Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1

Chapter 3: She

Sera's test was cancelled that day. It would seem that the new EGG capsule had malfunctioned. She felt oddly happy. Did that mean that Cielo's test was cancelled? She certainly hoped so.

After all, he did promise her that he'd see her again.

Her musing was interrupted as she gazed upon the directress. She gazed at her and noticed that the directress was as steely and expressionless as ever. But then, something else, other than the directress' eyes caught her attention; it was the brown bear in her hands.

Sera's happy mood quickly dissipated and she clutched her pink bunny to her heart, "Where's Cielo?" she asked timidly. For some reason, Sera really didn't want to hear the answer. Sera had already formulated a very likely scenario in her mind.

The EGG capsule malfunction.

Cielo's absence.

The arrival of the directress.

The brown bear in her hands.

It all made sense.

Sera's eyes brimmed with fresh tears and she let out a cry. Cielo was gone. He had gone for his test and it killed him. The directress was here to tell her about it; to tell her that she would never see her only friend again.

What about the brown bear?

Why did she have it? Did she bring it with her to tell her that the bear was going to be thrown? Was it to taunt her? To insult her and strip her of her remaining hope?

The directress walked over to where Sera had dropped herself and kneeled down in front of her.

"Here," she said slowly, handing Sera the bear, "he told me to give it to you."

Sera reached out for the toy and held it to her chest along with her pink bunny. She breathed in his scent and continued to cry. She would never see him again. She would never get to talk to him again. He would never take her to eat at a restaurant.

It just wasn't fair.

The directress found this the perfect timing to leave the room. She said nothing but looked back at the girl.

No, she wasn't just a girl; she was her daughter. But she would never tell Sera that. No, she would never know; at least not from her. Why? Maybe because she didn't want to believe that what she was doing to her daughter was wrong.

If you label your subjects as mere objects and not as human beings, it all becomes easier. It was easier to blind ourselves that the difference of right and wrong was indistinguishable and that we were free to do as we wished.

She began to walk towards the door without another word.

Cielo watched her as she began to leave. She was Sera's mother. He wanted nothing more to tell Sera that she too had a parent. But he couldn't. He shouldn't. It wasn't his place to tell her anything about that.

It wasn't meant to be.

As she was about to reach the door, the girl's voice echoed through the room. What she said froze the directress in her tracks. Even Cielo was shocked.

"Thank you…Mama…"

The directress said nothing. Did Sera know that she was her mother? Most probably. In that instant, the directress' lips tugged up creating a shadow of a smile. But she would never show Sera, or anyone else for that matter, that.

Ever.

She hated it when Sera clung to her; she never openly did this of course, but the directress could tell from the longing gazes that the child sent her way. She may be expressionless, but this did not mean that she was incapable of reading others' emotions.

With regards to Sera's emotions, she practically leaked them out; her aura said it all. Sera was easy to read.

Was she really? Was it the directress' superb ability to read people or was it the proverbial motherly instinct?

She chose the former rather than the latter.

She hated it when she would see Sera that way; the way she looked at her. She hated it when Sera called her "Mama".

But now, she shrugged her shoulders as a reply. She supposed that it was alright. But, just for today.

Cielo smiled. Sera was just truly amazing. He hadn't planned of telling her at all, but as he watched the interchange between her and the directress, he was astounded to hear Sera speak the word "Mama".

She knew.

Sera just knew. He didn't know how, but then, it was Sera after all. The directress had been mistaken; Sera wasn't a disappointment as a Cyber Shaman. They didn't know it yet, but she would be their greatest asset.

Cielo felt a mixture of contradictory emotions at that realization; he felt happy and sad. He was happy that Sera would rise to show the people her worth; that she would be the greatest of all Cyber Shamans.

But what did all of this entail?

It would entail that she would have a long life of suffering should she remain in such a place. But then, there was God. He would not forsake her. Cielo didn't know when, where, how and by whom Sera would be rescued, but he believed in God.

xxxxx

Sera cried, wept and wailed. She just didn't understand why he had to die. Why?

"Why?!" she yelled in pain.

'Because God said so…' a voice in her said spoke.

"Huh?" Sera asked, surprised, "Who are you?" she asked timidly.

The voice laughed, 'Der you go wid de scaredy-cat routine again ja?'

Sera's heart jumped, "Cielo?!"

'Yep…it's me…Sera…I don't have much time, but I just wanted to tell you dat…I'm sorry…about everything…I know I promised you we'd eat outside…I also promised you dat I'd see you again…but you know…God came and…umm…well, you know what happened ja?' he asked in a hopeless attempt to express himself.

"You don't have to be sorry…" she said, sobbing lightly.

'Well…I am Sera. I really am. But…I also wanted to tell you dat…I hope my bear keeps you company ja?'

"But I want to come with you Cielo!!" Sera wailed helplessly. Cielo sighed. Her crying wasn't making things any easier.

'You can't yet Sera.'

"Why not? I want to be with you! Please take me with you!" she pleaded, her voice cracking with desperation as she tightly clasped her robes.

Cielo felt his heart sting with a searing pain as he saw his loved one weep like this. Sera was desperate. She was wishing for death.

But, like his fate, it wasn't meant to be. Sera wasn't meant to die this day. She was meant to live. He didn't want to physically leave her, but here he was. He sighed.

'You'll never be alone Sera. You have me…always ja? Well, both of us, right?''

Sera was confused for a moment but then, understood what he meant. Cielo spoke of the "other" Cielo; the little brown bear that he had given her. That was right. She had decided to name him Cielo…She blushed; she really didn't say that out loud…at least not yet. So how did?

She blushed again. Cielo probably read her mind.

'Keep him close to your heart Sera. He would keep you safe and make you happy like he did me…'

"I will…I promise…" Sera said weakly.

Sera laughed whilst her tears continued to flow, "But! I also want YOU to be there too! I don't think that 'Cielo' and I will be happy enough to play by ourselves! So you'd better be with me all the time too Cielo!"

'You bet ja?'

They both laughed until silence reigned once more. Cielo broke it, 'I have to go now Sera…'

"Wait!" Sera's voice rang through her cell.

'Wat?' Cielo asked, a bit taken aback with his friend.

"I want to give you something too…" Sera, with slightly shaking hands, took her pink bunny from her lap and held it in front of her. She knew that there was no one in particular in the room but she didn't care. Cielo was in there with her even if she cannot see him.

"I want you to have 'Sera' Cielo. Please take her and keep her close to your heart."

Cielo smiled, 'Thanks Sera. I promise I will. But now, I must go. But…before I do, I want to give you something too.'

"What is it?" Sera asked, lowering her arms and the bunny back onto her lap.

'Just close your eyes ja?'

"Okay…"

And as soon as she did…Sera lost consciousness.

xxxxx

She awoke the next day, "What happened?"

'You fell asleep that's what happened!' a voice said in her head.

'Cielo?' she asked.

No; he was gone. This was different.

It was…the guard??!

As Sera thought once more, she 'heard' the guard grumble and complain about how his pay was too low…or something like that, Sera mused.

Again, her mind didn't take long to put two and two together. This was Cielo's farewell gift; his mind. She smiled once more. Cielo was right. She will never be alone. She had him. He was with her. Forever.

She clutched her new toy; her Cielo. He had been able to give her two things that were of different planes of existence. On this physical world, he gave her his bear; his only possession. On the spiritual world, he was able to give her his only possession; his mind and talent.

She felt eternally grateful.

She looked around and searched for her pink bunny. But she couldn't find her. She searched and searched but she found no sign of the bunny. She had asked all of her guards if they saw the bunny, and as they looked at the pleading girl, they had no reason to lie, and so they didn't.

The answer to her question was that they didn't see any pink bunny. No one had been in her room except for the directress and she did not have any toy in her hand when she left. Sera smiled in contentment. He had taken 'Sera'.

'Keep her close to your heart Cielo…' she thought happily.

Throughout her life, she had always thought that she was cursed; she was doomed to be alone forever. She felt that she was unworthy of life. But now, that was no longer true.

"I love you Cielo…" she breathed out.

And somewhere, where she would neither hear him nor see him, he clutched a pink bunny close to his heart and replied, 'I love you too…Sera…'

Now, she didn't have to be afraid. He was there; she just knew it. She may not have heard him or seen him, but she felt him. She felt…loved.

She no longer felt…forsaken.

xxxxx

FIN