Epilogue a: Final Message

When they came back to the cruiser, they remained silent all the way, with Rallen still carrying his brother's corpse. Rallen immediately went to their resting chambers and finally set down his brother against his bed. The back of his uniform was sticky and reeked of blood, but Rallen couldn't bring himself to care. Jeena came into the room a little later, wordlessly carrying a first aid kit, as though she already realized what Rallen was planning.

Rallen only nodded and started to remove the bloodstained clothes that covered his brother's body. He paused once he had the shirt off, however, to move Rex's bangs aside. Jeena gasped in alarm at the large scar that ran over the man's eye, but Rallen only frowned sadly as he ran his fingers over it briefly, before letting the bangs drop again.

With the shirt gone, Rallen picked up the roll of gauze and began to wrap it across his brother's chest, and Jeena moved over to help him, to cover the gaping hole that neither of them wished to think about or even look at. Once done with that, Jeena moved away and walked to one of the machines they had in the room.

It was something that Rallen fondly referred to as 'the Tailor'. Given their profession, it wasn't uncommon for them to rip up their uniform or smash their armored gauntlets or boots. Since there were times when NPP Officers couldn't be on inhabited spots of the planet all the time, the higher ups had deemed it necessary (for both safety and vanity) for all ships to have such a machine. It allowed them to warp in a new uniform from NPPHQ in the event it was needed.

Jeena wordlessly typed in the required items in the required size (having already scanned Rex for the measurements), and watched as the items were warped in. Picking them up, she walked back to Rallen to help him silently. It took them a little while to get the items on Rex, however, as rigor mortis was steadily starting to creep in on the body, so they moved as fast and careful as they dared.

And finally, Rallen pulled his brother's body upright and placed him down upon his bed, fully clothed in the NPP uniform, with the only real exception being his right arm, given that he was missing quite a chunk of the limb. If they didn't know any better, they could almost swear that Rex was merely sleeping.

After a moment longer of just staring down at the corpse (a word Rallen loathed to use), they finally left the room behind and returned to the cockpit, with Komainu hurrying on behind them. And still they did not speak a word until they were both seated once again.

"…so… let's… go home…" Rallen murmured softly, even though he was already starting the engines up.

Jeena nodded in response. "Yeah… let's go…"

And with that said, the cruiser lifted off of the planet's surface and then took off.

They were halfway from Meido to Kollin when the comm system suddenly beeped, signaling they had an incoming call.

Rallen looked a little blankly at the comm when it went off, but he seemed hesitant to answer. Jeena wouldn't blame him, but they were required to answer, still, so she typed a few things and opened the link.

As the screen flickered on, it was Grant's face that greeted them.

"Rallen, Jeena. Where have you two been?"

"Ah, sorry, sir… we've been… a little sidetracked," Jeena said, her own voice cracking just slightly.

And Rallen didn't even try to say anything; he just stared ahead of him silently, lost in his thoughts. He knew it wasn't polite, especially in front of Commander Grant, but at that particular point, it really didn't matter to him if it was polite or not.

"Sidetracked? You were outside of communication range for most of the day. What happened?"

"Um… a-actually…" Jeena didn't dare to finish, and instead looked over to her partner. But Rallen said nothing. He didn't even bother to look up from what he was doing.

"Rallen, what happened?" Commander Grant demanded firmly, but once again, Rallen didn't even look up. The look in his eyes was distant, as though he was only there physically, with his mind several light-years away.

Jeena bit her lip, realizing that her partner would not be in any condition to answer, so she spoke up for him. "With all due respect, sir, it's been a rather exhausting day for us both. We'll be back home soon and will speak to you about this matter later."

Though Grant clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer, the fact that Rallen wasn't talking was evidence enough that something had gone wrong. After a moment longer, Grant finally nodded.

"Very well. I will see you when you do, then."

And then the connection was cut once again.

Jeena looked at the controls for a moment longer, before speaking. "Rallen…?"

"I don't want to talk right now, Jeen…"

The pink-haired girl frowned a bit angrily at Rallen at that. She could understand that he was shaken from the whole event, but this just wasn't him. This wasn't the Rallen she knew and loved. However, being angry at him right now would do more harm than good, she knew. So instead, she reached out, making sure to remove any trace of anger from her expression, and put her hand over his.

Rallen actually blinked and glanced over to their joint hands, before he finally looked over to Jeena.

"I know this must feel really painful, and… while I can't say I know what you're going through… I do know that bottling everything up is not going to help." Those words, surprisingly, made Rallen tense, so Jeena continued. "You're only going to make it worse for yourself in the long run, so… please, talk to me, Rallen. That's what friends are for… right?"

Rallen stayed silent for a few long moments, looking back ahead after a bit. Jeena waited for several long moments for a response, but when none came, she made to pull back her hand… only to stop when Rallen's thumb slid out from under her fingers to rest on top of them instead.

"…thanks, Jeena…"

It was quiet, but it was enough. Jeena smiled and squeezed his hand a little in response.

"Anytime, Rallen…"

It was around mid-afternoon by the time that their cruiser docked at NPPHQ, and, in comparison to when they left, the place was bustling with activity.

Rallen gave a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "…How'm I supposed to tell Liz?" he murmured softly to himself.

Jeena, for once, had no response to her friend's question. While she didn't know what kind of relation Rex and Liz had had when they had been partners, she knew very well that this could not end well in the slightest. This was going to end in tears, no matter what.

After taking a deep breath, Rallen got up wordlessly and headed out of the cockpit, Komainu hurrying after him. Jeena didn't question him and silently began shutting down the cruiser for the time being.

As Rallen arrived at the room where they had left Rex, the young man looked to what was left of his brother and felt a sharp pang in his chest. His brother had not moved an inch since they had placed him in the pod, which was not something Rallen was used to seeing. Rex was known to twist and turn restlessly in his sleep for at least a good few hours before he was able to get comfortable, even in his own bed. Seeing him so still… it really didn't sit well with Rallen.

Slowly, he moved over to the pod, and watched the body for a moment longer, before he kneeled down beside it.

"…Bro… we're home…" he said softly, reaching out to lightly rest a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Of course, there was no response, and, though Rallen had already known he would not receive an answer, he couldn't help but feel nothing but sadness and something that came hauntingly close to despair. However, he quickly bit down those emotions, gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

"You're… you're still tired, huh?" he murmured slowly, though he didn't expect an answer. "'s Okay… just… just rest for now… we… we're just gonna see Grant and… and Lizzy real quick, okay? So… you just wait here… kay?"

After a moment more of waiting, Rallen stood up and walked away again, resisting the urge to break down and cry again. His tears wouldn't help, he knew…

Tears would not bring his brother back…

NPPHQ was, in one word, busy when the small group stepped out of the cruiser. The techs were running from one corner of the room to the next to either pick up tools, help their friend, or to move to one of the other cruisers that needed a checkup. The NPP officers themselves were not so busy and seemed to be taking it easy as they left their cruisers in the care of the techs, heading out of the hangar to get something to eat or to enjoy themselves in another fashion.

Rallen didn't even take notice of it as they made their way to the exit, completely ignoring everyone who tried to strike up a conversation with him, leaving Jeena to apologize for his "rude" behavior. Of course, Jeena knew why her partner was acting the way he was, but she wasn't about to just tell everyone there about it without Rallen's permission.

And given how he was behaving, that would not be happening any time soon. She just hoped that her friend would be back to his old self soon.

The trip from the hangar to the Commanders' office took them only a few minutes, though they did have to stop a few times to greet a few people, though Rallen, of course, said nothing.

Despite their small breaks, however, they made good time in getting to Grant's office. Jeena was the one to knock on the door, which was answered by a slightly muffled "Enter," from Grant.

Once they were in the room, Grant spent a few more moments studying the reports before him, before he turned to the small group.

"So… are you ready to talk about what happened, yet?" he asked sternly, though there was something that could've been dread in his eyes if either Jeena or Rallen had bothered to look.

However, Jeena had looked to the side and was rubbing her arm, whereas Rallen was staring down at the floor, his eyes empty and unseeing, still. Anyone looking at the pair could tell that what they were about to say was not going to be pretty, or pleasant.

It took a few moments, but Rallen finally managed to find his voice enough to be able to speak at least a little. "Yes sir… Commander Marks… requested us to travel to Ziba to… to pick up m…" At this point, he paused for a moment to swallow the lump in his throat and to take a deep breath. "To pick up my brother…"

When he said those words, Grant's stern expression shifted into one of shock. "Your… brother? You mean Rex is…?"

"…was alive… yes…" Rallen choked out, suppressing the churning in his stomach, with a lot of difficulty, and even then, it refused to go away entirely. "He was… outside of Nanairo for the past 12 years… and he… he came back just today…"

Jeena turned to face her partner, a small, sad frown on her face. Rallen's face was now almost entirely blank, in a manner that was hauntingly similar to Liz's when she wanted no one to know what she was thinking. Perhaps that was something that Rallen had picked up on during the time he had been living with the Commander in question, but either way, it was an expression that Jeena hoped she'd never have to see again on her partner's face once this was over.

Grant also seemed to notice the unusual behavior of the NPP Officer, and his expression became actually concerned for once. "That isn't the end of the news, is it?"

"…No sir… there was an… accident… that caused Rex's ship to crash on Meido…" Rallen said, and, for a brief moment, both his carefully erected mask and his voice cracked. "He… he didn't survive the crash…"

Silence befell Grant's office for numerous long, tense seconds, in which neither spoke, nor moved. Rallen had aimed his gaze back down to the floor again once he had finished saying what had to be said, possibly to get his thoughts in order again and to prevent his mask from cracking any further than it already had.

'I'm not gonna cry, dammit. I'm not gonna cry!' he thought to himself angrily, though nothing in his stance betrayed any of his inner turmoil.

'Because boys don't cry, eh?'

Rallen wasn't sure why his brother's words suddenly echoed through his head, but he found a certain solace from hearing them.

"I… I see…" Grant finally managed to get out, but it took him some time longer before he was really able to speak to the pair normally. Well… as normal as he could, anyway. "This is… tragic news. I… am sorry for your loss, Rallen."

Rallen only managed to shake his head quietly. He wasn't expecting words of comfort, because, no matter what was said, it would not bring his brother back. And besides, he had a feeling that there weren't any words in the entire star system that could possibly make him feel any better.

"I… I know that this must be difficult for you… but… were you able to… recover the body?" Grant asked slowly.

This time, it was Jeena who spoke up, as she had finally managed to locate her own voice. "Yes sir," she confirmed with a small nod. "He… he's still in the cruiser. We thought it would be better to inform you of the matter before moving him."

"I see…" Grant murmured slowly, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, before he finally looked up. "Have you informed Commander Marks of this, yet?"

"…No sir…" Rallen managed to get out. "Not… not yet… We… were going to tell her after…"

Grant nodded slowly to show that he understood, before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright… Then… I suppose it's better if you go now. We will talk about what to do about… about your brother, later."

'He was about to say "body" again, huh?' Rallen thought to himself, but he nodded nonetheless to show he understood.

"Alright then… you're dismissed…"

The walk to Liz's office was relatively short, but it seemed to take much longer than usual for some reason. Maybe it was because of the tension in the air around them, but whatever the reason, when they finally reached the door to her office, it was mid-afternoon

"…well… here goes…" Rallen murmured softly, and reached up to knock, though it took much more willpower than it had that morning. Still, he managed to knock, twice, and then stepped back to wait.

"…"

"…nothing," Jeena said with a worried frown. "Do you think she's out?"

"Maybe… I'm… not sure…" Rallen murmured.

'She already knows…'

When those words reverberated through his head, Rallen frowned a little and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache begin to build right there. 'Urgh… she already knows… what?'

There was no response to his question, so he merely shook his head, reached out, and knocked again, three times.

This time, there was a solemn, almost emotionless call from beyond the door. "Door's open."

Jeena allowed a small frown, before she turned to her partner as he was about to open the door. "…You want me to go with you, Rall?" she asked, despite having a feeling she knew the answer already.

"N… no, that's okay… I'll be okay… thanks anyway, Jeena…"

Jeena nodded and stepped back to lean against the wall. "Okay, I'll just wait here then." Even as she said that, she couldn't blame Rallen for wanting to go alone; Commander Marks was a woman with a lot of pride, and, more than likely, she would not be able to let go of her own restrictions if she wasn't around those she trusted explicitly.

Not that she didn't trust Jeena, but Rallen was almost like family to her, so she'd be more inclined to drop her guard around him. And in this case, maybe that was for the best.

Rallen took a deep breath before he opened the door and stepped in, the door closing behind him.

Rallen stood for a moment longer against the door, breathing deeply, mentally preparing himself for what would undoubtedly come, before he dared to step further into the office and to Liz's desk, where the woman in question was sitting. She seemed to be completely engrossed in some reports on her PC, but her eye wasn't moving, indicating that she was just staring blankly at the screen.

For a moment, Rallen just stood there, trying to work his voice, but finding that it had abandoned him. It took him at least a full minute before he was able to scrape it together again.

"…L… Liz…"

Said blonde blinked once, and then turned to face Rallen, finally. "…Yes?"

'…sh-shit… how am I… how could… dammit! How do I say this?'

"…um… well… y-you see, we… uh…"

'Rallen… she already knows…'

'Guh…! Sh-shut up whoever you are! How the hell would she-'

"…he's not coming back, is he?"

Rallen froze, and then he slowly raised his eyes to face Liz properly, but she had shut her eye and was holding her head with one hand. She seemed… almost old like that. Liz had always looked barely any older than her mid-twenties, despite that she was already over 30, but now… she almost appeared twice he actual age with how she sat and the expression on her face.

"…H… how did… how did you…? I…" Rallen choked out.

Liz didn't answer for a long moment, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. After a minute had passed, however, she stood up from her seat and walked around the desk until she stood in front of Rallen.

"…I don't know…" she finally confessed, reaching out and placing a hand on his cheek. "I just do…"

Rallen blinked slowly, his mind needing several long moments to process what she had just said, but those minutes were enough for Liz to pull him into a hug, his head resting against her shoulder with one of her hands placed on the back of his head and the other placed on his back.

He blinked slowly, his mind unable to catch up so suddenly, but as the situation began to sink in, the emotions he had been bottling up since returning to Kollin burst and he broke down. He clung to Liz with both hands as he cried, unable to stop himself from crying out in a kind of agony that not even the Krawl could've hoped to inflict on him. His heart was hurting, like someone was trying to forcibly, and slowly, twist it loose from his chest. His tears flowed endlessly, and he felt a third river of the salty liquid dripping onto his hair, even if he did not hear its owner's cries, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It was just so unfair…

"I-I-I'm… I'm so sorry…!" Rallen bawled out. "I'm so sorry! If-if we'd gotten there a little sooner… I'm so sorry…!"

"…it wasn't your fault, Rallen…" Liz whispered into his ear, moving slightly back to give him a small kiss to his temple; her way of trying to cheer him up if he was feeling down. "There's just some things… you can't stop…"

Rallen whimpered as he clenched his eyes shut and held tight to Liz. "It's not fair…" he moaned out. "It's not fair… what did he do wrong? Goddammit why! Why did… why him? Why? Why?"

Liz had no response to Rallen's endless litany of "why". She had no answer to that question; she was asking the very same question as well, after all.

"It's not fair… dammit this is… this isn't fair…" Rallen choked out, even as Liz lightly rocked him, as though he were a child. And in a way, that's how he felt right then. He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and find out that none of this was real, but he knew he wouldn't. This was reality, and there was no escape from it.

And so, for the second time that day, he cried, cried until his voice was gone and his eyes ran dry, clinging to Liz, who merely stood there, holding him close and silently offering him the support he so desperately needed. He felt like a child all over again, when he had lost his mother to some unknown disease, only it felt so much worse now. Losing someone in your family was never a pleasant feeling, and even less when you lose every single member of your family you ever knew. Rallen had only ever known his mother and his brother. His father had never been there, and his mother didn't have any siblings.

He lost everything…

Everything…

'…no.'

'…?'

'Rallen… you haven't lost everything yet…'

'…huh?'

'You still have others… there's still others who love you… people who you love in turn, right?'

'But… but I…'

'If you love them… from the bottom of your heart… never let them go. Do you understand? Never let go.'

Rallen blinked slowly, his sobs gradually lessening to where they were no more than occasional sniffles. Once he had calmed down, Liz pulled back carefully and looked at the young man before her. She didn't speak; she only reached up and ruffled his hair. The gesture sent a pang of pain through Rallen's heart, as he was immediately reminded of his brother, but as he looked up, he realized he wasn't the only one.

"…dammit… why'd I go and do that…?" he choked out, stepping back and trying to rid himself of his own tears. "You… I was going to… I… dammit…"

"Rallen…" Liz said solemnly, placing one hand on his cheek and using her thumb to wipe away the tears still leaking from his eyes. "I know it's hard… but we can't let this weigh us down. Rex wouldn't want to see us mope around until we waste away, too. We have to move on. Move on and cherish those whom we love."

Rallen bit his lip to the point where he almost drew blood. However, he managed to nod slowly, knowing very well that Liz was right. Like Rallen, Rex would put the safety and feelings of others above his own, so, even with all that happened, Rex wouldn't want to see them crying and clinging to the traces of ghosts.

Of course, that didn't make it any easier, but what else could they do?

"…ah…" Rallen quickly reached into his pocket, where he had kept the small velvet box that held Rex's present for Liz's birthday of 12 years ago. "Um… Lizzy? This… I… I found this in… in his ship…" he said slowly, holding it out to her. "I… I think it was for you…"

Rallen didn't miss the shock and surprise that passed over her face as she realized just what she was looking at, even if she tried her very best to hide it. She carefully reached out for the object, as though she feared it would disappear if she came too close, taking the object in her hands with only her fingertips.

She held it lightly, with her fingers smoothing out the velvet material of the box, before she, slowly, flipped it open with only her thumb nail.

Inside the box rested a silver ring with a light purple stone surrounded by smaller stones of deep ocean blue and pale yellow the color of sand set in an infinity symbol around the purple stone. The combination of colors reminded her of nightfall on Nessa, when the skies would turn purple after the sun's departure and the sand and water seemed to glow with an ethereal light. A sight she had always adored more than anything in her childhood.

"…that idiot…" Liz mumbled softly, though her words seemed to hitch. "That stupid… idiot…"

Rallen already knew that there was no way that Liz could remain indifferent to this. There was no way there could be any misunderstanding about what Rex had intended to do with that ring.

And, as angry as she tried to make herself out to be, there was no way she could prevent her tears from falling. So Rallen stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, just as she started to sob quietly, her entire frame shaking subtly.

Rallen had never attempted to really comfort anyone before, so this was a first for him. Thankfully, he did remember how Rex or Liz would comfort him, so he utilized what he knew and rubbed his hands in circles along Liz's back as he gently rocked her. Even though it felt weird to him to be the one comforting Liz, he ignored those feelings and focused only on being there for her, because she needed it right then.

As he blinked, though, he was startled when a tear slipped down his own cheek.

'…I'm sorry…'

'…?'

'…I'm so sorry…'

It wasn't until that moment that Rallen realized that the voice echoing through his head… was more familiar than he had first made it out to be.

'…Rex?'

Rallen couldn't say he was as startled as he should've been. Hell, he'd already met his brother's ghost, after all, so what was a little possession, really? Though he had to wonder why Rex had not spoken up earlier or more.

'…Rallen… could you… ask her for me…wh-what she would've said? I… I need to know… please…'

The boy gave a small, unnoticeable nod, though he had to pause briefly to think. He couldn't say why he was asking, of course, nor could he ask the question. So how…

As he was thinking, an idea suddenly came to him. One that he only needed a second to consider.

"…Hey, Liz?" he called out when she had managed to calm herself a little bit. "Does… does this mean I can call you 'sis' now?"

Not surprisingly, this caused her to tense, though that was mostly in surprise, before she moved back slightly to look at him. Her expression was one that he couldn't explain or decipher fully. Rallen could almost feel his brother's anxiety, and it was just about to show on his face, but before it could, Liz smiled, actually smiled, and then reached up to ruffle his hair.

"You little goof…" she mumbled softly. "Didn't I already tell you that you could when I took you in?"

Rallen blinked once, twice, blinking a bit stupidly, before he spoke slowly: "You… you mean…?"

Rather than answer verbally, however, Liz merely reached into the box and looped her left ring finger through it. Even with her glove on, it was a perfect fit.

Rallen only stared for a long time as Liz lightly fisted her hand and placed it softly against her own chest, before he was able to smile, and he felt his brother's relief flooding over him, and also his joy, mixed with sadness at not being able to be there for Liz. After he managed to swallow down his (and his brother's) anxiety, he said: "Li… sis… you–"

But before he could finish, the Commander lightly bopped Rallen to his head with her knuckles. It didn't hurt, but it sure surprised him. "I'll be fine, Rallen," she said quietly. "You don't have to worry about me. I always knew it was possible that he would never come back… I always knew." She paused to place a hand on his cheek and wipe away the tears. "That's just the kind of risks that come with this job."

"But…"

Liz put her finger over his lips to silence him, and shook her head 'no'. "Enough, Rallen. Now go. You have someone waiting for you, don't you?"

Rallen wanted to say something, anything… but he couldn't…

He just didn't know what to say…

"Don't let it slip away, Rall," Liz said suddenly, making him look up in surprise. "Don't let your chances slip away… like they did for us."

Upon hearing that, Rallen actually tensed in slight alarm, as his mind immediately caught on to what Liz meant, and what could happen at any time. She had Rex had believed they'd have all the time in the world… and that assumption had cost them dearly.

"…I… I get it…" he said slowly with a nod, before he reached up and rapidly rubbed at his eyes to remove any traces of tears, and took a deep breath. Once he was sure he could keep himself under control, he hugged Liz one more time, which as wordlessly returned, whispered a final apology, and then headed for the door.

He knew exactly what he had to do now…

In the meantime, Jeena was leaning back against the wall outside Liz's office, and she was starting to worry just slightly. The rooms were soundproof, so anything being said in the room staid in the room. She knew that the pair had to have a lot to talk about, but did it really have to take so long?

Just as she was about to drop down to sit and wait, the door opened and Rallen stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him.

Immediately, Jeena pushed off from the wall and Komainu whined as he hopped over to Rallen for attention. "Hey… how did it go?"

"…Okay, I suppose…" Rallen murmured softly with a small sigh. "I'd rather… not talk about it just yet, though."

"It's okay, Rallen… I understand," Jeena said kindly with a small smile. "C'mon, let's go to the cafeteria. You must be starving by now, right?" It was way past the time that Rallen usually ate lunch, and the NPP Officer was very punctual about his meals, even without looking at a clock.

As she made to walk off, though, Rallen quipped: "Actually… I was thinking of going out for lunch. You mind?"

That comment caused Jeena to whirl back around to face Rallen, confused at first, before she thought she understood. "Oh, right… to avoid the questions that'll be coming, huh?"

"Not really…" Rallen admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just… um…" The young man paused for a moment to tub the back of his neck. "I know it's probably a bad time to ask, but… Jeen, would you consider going out with me?"

Jeena almost, almost, dropped her jaw at the sudden question, and she had to wonder what had brought on the sudden enquiry. But, upon noticing the look on Rallen's face, she had a feeling she already knew.

So instead of questioning it, she smiled. "Sure, Rall. I'd love to."

Rallen blinked in slight surprise at it going so easy, but that surely didn't take long, and within half a minute he grinned. "Cool."

Jeena only giggled, and walked down the hall, absently wondering where they would be eating for lunch. Because of that, when Rallen reached out and lightly grabbed her hand, she jumped in surprise. But when she realized what had happened, she allowed a small smile and linked her hand with Rallen's. Said NPP officer offered her a small grin, as they started walking down the hall, with Komainu running after them, barking happily.

Some people who saw them going gave them a few strange look, but, honestly, neither of them could care less. It just wasn't important…

It was much more important to cherish the moments you had left with those you loved… before it was too late…

As the trio left NPPHQ behind, they never noticed that their trek was followed quietly.

Liz watched them go quietly, their hands entwined together. As much as she wanted to remain indifferent, she couldn't, not really. Because she was jealous of them, just slightly. Of course it didn't show, but it wasn't that difficult to figure out if you knew her well enough.

With a sigh, she slowly took her seat again, and leaned back with her eye shut, praying quietly for her consciousness to abandon her for a moment so she could rest. No one was going to know, anyway.

"…I'm so sorry…"

Liz didn't even give the quietly spoken words much thought, figuring them to be little more than a stray thought lingering in her mind, with a dash of wishful thinking.

"Lizzy… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Her consciousness had almost completely abandoned her by then, but even then she could not miss the soft touch against her lips, forcing her consciousness back, though her eyes remained closed, for now.

"Alliz… I love you…"

"…!" Liz's eye snapped open in surprise, but when she looked around, she was alone. "…what was that…?"

Of course, no answer came, and the Commander leaned back again, frowning. 'I must be losing it… is that what happens when you lose someone dear?' she wondered to herself.

As she closed her eyes again, though, she felt the soft touch to her cheek, like someone placing their hand on it. She kept her eyes shut this time, and simply waited, wondering if she was actually going crazy. The touch soon came to her opposite cheek as well, and her bangs were lightly pushed away. She felt nothing else just yet, but then there was another soft touch.

"Alliz… I'm so sorry… I love you…"

She wanted to look, wanted to look so badly, but she feared it would vanish if she opened her eyes, just like last time, so she only brought up a hand to her cheek, trying to find the other person stading over her, but it was like there was nothing there at all. But she knew… there was only person in NPP who knew her full name…

"…Rex…"

"…I love you, Alliz… I love you so much… I… I'll miss you…"

"…dolt…" she murmured quietly. "…I love you, too… and I'm going to miss kicking your sorry ass…"

Silence for a moment, and then there was a soft laugh."

"…Lizzy… goodbye… I love you…"

Gradually, the presence she had felt dissipated entirely and she slowly opened her eye again, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"…you'll never change, you dolt…" she mumbled. "…but that's why I always loved you…"

Slowly, she shut her eye again and felt her consciousness finally fade away, and her last thought went to Rallen and Jeena, and, while she didn't believe in any higher being, she prayed for them to find the happiness that she and Rex could no longer have.

Right… sorry 'bout the delay; been stuck in TWEWY for a long time.

Also, yes, Liz's first name is actually "Alliz".

So in any case, if anyone has either another idea about what happened to Rex, or a request about a possible continuation, let me know and I'll try to work with it… or do it yourself and let me know. Whichever you prefer.