Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the places, but the idea is mine!
The Miniskirt Enables Young Ladies To Run Faster And, Because Of It, They May Have To.
John V. Lindsay
I stayed in Domremy with Geppeto for a while. The war started a few months after Yuri…died… but as I was still undecided as to what to do, it didn't affect me much. Domremy was so small that it was pretty much ignored by the soldiers; and Geppeto, Blanca and I deterred any who did come. Blanca is a white wolf that has made friends with Jeanne, a girl in the village.
I wear my hair loose habitually now. It would devalue the ribbon I gave Yuri if I wore another, or so it seemed to me. I still wear Yuri's father's coat, but the crucifix I have draped over his headstone. I found and carved the headstone myself. It took almost a month, but I had done it. I am twenty-one now, but my birthday passed unnoticed, by me at least. Geppeto had given me a dress he had had his friend make. It was black, with long sleeves, and the skirt came down to my knees. I began wearing it more often, as it was better for fighting with. Jeanne gave me a pair of black leather boots her father had made. They were knee length, and much stronger than my other shoes, which were falling apart by now. I used Margarite's pistol to fight with, and many a time it saved my life.
When the shock from Yuri's death had begun to wear off, I asked myself what I could do. I had not forgotten the thought I had had as I was burying him. If Yuri's soul had any regrets it would still be hanging around, but where? His soul was not here, I knew that. But there are places were regretful souls go. I had no idea if he had any regrets or not, but for the moment I did not want to entertain the idea of calling an unwilling soul. In Prague we had tried making plans for the future, but there was nothing in particular that we wanted to do. We had already saved the world. The only unfinished business Yuri had was…me.
Yuri had been able to go…inside his own soul. It was odd. I was there, I think, once. There was a graveyard.
When Yuri disappeared before we had found him at the top of the tower in Keith's castle in Bistritz. He had been confused and seemed to see us as enemies. We had fought him, and then I went unconscious. I remembered walking through the graveyard, and walking up to the masks at the top, when I heard someone calling me, telling me to wake up. I could see Yuri through the gates at the top of the graveyard, and I knew I had to reach him. Then the world started swirling and dissolving. I managed to grab Yuri as he floated past, and when I woke up, I could see him stirring beside me. He seemed a little changed, a little gloomy and disorientated, but he was back! And gradually he got over his gloominess and worry, though he was still a little weak as Margarite and I helped him down the tower.
Perhaps Yuri's soul has gone home? But he had never told me where his hometown was. I knew he had lived in China, that his mother was Russian and his father Japanese, and that after his mother's death, when he was ten, he had never really had a home, as Koudelka's psychic voice directed him to various places around the globe. Perhaps a place to start would be his parent's graves. I do not believe that Jinpachiro, Yuri's father, ever had a grave; he had died merging with the seraph, the same monster that had sent Yuri mad for a while. Zhuzhen had killed him.
Yuri's mother, I assume, would have been buried in China, where she died
That train of thought wasn't helping me much. Where else was special to Yuri? Shanghai? The train where we met? Prague? Rouen? The Neameton Ruins?
Eventually, I made up my mind to go see Zhuzhen. We had had our own exorcist business before, and his psychic skills, though no match for mine, were pretty good. And he had known Jinpachiro. He might well know where the village where Anne had died was. Koudelka could help me, but I decided to leave her alone. She had done enough for us. It was her who led Yuri to me. Besides, I had no idea where she was.
I considered contacting Margarite. It would be good to have a travelling companion. I am not a natural fighter. However Margarite was nowhere to be found. I was not truly surprised. She is a spy.
So, I decided to go back to Shanghai. Zhen had taken his tavern back, and the last I heard, Zhuzhen was staying there with him.
Before leaving, I went to Yuri's grave and told him my plans. I know his soul is not there - If it was, I would sense it – but it was comforting to pretend.