Fortune 19-Almost There
Star stopped and sat down on a mossy rock, wet with early morning dew. She hadn't woken Aiichirou when she left the night before, it would have been nice to have his company about then. No turning back now, and besides, it was probably better that he didn't come along. This was something that she had to figure out on her own. Who in Gaea knew her real name, who back home even knew her real name?
The girl looked up at the sky through the trees, the sun was just starting to rise and if she wanted to put more distance between herself and the others, she had better keep moving. So, reluctantly the dark-haired young woman stood up, brushed her hair out of her eyes, and ran forward. She seemed to be doing a great deal of running as of late.
When she burst through the trees, the teenager noticed that the sun was high in the sky, but she was also out in the open. Star stopped only long enough to look around for cover, a place to sleep.
"You're close," said that familiar voice as the person stood silhouetted by the light of the EscaFlowne behind him/her.
"Who are you?"
Star could almost feel the person smile at her; it wasn't a cruel smile, but warm and comforting. "You will see. But sometimes I wonder if what we're doing is right…"
"We?"
"My people, myself…was I right, Sayako?"
Damn, that voice was so familiar, if only Star could dig deep in her memory and find out who it was. "Where are you?" Fully knowing what the answer would be, she asked a more specific question, "Am I almost there?"
"Yes, we're both waiting, come find us." Just as the figure was about to disappear, Star heard the voice speak again, sadder this time. "I'm sorry, Sayako, I really am…" Then everything disappeared and Star woke up.
Almost there, the voice had said. The teenager had slept through the afternoon and jumped up to run forward again. Both moons shone brightly in the sky, surrounded by stars hanging against the black canvas of the night. Almost there…those words kept her going.
As she ran, Star wondered only briefly what had happened to the others. She hoped that they were safe without her. Then again they were probably safer without her than with her. Was Kanzaki worried? That was a stupid question. Was Blai worried? Star almost smacked herself, why in the world did she care about what that stupid kid thought about her? It was becoming increasingly annoying.