that question, so he knew what to respond.

"That's true. But Aura and your mother both know that I like Samurai things, and that show was the one I was watching when I was younger. I always liked it. I'm not fond of TV anymore since I'm working, but the series is still being broadcast."

"The show is called 'The Steel Samurai', no? I already heard of it. When I woke up early, I used to look some episodes. That's pretty good! Though my mom didn't approve entirely…"

"Really? So you would like to see it with me?" Simon smiled. He felt suddenly falling back into childhood. He didn't expect Athena to agree with his proposal, since it was not the type of show she seemed to like.

"Of course!"

But today, Simon had planned to come sooner as usual at the Space Center. It was only 11:00 AM –the trial had started at 9:30 and was over at 10:20 because of decisive evidence in his favor. He worked on his other murder case since almost thirty minutes, but he was starting to understand that he couldn't do much more for now. Maybe he'll get decisive evidence in the afternoon?

That's why he left his house, closed the door and started walking toward the Center. Since he left earlier than usual, he could go home sooner to finalize his case.

When he entered the big building, he directly headed to the robotics lab. The door was open, and Metis and Aura were working already. Simon cleared his throat in order to make himself seen, since he was very discreet.

"Why, hello, little brother! What are you doing here are this hour of the morning? It's only 11:15, you know." said Aura, looking up.

"Indeed. I'm done with my today case, and I wanted to see Athena."

When she heard that, Aura gave him a cold gaze: he could feel it so well. There were no doubts about it: his sister was annoyed with his request.

"Oh, you mean the little princess?" Aura sighed. "I still haven't seen her today."

"If you're looking for Athena, I'm afraid she's still in bed." Metis joined the conversation, smiling to Simon.

"At a time like this? Oh, well, if I may ask… Can I wake her up?" Simon seemed surprised because it was pretty late already, and she's usually awake before 10:00 AM.

"Of course you can. Go ahead! But don't forget to come back at the lab for our daily lessons." Metis agreed.

Simon went to their residence, located at the basement of the Space Center. He came here only once last week, when Dr. Cykes offered him a cup of tea after their appointment. However, he found his way easily. Athena's room was closed, and there was a drawing hanging at the door: she pictured herself and she wrote her name underneath.

The prosecutor opened slowly the door, and discovered little Athena sleeping soundly, her back facing him. He knelt before her, running his fingers through her hair, a tiny smile on his face.

A few seconds later, feeling the presence of somebody near her, she groaned slightly and turned herself so she was now facing him.

"Hello, you." whispered Simon.

"S-Simon..?" The little girl stammered, rubbing her eyes. She wasn't entirely awake. "What time is it?"

"It's noon in a few minutes. You slept tardily last night?"

"Oh!" Athena, surprised, got out of her bed quickly. "I, um, yes. I thought that my mom was going to wake me up, but she didn't."

"What were you doing so late?"

"I was drawing. Again. And I… I didn't see the time pass. When I looked at the clock, it was already two in the morning." She lowered her eyes in shame. It was the first time she went to bed after midnight, and she wasn't used to it.

"I'm not going to argue with you, you know. And your mother won't tell you anything, I'm sure of that." He smiled gently as he put his fingers under her chin, and Athena looked up to him. "Now, do you want to go for a walk with me? We could eat outside, too."

"Yes!" Athena's face lit up at Simon's proposal. "I'm going to get dressed, wait me in the room, okay?"

The little girl disappeared in the bathroom as soon as she said those words. During her absence, Simon looked at the bedside table. Athena's pink headphones were on it. They were big and heavy, but the hell she was going through when she didn't wear them was a thousand times worse. The prosecutor opened the shutters, then sat on her bed and looked around him. Athena's bedroom was decorated with yellow and blue wallpaper, onto which some of her drawings were displayed on the walls. Simon saw also one or two watercolor paintings. He was impressed: it was quite hard to believe that everything was the result of a work made by an eleven-year-old girl. "She's excellent." Thought Simon.

Ten minutes later, Athena came out the bathroom, ready to go.

"We can go now! Come on!" She took Simon by the right arm and pulled him out of the room. She seemed incredibly awake, unlike earlier.

"Now, now, Athena. How impatient you are."

The prosecutor chuckled, following the little girl. She stopped in front of the robotics lab and came in to hug her mother.

"I'm going for a walk with him, mom! Oh, and hi, Miss Aura!" She smiled a bit.

"Hi. Have fun with my little brother." Aura answered ironically, without looking at her.

"Athena, how rude. You could have asked me first before taking this decision, don't you think? But that's alright. He's not a stranger anyway." Metis was frustrated by the attitude of her daughter, though it wasn't really a big deal. However, she cared much for Athena. Perhaps too much, even if nobody besides the Blackquills noticed it.

"Sorry, mom. I'll tell you before, next time."

"Fine, then. Simon, take care of her."

"Don't you worry, Dr. Cykes."

They left the lab quickly afterwards. But, in the rush, neither the two women nor Simon saw that Athena didn't wear her headphones.

This time, Athena didn't really pay attention to what her mother just said. She just wanted to have fun with Simon, forget her worries and enjoy the outside of the Space Center since she didn't go to crowded places for some time. Maybe it'll be different with him?

When they were outside, they started to walk in a park surrounded by a lot of trees and benches. It was not far from the Space Center, and there was a hamburger stand at the other edge of the park. Since it was noon, it was time to eat something.

"Are you hungry, Athena? We could buy some fries out there."

"Oh yes! Yes, please! It's been a while I didn't eat fries… my mother don't really take me out, because of… y'know." Athena lowered her head.

"If it makes you happy, then let's go."

They both went to see the seller and Simon bought two portions of fries. Holding their food, they found a lonely bench near a big tree. As they sat down, Athena started to eat immediately.

"You're oddly starving for someone who got out of bed barely an hour ago." The prosecutor joked, eating at the same time.

"I didn't take breakfast, after all." They eat in silence during a few minutes, and then Athena spoke again. "You're unusually happy today, Simon! I can hear th—"

Athena suddenly ceased to speak, as she realized that she just told something she shouldn't have. Her headphones. She went out without them and nobody noticed it. Now, it became far too obvious.

"… Athena." Simon sighed by the look on Athena's face: again, she was ashamed. "You know that is wrong, don't you?"

"But…" She was interrupted by her friend.

"I know you don't like them. I really do, trust me. But I've already told you more than once that you really need to put it on your head. Shall I repeat myself again and again?" Simon had his serious look on his face, the look Athena didn't like at all. She hated it, in fact. She felt like if he was going to leave her all alone, like she was before she met him. However, when he acted like that, it was always for the same reason: Athena's ability. He wanted to protect her, in short.

"Simon… Please, I don't want to argue with you… I'm so sorry, I… I…" Athena began to cry. She was a very sensitive child, especially when people she cared about were mad at her.

"You what?"

"I just wanted to hear your heart…"

Simon laughed when he heard those words and his face became gentle again. "Oh, come on, Athena! Why on earth would you like to hear it? There's nothing peculiar about it."

"It's just… I'm always wearing my headphones when you're with me, and I don't even know what you're thinking. I was so curious… I wanted to know for so long."

"So that's why. You do believe I'm annoyed when I'm with you?"

"I don't know. I'm not used to be appreciated by people. I don't have friends, except Juniper Woods, and my mom is always working with Aura. But I already told you that…" She sniffled.

Simon put his bowl of chips next to him and came closer to Athena, then hugged her to stop her crying, while he was stroking her hair.

"Now, now, Athena. Hush, I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Simon. That's really mean."

"Don't worry about that, I understand your reasons."

He let Athena go, and the little girl dried her eyes.

"You know, I really enjoy my ability. At least, I'd like to…" Athena started to tell how she felt about her power. "I find it very cool and convenient. It's like a gift from my mom, considering her talents in analytical psychology. But you're well aware of that. Anyway, if I can hear people's feelings and hearts, I believe I can help them when they're in need. I could understand their pain or their happiness, even their anger or their fears… Not everyone is so lucky. But I… I know I'm too young to handle it. Besides, it's too strong for me. I had hoped it would fade in years, but that's not the case. I don't ever remember since when I'm aware of my ability." She ended her speech with a sigh. It was rather unusual for her to confess like that, but when she was with Simon, she was someone else.

"You know you're still a young girl, Athena. Don't lose hope. And, please, continue to wear your headphones. If you don't want to do it for your mom, do it for me. You're lucky there's nobody here today. How would we have coped if that wasn't the case?"

"I understand, now. Thank you very much, Simon." Athena kissed him on the cheek.

She gave him one of her best smiles and did the victory sign with her hand. She started eating again: as a consequence, her fries were all eaten in five minutes.

"Hey, Simon, why do you want to learn psychology anyway?" asked suddenly Athena, a fry in her mouth.

"I always wanted to learn it, especially since I'm a prosecutor. It interests me a lot. If I can put what I've learned to good use, then even the worse criminals could go into prison. I want to do my job the better I can. Not a single felon should walk free."

"Really? You can do that? It sounds so easy!"

"Except it isn't," he laughed. "But your mom is a really good teacher. In two weeks, I've learned more than I thought."

"Um, speaking about mom… Since she's working with you, she's got even less time for me."

"Do you think so? Her free time, she's using it for her researches. She's continually working for your sake. Though she neither wants to play with you nor talk with you, she's always thinking of you. Soon, everything will be over and your life will be as good as you both expect." He ran a hand through her hair and smiled. Then, he looked at his watch. "Well, we should go back to the lab. It's almost 2:00 and we wouldn't deceive Dr. Cykes, right?"

Athena agreed and rose from the bench, following by Simon. The two took the road leading to the Space Center, and the young girl was hopping on the way home for quite a while. When she had enough, she grabbed Simon by the sleeve to ask him something.

"Hey, Simon! Earlier, I told you I was sensing a strong happiness… What's that for?"

"Oh… Such an obvious question. I'm happy because I never had the chance to look after a child younger than me. Aura is my elder, and it was her who took care of me a few years ago. Furthermore, I'm glad to be your friend, Athena. It really means a lot to me."

"That's so cute!" Athena clapped her hands joyfully with a big smile on her face, stars on her eyes.

A short while later, the two entered the Space Center. Since it was Blackquill practice time, Athena left him and ran to her room, where she was going to "paint a picture of him", like she just said. On his way to the robotics lab, Simon walked slowly and thought about what Athena said to him concerning her ability when he came across his sister, just coming out the lab.

"Why, hello again, Simon! You're back quite soon." Aura smirked, full of sarcasm.

"You're well aware that I'm starting my lessons in five minutes, aren't you?" Simon frowned, surprised by Aura's tone of voice. It wasn't the first time, though.

"Indeed I am. But I expected you to be late, since you seem to amuse yourself with the little princess…"

"What is that supposed to mean, Aura?"

"Oh come on, Simon. You can fool everyone, but not your own sister."

"I still don't understand. By the way, why can't you call her Athena, instead of that silly nickname?"

"How cute! He's defending her. Hm, you see, I like that nickname. Don't you think it suits her very well?"

"Aura." He pronounced her name in a sudden serious tone. "I don't like the way it's going, nor your behavior. I found you impertinent these last few days. What do you have against Athena? I'm not an idiot, I understand you have some problem with her."

Aura sniggered suddenly, staring at her brother. "I thought you were far more intelligent than that. Are you not a well-feared prosecutor by now?"

"What does my career have with Athena, or with you?"

"When it comes to Athena, that's quite related. Are you going to lose everything you've worked so hard to gain, just because you want to see her every day?"

"Damn, Aura, what's your point? I'm well organized; I'm always spending at least four hours in my personal work. You know it!"

"And I suppose your love for the little princess isn't a problem." With those words, Aura was finally exposing the thoughts she was keeping for more than two weeks.

"Nothing troubles me in my work—Wait, what?!" Simon didn't realize at first the real meaning of her words, but he was astonished when it went to his head. "What are you blabbering about now? Athena is only nothing more than a child!"

"True. But age doesn't matter, right?"

"Aura, for god's sake, what's wrong with you? That's utter nonsense!" Blackquill was beginning to get upset. His sister was going mad with her thoughts and he was under the impression that it would be pointless to try to reason with her.

"Oh, just let it go. Anyway, you should be able to understand what I'm feeling now."

Simon crossed his arms, looking firmly at his older sister. By all means, he couldn't understand what she was meaning. Why such hatred against Athena? Why all these provocations and absurd suppositions?

… And then, he finally understood.

The word "feeling" resounded in his head. It was the key to everything.

"Aura. I finally get it. It took me a while, I can't deny it."

"Well, well! I'm looking forward to hear what you've to say."

"It might be rude to say it that way but… You're in love with Metis, are you not?"

Aura was stunned. She didn't expect her brother to guess, and least of all to say it that easy. For several months, she had hidden her feelings, even to her brother.

"… It's come to this, after all. Very well." Aura sighed and her mind seemed to be elsewhere. "You're perfectly right. That's futile, isn't it? When we're working together, there's not a single minute in which Metis don't talk about Athena. She's always claiming that she wants to see her smile, she wish all the best for her… I'm sometimes feeling like a simple and useless coworker, a good-for-nothing but to build robots. I know I've Metis's respect and everything, I know we're getting along well but that's not enough for me. And now… you, too, are always with her. Is she a magician or something?" She shrugged, and then laughed ironically. "How pathetic. I'm not even able to tell her what I told you. I'm feeling like a kid in the middle of high school drama."

Simon had listened carefully to her speech, and though he didn't really know what to answer in a situation like that, he understood better what Aura was feeling.

"Well… It seems clearer, now. I hope you don't really believe that I'm in love with Athena?" Simon wanted to hear the answer: who knew what she was really thinking?

"Of course not. Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm way too irritated."

The prosecutor was still a bit angry with Aura: he looked her with menacing eyes and that glint he used to have when he was arguing with someone or annoyed with something. In court, every witnesses and attorneys he faced were forced to keep quiet when he was staring at them with those eyes.

"There's no need for you to look at me like you do in court, it won't work." She tried to joke a bit, and she got her smile back. "Anyway, if you intend to stay mad at me, do as you wish. I said I was sorry."

"Speak to Metis." He suddenly ordered, without losing his glare.

"… What did you say?"

"That's not like you, to keep quiet like you do and to hide your true feelings, Aura. You should know better than remain silent. Metis is an open-minded woman, she will listen to you. You've got nothing to lose."

"… Thank you, Simon. I didn't believe you'd know so much about women." She laughed and then patted him kindly on his shoulder. "Go ahead, you've got your daily work to do with Metis."

Aura found hard to believe that it was her brother –a 21-year-old man who never went out on a date- which gave her a precious advice.

And it was clearly what she was going to do: have a serious chat with Metis, before it's too late.