Trials of Beta
Chapter Fourteen: The Reflecting Pool

"Mother! Father! I made it! I was accepted! The Ranger's Academy accepted me!" Yuno exclaimed as she burst through the door into her home on Corel. All of sixteen years old, she was the proper age to attend the Ranger's Academy. Pulling her long, blue hair out of the ponytail she had it tied in, she slipped off her shoes and ran barefooted into the living room, where her parents and younger sister were.

Her mother, the very essence of beauty and pose, turned her head to look at Yuno as she entered. "That's nice dear. Your sister was just accepted into the Force Academy." Yuno stopped dead in her tracks. On the wall was a banner. It read 'Congratulations Uriko!' Her eyes drifted to her sister, sitting on the floor, wearing a white and blue robe, her sapphire eyes sparkling with joy. She was two years younger then Yuno, and was gifted with the ability to use Magic, a gift Yuno herself didn't posses. Both her parents were Forces, which is why they always favored Uriko over herself.

"Father? Mother? But... What about me? I'm gonna be a Ranger!" Her voice broke, her hands starting to tremble.

"Yuno, dear. Be happy for your sister, not everyone can be a Force." Her father, a stern man with dark hair and sharp crystal blue eyes, said.

"I..." Yuno caught herself, covering her mouth, spinning on her heels and fleeing the room, running to her room. She mouthed the words 'I hate you' as she ran, daring not to say it outloud...

Staring up at the ceiling of her dorm room, Yuno sighed, every part of her body exhausted. A year has passed since she was accepted into the Ranger's Academy, and she was proud of the progress she was making. Closing her eyes, Yuno prepared to go to sleep. But a sudden knock at her window put a stop to that. Sighing in frustration, Yuno swung her feet away from the cot and hopped to her feet, moving to the window and opening it. As she knew, Uriko was on the other side. Stepping aside, she let Uriko have room to step through the window. "Don't you ever call before just dropping by?"

"I'm sorry." She said as she stepped into the room, her eyes averted down.

"It's okay. Go ahead, sit down. You want something to drink?" Yuno offered.

"No. I just came here to tell you that... That I'm leaving the Academy." Uriko said, her tone sad and heavy.

"You're WHAT?"

"It's... It's too tough. I can't make the cut. I'm not good enou- ACK!" Yuno was suddenly upon Uriko, shoving her backwards into the cot, holding her down by the shoulders.

"Oh no you're not! I won't let you! You're Uriko! You always were the favorite. More then that, you're my sister!" She said, her tone firm and resolute, "Mother and father always pampered you, gave you everything. I never had anything handed to me, I had to earn it myself. And now that mother and father aren't around to hold your hand, you're going to quit? Oh no, no sister of mine is going to be a quitter! You march right back to your academy, and if it's too tough, YOU toughen up! You're more then good enough!"

Uriko trembled, staring up at Yuno. She then turned her head to the side. "You're right. I'm sorry Yuno. I won't leave the academy."

"Good... You can sleep here tonight. I'll drive you back to the academy in the morning." Yuno said, standing up, letting Uriko sit back up again.

"Happy birthday to me... Happy birthday to me..." Yuno sang to herself. It was her eighteenth birthday, and she made it a family only occasion. Except her family wasn't there. It just happened that Uriko's graduation ceremony was today. The fact that neither of her parents were there showed who they thought was more important. "I hate them..."

The sky was cloudy overhead, fat raindrops falling to the cemetery. Yuno stood in front of two headstones. They were new, her parents funeral which she didn't attend. "Why? Wasn't I special enough? Why did you always favor Uriko? You didn't even come to MY birthday party or MY graduation ceremony! And let me tell you something about your precious Uriko! She was going to quit her Force training three years ago, but I talked her out of it. But I didn't do it for you. I did it for HER!" She sniffled, the raindrops masking the tears on her face. "I hate you! I hate both of you!"

Her chest heaving, Yuno left the headstones, finding her sister Uriko at the entrance to the cemetery. "Come on Uriko, I'll take care of you now. I'll always take care of you."

I promised I'd always take care of her! I... I failed... The La Demenians closed in to deliver the killing blow to Yuno. Or that was their intention, at least. Growling, fury replacing grief, Yuno gathered herself and sprang up into a jump, swinging her legs into a horizontal splits, kicking both monsters at the same time. Landing on her feet, she dropped into a crouch, sweep kicking the monster on her left, knocking its legs out from under it. The one of her right swung its bladearm in a downward arc, glancing Yuno's shoulder as she twisted her body out of the way. Slapping the blade with her palm, Yuno smashed both fists into the monster's midsection, then spun around, slamming her fists into its side again.

Her guns were still on the floor. Kicking them up, she snatched both and swung her arms out as the La Demenians rose up form her attack. "Game over. I win." She said she pulled the triggers on both weapons, the Repeater spitting out a succession of three Photon bullets.

"Yuno! Let's go! We can't stay here, we have to move on!" Beta said, suddenly appearing next to her.

"Not without Uriko! Hold them, I'm getting her." Yuno turned and knelt, holstering her guns and lifting Uriko's body up onto her shoulders. "Let's get out of here!"

"Couldn't agree with you more." Alex said, retreating with Yuno and Beta.