A/N: I was thinking over the title of the fanfic, Sands of Time. I thought to myself, -You know, in the long run, it didn't have anything to do with the actual plot.- This entire thing sprung from an unhealthy obsession with Zima and Dita, a desire to write a fic and lots of free time, and the idea of the funeral scene. I was really into the funeral scene. The title was tied into that, how things just keep moving and changing. Hideki dies, Chi's life changes. Zima and Dita are going to be replaced because of progress, their life changes. Kameko's life was constantly changing, and she was up for the adventure. Poor Allie didn't ask for any of this, but her world shifted anyway. It doesn't matter if you're a normal human or an semi-immortal persecom, change is inevitable. So maybe the title isn't so disconnected after all.

Other note- a funeral scene and an interest in two characters isn't a bad start for a story. I was once inspired into 175 pages by Nickelodeon and Silly Putty. I got 3 pages out of an offhand conversation in the middle of a scene in a musical. I pulled an entire sub-plot out of my friend's coat. So this isn't quite so strange for me.

When the doors closed behind Zima and Dita, Marie made to run after them. Kameko reached out and grabbed her arm, gently holding her back.
"What?" Marie said, straining against Kameko. "We have to go and help them!" "There's nothing we can do," Kameko said, her voice neutral.
"What do you mean? There has to be something." She gave another futile tug.
"We wouldn't be allowed into the building," Kameko said, her grasp still unrelenting. "It's top security. Even if we got in, what would we do?" Marie racked her brain and came up with nothing. "You must have some sort of plan," she said to Kameko.
"I do have a plan," Kameko said, and relief flooded through Marie. Dita and Zima were going to be okay.
The feeling of relief disappeared a moment later when Kameko spoke again. "We're going to go home and tell Allie what's happened. She'll want to know. We need to call Minoru as well." "That's it?" Marie asked. "We're just going to let them go like that?" "Yes. I'm going to let go of your arm, don't run." Marie went cold. Kameko rarely issued orders like this one, but Marie's programming left her powerless to disobey. Kameko released her and said, "Now get in the car." Marie did as she was told.
After they had been driving for a few minutes, Kameko said to Marie, "You know, it's going to be easier this way." Marie exploded again. "What do you mean? Now that we don't have to hide them anymore? Now that we're alone again?" "You know I care about them too, but this is the only choice we have left. It's going to be easier this way," she repeated.

A groggy and distraught Allie was pacing the kitchen when they returned. "Where were you?" she said. "You just left, no note or anything!" "You tell her, Marie," Kameko said, and then disappeared up the stairs.
Marie told Allie the story, from her discovery of Dita's disappearance to Kameko's willingness to give in to failure. "And the worst part was, she kept saying 'it's going to be easier this way,' like keeping them here was just an inconvenience to her." "Oh, honey," Allie said, wrapping an arm around Marie's shoulders. "It's not that bad. I'm sure Kameko has her reasons." "I'd like to hear them sometime soon," Marie said.
At that moment, Kameko bounded into the room, a smile on her face. "He said he'd do it! He said he'd do it!" "Who?" Allie asked.
Marie asked, "Do what?" "Minoru, and you'll see!" She giggled in what Marie thought was an obscene manner, considering the situation, and then called, "Follow me!" and vanished through the cellar door.
Marie looked at Allie, who shrugged. "Might as well." They both followed Kameko downstairs and into what had been Zima and Dita's room. What had once been, Marie thought. How quickly we resort to the past tense.
Kameko was attempting to remove the portrait of Nancy from the wall. Obviously fearing for the well-being of the painting, Allie rushed to help her. They managed to settle it face down on the bed. When it lay there, Kameko began to run her fingers along the back of the frame. "They were somewhere around here…" she muttered. "Ah- ha!" Kameko whirled around to face Marie and Allie. In one upraised hand, she held two tiny disks.
Marie couldn't dare to hope. She heard Allie gasp. "Are those-" "Dita and Zima's entire hard drives," Kameko said. "I had Florence make them, just in case. I've talked to Minoru. He'll make them new bodies, and they can just be registered under my name as custom jobs. Since the original Dita and Zima are now in the hands of the government, they won't be looking for two escaped 'coms anymore. They have the 'malfunctioning persecoms' back in their control, and we have Dita and Zima back. See why I said this would be easier?" "Yes," Marie said, "I understand now."

A/N: Phew. I had me going for a minute there.