"K-Kana…" I step closer. But she steps back.

I notice that the mack she wore was decorated to make it look like she was crying. And from what I can see in her eyes, she really wanted to.

"I'm dying, Ainu… I'm… I'm such a bad friend.."

"You're not… we… we can fix this… i can fix this." I say, stepping closer. She steps backwards more.

"No you can't… you can't… no one can fix this… can fix me,"

"Kana, please…"

"Ainu-"

I rush at her, wrapping my arms around her and pushing her into the glowing blue water behind her.

Flash!

"Oh… hiya! Welcome back." Hira says, her ears perking. "You can just in time, the parasites are on the move."

"Ainu… what…?!" Kana asks. Her clothes has changed into a blue gown with a blue butterfly settling on a veil that draped over her face.

"Hira… she has the virus… do you think…?"

"Leave it to me." Hira begins sniffing Kana and then the air around us. Hira smiles, pointing in a SouthEast direction. "This way."

"Ainu… what is going on?"

"I can't explain anything right now… I just need you to trust me."

"Oh… okay."

The parasites seemed more numerous than usual but a little more distracted than usual. Most of the time, we were able to run past them, but there would have to fight them. And despite Kana not having a persona, she seemed to hold her own well.

As we got seeper, I started noticing that the shrubbery began to change. Small things at first, like the paths, then the flowers, and the insect towers that held goodies. The pavilions looked different too. There was fountains but also large bountiful trees and flowers.

"It's a butterfly garden." Kana says.

"It is?"

Kana nods.

"But there are no butterflies."

"If you notice, everything here is in a state of…" Hira stops, looking around.

Everything did look dull, a little gray and moody. Lifeless even.

"So… there's no denying it. This is Kana's garden." I whimper.

"What do you mean MY garden?"

"Exactly what she means." says a voice. We turn to find… Kana. Well, a version of Kana. This Kana was wearing a large dress, draping down to the ground, it looks like wings wrapped around her body. She held a parasol, it pouring down rain from the inside on her The plushy chuckles.

Hira ducks behind me.

"That's her… the infected one."

Kana looks in disbelief at the shadow.

"Aren't i disgraceful?" the shadow whimpers. "to be honest, I wasn't even going to show up, if it weren't for Ainu."

"That… that's not true!"

The rain began to pour harder in the parasol.

"No you're right. We probably still would've left Ainu hanging. I mean, sometimes we lay in bed and pretend that Ainu doesn't even exist."

"Shut up."

"Don't take it personal, Ainu. Sometimes we don't even want to exist."

"Shut up!" Kana yells. "Shut up!"

The virus chuckles, a shock of lightning coming from the parasol as she tosses it up in the air. The parasite morphs and changed, into what I can only described as the personified version of a thunderstorm.

Kana's clutches her heart.

"The Doctor will be seeing you know." Hira says, challenging the parasite. The parasite chuckles, accepting the challenge.

"Persona!"

"Let's take you temperature." Hira says, initiating a wind attack. The hit lands but the parasite seems to brush it off as if it was nothing.

"Light 'em up!" I call out. The blessing spell causes the parasite a bit of damage, but nothing parasite chuckles, aiming it's attack on the both of us, shocking us with lightning.

Hira groans, shaking her head.

"Well, that didn't work. So how about a small dose of this." she says, doing one of her physical attacks. Following her stead, I use another one of my bless moves.

Kana's shadow didn't seem impressed, using a water move and soaking me down to the bone. I shiver, freezing.

"Ainu…" Kana calls out, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm sorry."

"Kana… is i true? Do you really wish that you never existed?"

Kana whimpers…

"I'm sorry."

"If you never existed… we wouldn't have become friends… and i would be all … I'm glad that you exist… I'm glad that we are friends… that i can hold you and help you through your days… even if i'm not much… I don't want you to stop existing, Kana. And even if you don't like yourself… I will love you over and over to make up for it."

"Ainu." Kana whimpers, hugging me.

"Aw… isn't that sweet?" her shadow coods. "It's nothing we haven't heard before but still makes us feel all warm and bubbly. Loved. Bt love doesn't make me go away."

Hira hits her with another physical attacks.

"That might be true. But i doesn't hurt to have someone there to help you take the first step. Or catch you when you fall. Or lean on when you are tired."

I stand up.

"That's right." I say. "Nightingale! I think it's time for an eye exam!"

With this last attack, the parasite burns into nothingness until the other Kana is left on the ground. The parsol falls to the ground and rolls next to her. Cautiously, Kana steps forward. The shadow seizes her, holding her close. It tears of her mask and demands that Kana looks at her.

The garden around us begins to light up with color, as if a storm had passed, Butterflies filling the garden and flowers opening.

The wings of the other Kana opens the new Kana taking the form of a beautiful purple butterfly. The person still used the parasol to hide her face but uses one of her hands to reach out. A purple flame glows in her hand, asking her human counterpart to take it.

Kana looks at me and I nodded, feeling as if this is right.

Kana takes the shadows hand, the flame going out. The shadow fades and a pill bottle with the flame inside is left.

"Persona." Kana whispers to herself before fainting.

"Kana!"