Setting the table for two instead of three at home, seeing the empty desk between her and Patty at school, answering all the questions that their worried classmates kept asking, paying Kid a visit in the infirmary every afternoon - all of these things blocked Liz from forgetting about blaming herself. Patty was all right, she had always been like this, she could easily handle situations like that. But it was different for her, since she hadn't done anything wrong. She had remained cheerful when taking a look at that terrible snail, she hadn't been paralyzed by fear, she hadn't failed to fire when Kid had wanted to attack.

Liz tried very hard to hide her worries when talking to her friends. She didn't want anyone notice that something was wrong, even Maka, though being certain of that she would have understood her feelings. She tried to act the same way as before, but when she was alone, she always kept thinking about the same thing, that blessed and cursed word that had changed her life back then.

Symmetry.

Without that word, she and her sister would have never been able to become Kid's partners. They would have never gotten to know him. And she would have never been so close to him. Having the same shape as pistols was enough for him to ask them to be his weapons. No matter that one of them was unable to execute her duty. All because of damned symmetry.

I must get stronger.

She decided to do it for real. To be worthy of being his weapon.

That day, when Kid was finally allowed to leave the infirmary, Liz felt terrible but very happy at the same time. She was at home making dinner, waiting for him and Patty to arrive. However, she was afraid of the moment she had to look at him.

"We're home!" she suddenly heard Patty's cheerful voice from the hall. She immediately rushed out to greet them. Kid was standing next to her sister, without bandages, a warm smile on his pale face. Without thinking, she stepped toward him and embraced him tight. Not that she hadn't seen him in a while, they met that afternoon in the infirmary. She just felt like it.

"What's with this sudden emotional behaviour?" he asked while hugging her back. She let go of him blushing, turning her back at him.

"I'm not emotional." she answered while going back to the kitchen, hearing Patty's laughter behind her.

---

Since Kid had got injured by that snail, Liz had been afraid of going on a new mission. However, the time for that had arrived soon. The three of them were standing in front of some ruins somewhere near Cusco, waiting for Kid to sense the evil soul they were looking for. Patty was squatted, poking some stones with her finger, quietly humming. Liz gave a sigh.

"Hey, Kid, how long do you plan to stay here and do nothing?"

"I'm trying to sense what's waiting for us in there." he answered, scratching his head. "But now that you say, it might be easier if we get closer."

As soon as they entered the old, ruined town, Liz immediately regretted making a complaint before. Her whole body shivered just by looking at the ruins around them. But she decided to remain calm no matter what. She had to be strong. But still she made a quiet cry when Kid suddenly stopped and stared at the ruins of a temple in front of them.

"There she is." he said, frowning his eyebrows. "Mama Ocllo. This wavelength... I know this type. It won't be that difficult, but this wavelength might have some strange effect on you, if you have doubt in your souls. So be careful, you two!"

Patty answered with a laughter, but Liz twitched.

"I don't care any wavelengths" she noted, "but I really hate places like this. They're usually full of ghosts."

Kid smiled at them, and clapped his hands.

"Right, let's go in!"

"Yeeees~" Patty said happily, following Kid into the ruined building. Liz made a groan and went after them.

It was even more scary inside. Darkness everywhere, expect for the middle of the temple, where the ceiling had fallen down and the sunlight could get in. Liz stopped, and grabbed Patty's arm.

"Something is there!" she said, pointing at the beaming light. Patty leant forward, blinking, Kid also gave a look at it. She was right.

The pre-kishin Mama Ocllo looked so different than the others they had beaten before that, at first, they didn't even realize that she was their enemy. She looked like an angel, or a goddess, with a warm light around her body. So beautiful, yet so terrifying. There was something extremely frightening in her eyes, but Liz wasn't able to take hers off them.

"Liz, Patty!" Kid said without thinking. The girls transformed, Kid caught them and pointed them to the villain. "I'll take your soul!" Then he shot.

"Do you want to be strong?"

As he pulled the trigger, Liz felt her fear rising hard. Before she could do anything about it, she released the shot, a much more powerful one than her sister did.

"Strong?"

"What's wrong?" Kid shouted, his left hand, in which he held Liz, shaking. "Liz, is that you again? You're shooting asymmetrically!"

Again with symmetry. Again with that word. The reason why she had felt guilty for such a long time. Not being worthy of him, yet, along with Patty, being the only weapon he was able to hold. Because they looked alike as pistols.

"Do you want to be strong?"

"Yes, I do."

AN:
Huh, I think the second part is lame :S But at least it's done. I kinda started to dislike this story though. And yeah, their mission must be in Peru, and Inca mythology rulez :D The best part of writing this chapter was reading about Inca culture, it's quite interesting, though I didn't use too much of it in my story ^^;
And thanks for your reviews again, I hope you'll write on this chapter too ^^