BLESSING BEFORE MEALS

Bénedic, Dómine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.

Bless us, O Lord, and these gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GRACE AFTER MEALS

Ágimus tibi gratias, omnípotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
Deus det nobis suam pacem. Et vitam æternum. Amen.

We give thee thanks, almighty God, for all your benefits, who livest and reignest forever

and ever. Amen.

May the Lord grant us His peace. And life everlasting. Amen.

Assist us, O Lord

Adesto nobis, Domine Deus noster; et quos sanctae Crucis laetari facis honore, eius quoque perpetuis defende subsidiis. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Assist us, O Lord our God; and defend us evermore by the might of Thy holy Cross, in whose honor Thou makest us to rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The final chapter to 'And So I Stand'. I hope that you enjoyed reading this story.

Meene stood alone on the deck of the X-Laws ship to stare at the brilliant sunrise across the water that seemed to stretch out into infinity. The cold biting wind warmed as the sun slowly rose and cast its welcoming light upon the day. It was going to be a bright sunny day. It was going to be a good day to die, as some would say. She wondered if the others knew just how powerful, Hao exactly was and just how impossible it was to defeat the pyromaniac alone, even with a three-man team. Hell, even with Iron Maiden Jeanne and the entire X-Laws team couldn't take the nutcase down even if they tried. Only a very large coalition and powerful allies united to defeat him was the only way. Unfortunately, the X-Laws have burnt far too many bridges for that to happen. Meene chuckled darkly at the answer to her musing. Of course, they didn't know that Hao's mana was over a million. They hadn't even given the Oracle Bell any thought except as a device to reveal who they were going to fight next. Despite some experimentation, Meene never bothered to read the entire FAQ on the Oracle Bell since she was so busy with tracking down or discovering who were Hao's sympathizers and minions. She had an inkling that Marco's harsh stance on other groups in the Shaman Fight against Hao was not a good thing but she never imagined that it would be such a deadly mistake to not take seriously.

The X-Laws were truly alone in their fight against the Destroyer and while there were plenty groups against the demigod, they would never unite with the X-Laws to fight against him. They had made too many enemies and in general pissed far too many people off.

'If I had my old powers and all three hundred of my brothers and sisters in the Order were alive and at full strength too, then killing Hao would be…'

Meene began to chuckle darkly, she did not regret that she helped seal away her 'father'. The weight of eventually going insane or mutating into something inhuman was removed completely by the sealing of Samael.

At a price of course, but there was always a price to be paid.

'Some intelligence officer I turned out to be. Chris would be so disappointed in me or at least make me do thirty laps around the ship,' the X-Law thought to herself as she lightly rested her head on the cold metal railing of the ship.

Meene heard the metallic shriek of the ship's door opening and the clanging of footsteps coming towards her. She made a quick turn to see who was coming on deck and saw Porf who was still in his absurdly cute yellow chick print pajamas.

"Yo, Meene! Care to join me for a quick session of exercise?" Porf said jovially as he shifted the white towel around his neck on to a deck chair. His bald head shined in the morning sun and almost reflected the light into her eyes. Meene vaguely wondered if the reflective surface of the forehead ever gave away the bald man's position when he was a sniper.

"Why not. A bit exercise would do me some good," she agreed.

Slow familiar routines of stretching, extending and moving flowed as they started warming up. Then the brief running of laps around the ship. The two said nothing as they did their exercises and that was all right.

Porf was once a sniper for the American army. He had met practically half the members of the X-Laws, even if it was just for a brief moment, while in Iraq. The former Ranger never spoke of what had happened in the desert when he ran into Hao and no one in the X-Laws asked.

After their little run, they wandered back into the ship to shower off their sweat. Ever the gentleman, Porf allowed Meene to go in first and she in turn waited for him to outside the bathroom. They walked amicably like the comrade in arms they were to kitchen.

As they approached the 'holy repository of food' (dubbed by Denbat with great solemnity), the sounds what seemed like a war and Iron Chef Competition reached the two's ears.

"What in the?" Meene muttered and looked at Porf in askance.

"Larch and Denbat are in the kitchen. They said they wanted to give you strawberries and chocolate syrup for breakfast. They don't know where the strawberries are though. I think someone ate them," the sniper said as the sounds of mass chaos came from his kitchen. Actually it wasn't Porf's kitchen per se, the kitchen itself was actually a general kitchen area where everyone prepared food for the X-Laws members on a rotating basis. Unfortunately, certain individuals in the X-Laws had atrocious meal preparation skills. In the past Monday and Friday were expected with some dread in the past. It wasn't as though the two X-Laws members responsible for meals on those days weren't trying their best. It was just that they were terrible at cooking.

Porf didn't mind, it just gave him a good excuse to practice his cooking skills. He was going to open a restaurant after this was all over, mind as well get lots of practice while he was an X-Laws. Maybe he can convince Marco to become his assistant chef. The man could cook such good Italian pasta, which made everyone wonder where he learned how.

Porf gave a sidelong look at Meene who was smiling at the thought of Denbat and Larch's thoughtfulness. She just happened to be worse out of everyone preparing meals. Cebin was only marginally better than she was.

In addition, since she was going to either die or abandon them today, she wasn't going to have one last opportunity to poison her fellow team members with badly made breakfast. They both headed towards the kitchen to see what amusing things would happen.

"Where is it!" Larch said frantically. The sounds of clinking plates, clanging pots and other sounds came from the kitchen.

"How should I know! You do realize I regret telling you that she likes strawberries with chocolate sauce on them," Denbat said evenly.

"Maybe I should get Lyserg to dowse for the strawberries, it would cut down on the time to look for them," the former US soldier muttered.

"I know where the strawberries are," Meene announced.

"WHERE?" Larch shouted. He banged his head hard under the cabinet as he tried to see who had answered him.

"They've been happily eaten by me and Mademoiselle D'Arc, thus they reside happily in my stomach and hers," Meene stated as she lifted an eyebrow as Larch gripped his head in pain.

"Good morning," Denbat greeted. His companion, the self-injured American waved a nervous good morning as he got up.

"Good morning, so what's on the menu, now that you've discovered that there are no strawberries left?" The amused former nephilim inquired.

John Denbat sighed, "The menu? The Royal Marine in me says a good serving of neaters for breakfast but an essence such as yourself… you'd end up emptying it all into the head."

The non-British (more importantly non ex-Royal Marine) X-Laws blinked.

"John… What the hell did you just say?" Porf demanded.

The former Royal Marine sighed.

"Never mind, now unless we gentlemen are going to be serving SOS or better, I suggest we start before Meene here gets it in her head to make breakfast for all of us."

The three male X-Laws shuddered at the thought.

"I have learned to boil water by now…" The offended female protested.

The three men merrily ignored Meene's protest and threw themselves into a flurry of activity to make a simple hearty breakfast of toast, coffee, orange juice and beans.

The normality of it all was forced though and as the rest of X-Laws gathered in the dining hall, it became apparent to Meene that the strain of the coming match was surfacing. Breakfast was unusually silent, no one made a joke and the previous joviality earlier was gone.

"Bénedic, Dómine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen."

Marco's voice did not shake, and Meene was thankful to hear that everyone else's voice did not shake as they replied with an 'amen'.

Breakfast was over before she knew it. The X-Laws rose as one and it seemed that everyone was committing to memory the faces of X-III.

"Comrades, friends... My dear friends, we are about to take another step on the righteous road of justice and good. We will shall prevail at the end, God will not abandon this world to the bloodied hands of a murderer and tyrant and neither shall the followers of the Iron Maiden. Fools will call us fanatics, vengeful dogs and worse but we know that our souls our pure. That our hearts ache for the ignorant and misguided. We deal, not death, but with righteous retribution against the evil in this world. My friends… My dear friends, our resolve, our virtues, our cause shall never fade."

Marco strained to keep his voice from breaking with emotion and failed. His voice rang with belief and soared with the sureness of the righteousness of their cause. His words strengthen the resolve of the X-Laws. This was not in vain; they reasoned and stood tall with pride. Meene felt her heart break, they didn't know any better. All she could was look at each of their faces and come to realization that nothing she said would change their resolve to try to defeat Hao today in the arena.

"Adesto nobis, Domine Deus noster; et quos sanctae Crucis laetari facis honore, eius quoque perpetuis defende subsidiis. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen," Meene whispered, and in the silence following Marco's speech, all heard the words.

"AMEN!"

A resounding cry from all but Meene who remained silent. It was like the clarion call to action, the X-Laws began to go and pick up their weapons, equipment and anything else they needed. Meene noted that she not made any such preparations; in her holster was everything that she would need.

Her pistol angel, Gabriel, primed and ready. Meene sank back into her chair and closed her eyes.

"Meene, you can go on ahead. We'll see you at the stadium," Marco's voice pierced the darkness of her mind. The female X-Law opened her eyes and saw that Marco remained standing at the table. As though he was waiting for her.

"I thought we are all going together?"

"It'll take about 30 minutes for us to get Lady Jeanne ready to be moved in the Iron Maiden. Venstar asked that you go ahead alone."

"And how do you feel of this request Commander?" Meene asked.

"I don't really know," the Italian answered brusquely, and that tipped off the intelligence officer he was not too pleased.

"I see," it was all she could really say to him. There was something that he desperately wanted to ask, to say but it was futile.

All that could be said between them would take years and they had but a few scant hours left. This was something they knew and decided in silence to keep it in silence.

It was a decision that was felt and understood.

For a moment, the former knight was unsure how to react. It didn't take long for her to act though; she finally got up from her seat and walked past Marco. The X-Laws commander silently followed after her until at last they reached to the walkway to shore.

There Marco stopped and watched his fellow X-Law walk onwards without looking back. Meene was halfway down the walkway when she heard Marco speak.

"Meene…"

Meene did not pause and did not answer.

"I'll see you latter!"

Meene squeezed her eyes shut and stopped on the walkway but she did not answer. For a moment she was tempted to look back and see Marco's face. It was a temptation she allowed herself to give into and thus she turned her neck to see from the corner of her eyes, Marco's pensive face. It was not one she was used to seeing and without realizing it she turned to him fully and look at him.

There Marco stood at the edge of the walkway she was traveling on. His large hands gripping the railings tightly as he leaned forward awkwardly to say something more but he was never eloquent in matters that involved her. Yet, he believed her in a way that couldn't be spoken with mere words and that perhaps was what Meene disliked about him the most.

It was something she had never earned in her mind.

Had never had the right to earn.

Meene turned away at last and walked onwards alone as Marco watched her go.

The other shamans in the Patch village stared at the X-Law walking the street alone. It was unusual to see an X-Law alone without any of his companions. Most of them only took a cursory glance to note the uniform and failed to realize that the said X-Law was a woman.

Those who did pay attention didn't really care. She was going to die when she entered the stadium.

Another group down, another step closer to becoming Shaman King in their minds.

Morons all of them. There was no way of defeating Hao in this tournament at all, it was suicide. The entire thing was a farce; Meene couldn't help but feel that the Patch was probably on Hao's side as well. What is the point of a tournament and following the 'will of the Great Spirit' when one of the participants could easily kill every single person in the entire tournament all at the same time?

Did anyone get the joke of this tournament?

Meene felt bitter, at least when she was fighting Samael, there was a slim chance of defeating him.

As she walked through the Patch Village, Meene let her guard down; there was no point in being paranoid before this match. None of the shamans was going to attack her and waste their strength. It had become an unspoken custom that all teams facing Hoshigumi would be left alone, for they were already dead in their minds.

Her wanderings brought to her parts of Patch Village she had not time to explore. It seemed she had come to a place where various Shamans' could practice their faiths. The buildings were shabbily built, but Meene could see a mosque, a stupa and a number of other praying areas. Eventually, she came to a place that she was all too familiar with. It was a church. She approached the battered doors and saw that it was simply a space of worship for the competing shamans who happened to be Christian.

It occurred to Meene at that moment that she had not said her confessions for one hectic year. She was not sure if the realization came from her upcoming fight or the last faint reminders of her harsh childhood or by the sight of the cross. Meene looked inside and found that the church was indeed as dingy as the door. There were some efforts in making it utilitarian for any number of Christian faiths who wanted to use it. It was a painfully small church but it had an altar and all the requisites of worship. It even had a small confessional and Meene felt her body move towards it. She opened the curtain of the confessional to enter, sat down inside and closed the curtain. In the darkness, The X-Law panicked when she realized that she had left her rosary on the ship and remembered the punishments of forgetting it while part of the Order. However, that was far in the past, and she doubted that the demons of the past would resurrect to punish her over something so trivial. The silence was uncomfortable and the outside world seemed to fade away. Meene felt almost crushed in the small space of the confessional. It was as if the looming presence of her fight was pressing down on her.

Meene noted eventually her discomfort had little to do with the weight of her upcoming match. She was not alone, that what was her senses were telling her.

SHHH.

The small grated window in front of Meene opened, it revealed where the priest usually sat to listen to the faithful and their sins. It didn't surprise her very much, she had divined that there was another person. But she did wonder if the Patch had a one of the judges pretend to be a Catholic priest to take confessions. If there was, then it was in extreme bad taste.

"How may I help you my daughter," Luchist Rasso said with a voice and calm face that was picture of fatherly kindness. Tinged with amusement by the sheer coincidence that allowed him to sit across one of the X-Laws. The tall priest who was the second in command of Hao's group found it infinitely more amusing when he realized he was sitting across one of his upcoming opponents who were going to be killed by Master Hao. He almost just laughed when he saw it was 'Gabriel' sitting across from him. The look on her face was priceless; she almost didn't reach for her gun.

Meene wished that it really were one of the judges pretending, in bad taste, of being a Catholic priest. She wasn't expecting Luchist to be there.

"Hello Father," Meene said in a tight voice as she quickly gripped her fingers around her gun.

Click.

The sound of the hammer of a gun in the ready to discharge its deadly payload. Luchist had his gun out long before even Meene had entered and the unusual crushing sensation was the former priest's attempt to hide his aura. And it had fooled Meene, she was surprised and Luchist had his gun pointed direct at her, ready to summon his angel Lucifer if need be.

"Now my daughter, I can't have that in the house of God. Let us try to avoid unnecessary combat before our match? I don't like the idea of killing you here and polluting this sanctuary. However pathetic it maybe," Luchist kindly informed Meene.

"Why Father, I never knew that you cared since you joined up with Hao," Meene noted and debated in her head what would happen if she ignored Luchist's threat. Her answer was that she would be beaten… badly. Luchist was a very powerful shaman, mana of 25000, and well above her strength. A fight would most likely end in his victory and he had the advantage of having his gun armed and ready. She couldn't afford a battle, not when she hadn't decided whether to fight in her match yet.

"I know you don't trust me, so I'll extend the olive branch of peace first," the former priest said. He put the hammer slowly back to it's disarm position and holstered it. Meene felt a bit tension leave her body when Luchist disarmed willingly and moved her hands away from her own gun. Luchist saw through the screen and smiled grimly. There were some idiosyncrasies about the traitor that Meene had learned when he was part of the X-Laws and over time as an enemy. The man was a diplomat to the extreme.

"I always did think you were more rational than the others," Luchist noted.

And he was in full recruitment mode.

"Flattery will get you no where Father. I know what you are trying to do," Meene said cutting Luchist off before he could continue.

"Really? I thought you were here for your confessions."

Before you die was supposed to be tacked onto the sentence but Meene didn't need it to be said aloud, she could read between the lines.

"I do not feel bound to confess to you Father. It is a simply technicality that you have not been excommunicated yet."

"Like you my daughter? And you still call me by my formal title despite that… As for excommunication, I simply no longer believe in the authority of humanity over what is a domain that is for Shamans like us. I can only imagine what you have been through as a dog of that putrid human infested bureaucracy they call the 'Church' and its human leader, the 'Pope'."

"The Pater has a few issues to work out but he is a kind man," Meene defended calmly.

"So kind that he, a mere human with the minor ability to see spirits, would have you lashed fifty times before throwing you into a random doorway to the outside world?"

"So kind that he would commute my execution sentence, despite all those protests, to only excommunication and allow me the chance to live instead…"

The traitor quirked an eyebrow quizzically and leaned forward to the screen.

"How is that kind? There is no salvation outside the Church remember?" Luchist said with not a little bit of sarcasm.

"I'm alive right now, aren't I?"

"A situation which will change in about an hour or so."

Meene really didn't have a clever answer to that.

She changed the subject.

"What are you doing here?" Meene asked.

"Like you I saw it was a church and my natural curiosity got the better of me. I just sat in here as a whim and you ended up sitting across from me."

The man in priestly black breathed deeply for a moment and closed his eyes.

"Indulge me, my daughter. What troubles you," Luchist asked in his fatherly voice of wisdom that most priests, Meene observed, seemed to learn over time. Or learn how to fake.

"I think you know Father," the X-Law answered sardonically.

"As I said, indulge me," Luchist said once more.

"I confess, I am afraid of dying Father… I know that we cannot win against Hao in a match and that suicidal probing for Hao's medium or for his destruction is not the way to go. I cannot convince anyone the futility of the entire thing. If I were a betting woman, I'd say Hao would go in our faces and tell us what his medium was just to annoy us and then kill us because he is an arrogant asshole," Meene said. She watched Luchist's reaction carefully but could read nothing.

"While I disapprove of your language towards Lord Hao, I would have to agree to you… You have no chance in winning and yes, I'd also have to agree, that Lord Hao would be…" Luchist did not have a chance to continue.

"Arrogant enough?" Meene cut into his sentence.

"No, foolhardy enough to tell you what his medium is. Thus far, I can only see three choices in your situation since you can not convince anyone in your team to resign from the match… One, you can runaway and be killed by either the X-Laws for treachery or by my group for being a former enemy. Two, you can fight in your match and die. Three, you can leave the X-Laws and join Lord Hao's crusade to save the world."

"All three choices of the above are unacceptable in one way or another. Especially the last option," Meene said in an acid tone.

"Hao can bring back Mathieu for you when he becomes the Shaman King," Luchist said in an intense voice. Meene took a sharp breath and held it as tried to control her anger and pain and the faintest degree of hope.

Luchist sensed that he had made a mistake in bringing up Mathieu in his negotiations and tried a different route.

"I don't understand you… I was sure out of all the X-Laws, you would be the first to betray or leave the X-laws when Marco and I founded the group with Jeanne. You had the fewest reason to fight with the X-Laws and one of the most injured individuals by the Church than anyone else I could think of. Including Father Platamone. Instead, I became the first to leave and you never left. Why?" Luchist asked. He was not expecting a very exact answer and Meene did not disappoint.

"Because I believe that there is good, that there is evil and the choice between the two... I only chose what I thought was good," Meene answered.

"An odd answer. Marco, how is he?" Luchist asked.

"He's as stiff and unbending as ever. He'll die of stress before he's fifty if he doesn't lighten up now."

"You make it sound certain that he will live through the Shaman King tournament."

"Are you really able to kill your own 'son'?"

Luchist was startled by Meene's question, the surprise was ruthlessly transformed and he immediately leant forward towards the slim grill that separated them. His voice was dark and low, hissing anger was behind it.

"Why not? You were able to kill your own, weren't you?"

Meene did not answer. She opened the door the confessional and left its dark confines hurriedly. Luchist quickly exited and followed her. Meene stopped at the entrance of the church and bathed herself in the warm light. They shared a silence between the two that only 'parents' could understand in regards with their children.

"I'm sorry, but you hit a sore spot for me," Luchist said at last.

"I know, I know," Meene said back. She smiled bitterly and noted that she had to get a move on or else she would not reach the stadium for the match in time.

"So then, this is the last time we will speak to each other?" Luchist asked as though not sure to believe this is truly the last time he would talk to this young woman.

"We will see each other in the match. Perhaps we will exchange last words there," Meene noted with dark amusement.

Luchist shook his head and sighed with frustration.

"I will see you there. May God have mercy on your soul, Meene."

"May God give you time to repent Father Rasso."

Luchist narrowed his eyes.

"We will see, we will see," Luchist muttered and walked away from the church and Meene.

The Patch Stadium where the battles of the Shaman King Tournament was a surprisingly modern looking affair. The many Native American motifs incorporated to the structure, however, only served to make it cheesy. Icons of eagles, tepees and spears were placed in areas that amplified a sense of fakeness that came from trying too hard to be traditional. It didn't help that everyone first had to pass through a series of food stands and souvenirs shops before reaching the competitor entrances for competing teams.

It was so grandly tasteless that Meene could almost laugh at it. Yet this stadium, or the grounds upon which it was built, was the site of many bloody and deadly battles. No one pretended that it didn't have a bloody history under all the tackiness. Here Shamans fought for their beliefs and dreams, and quite a number of them died for it.

Meene paused before the stadium's entrance. Once she entered, she would not leave alive.

Yet, what was the sum of all her life then if she turned back now? Was her life worth the betrayal of Lyserg? Of Marco? Or Jeanne? She would live, but she wasn't sure if she would enjoy it.

'I have dedicated 21 years of my life to a cause of repentance. Has it been worth it?' Meene thought as she walked forward towards the darkness of the entrance before her.

The years at Arrach Roth, not knowing her true name or why she was being punished. The drunken rages of the holder of answers to all her questions. The death of Commander Christina D'Arc. The killing of siblings at the battle where neither God nor the devil mattered. The scattering of her brothers and sisters unto the world. The death of Mathieu.

Then there was her own sins to deal with. Murder, perversion of justice, revenge and so much more. Did a person like her have a right to happiness or forgiveness? Her hands, her bloodied hands, had sown so much sorrow and carried the weight of damning lies. Misery was the harvest and through it all she lived.

Lived and sought for something that meant nothing to anyone but to herself.

Yet it those years she enjoyed the comradeship of family and silly sibling rivalry. The simple pleasure of eating gingerbread because of the kindness of a complete stranger. Finding and raising Mathieu during the bleak years of Arrach Roth. Meeting the Commander. Freeing her siblings from imprisonment. Being forgiven by Katherina Jocahim despite it all that happened in Heide. Meeting the X-Laws. Seeing innocence still lived.

There was good she had done with those same bloodied and sinful hands. Finding the lost and despairing in the bleakness of the human heart. Justice and righteous to those who could do nothing for themselves. Even if she could not have happiness, so many others did. The fruit of love that she had nurtured in unexpected ways were sweet in their own ways.

Did she hate? Love? Forgiven? Erred?

'Yes.'

Did her life have regrets? Joys? Tears? Laughter?

'Yes.'

To do nothing was a sin. To hide behind a lie was cowardice. It didn't matter what anyone else thought. She had to live diligently, she struggled because she believed did she not?

If she could change this world, even a bit for the better. To save lives, to give justice to wrongs and stop the wicked. Wouldn't it be worth it?

"Yes."

It was a whisper stronger than steel, a promise that bound only one. It edged away fear and replaced it with grim will.

It felt like the final battle at "the Gates".

Still Commander Christine D'arc's words ringed in her ears.

We need neither God nor the devil. The sum of all our good and all our evils are weighed in each and every one of our souls this day. This is your choice, your will and your dusk to your childhood. Through this night of trails, you are not wanna-be saints or forsaken sinners, you are children at the dawn of adulthood. You have sacrificed and you stand strong in the lonely darkness. I will not abandon no one, and though this world shall forget me and all I have done, I will not forget you… I existed and I have stood with all of you. I forgive you for all your trespasses, even if your brothers and sisters do not, even if this world will not. I forgive you all.

Meene walked onwards.

"Hey," Marco greeted Meene who appeared in the long narrow tunnel before the entrance of the fighting ring. The people were seated along the elevated platform seats and waiting for the match to being. Somehow, she wasn't surprised Marco was there but she noted that Lyserg was not with him.

"Where are the others?" Meene asked.

"Venstar and Cebin have gone ahead and are waiting for the match to begin. The others have taken their seats in the stadium… Lyserg wanted to wait for you but I made him go to his seat," Marco answered. Meene smiled at the irony of it all.

"So the one who hates me and the one who is completely ignorant as to what I am, believed utterly that I would arrive to fight," Meene noted.

"I don't hate you. You just anger me far too than I care to count. Anyways, where's your rosary?" Marco asked. He seemed mildly surprised to not see Meene playing with beads nervously.

"Would you believe me if I said I forgot it on the ship?" Meene asked annoyed.

"No I would not, it's not like you forget."

"You can have it if you want. What you need to know is this, everyone in the X-Laws, including Lady Jeanne is completely outmatched by the Destroyer's power."

This startled Marco utterly. Before he had time to react, Meene was typing away on her Oracle Bell to give more weight to her argument. The numbers on the Oracle Bell was stark and simple.

1,250,000

Asakura Hao

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Marco barked.

Another push of the button on the device, showing another set of numbers.

500,000

Jeanne D'Arc

"It shows how powerful shamans are numerically. As you can see, we're seriously outgunned here," Meene intoned gravely.

"You don't believe Hao can be defeated!"

"No, I believe utterly that Hao can be defeated. A man that has beaten twice before, can be beaten a third time. I don't believe that just the X-Laws alone can defeat him…"

"What are you trying to suggest then! I hope you're not suggesting something that goes against…"

"Marco, will you just listen to someone who's going to die!"

That silenced Marco far too quickly for Meene's liking. She forged on, it was utterly vital to get this through Marco's thick head.

"You can't defeat Hao alone. The X-Laws needs to get more powerful and more allies including those allies we might not like. Whether you follow my advice or not, is utterly up to you. But you have to realize this, we cannot win now or ever if the X-Laws remain the same."

Marco's glasses glared from the scarce light of the tunnel. It hid his eyes and Meene waited for a response.

"I don't like your advice," Marco declared as his weary blue eyes reappeared from behind the glare.

"I never said you had to like it," Meene sighed.

"I'll keep it in mind."

Meene thank God for small miracles.

"I know I should have asked earlier for this, but what should I tell your dying guardian, Father Platamone?"

"What? When did you…" Meene asked stunned by Marco's sudden question. She hadn't given any thought of her former guardian since the e-mail she received yesterday.

"I got an email. He's very desperate."

"Forgiveness, all that we seek for is it not? Tell him this Marco... Tell that I forgive him but I will never forget what he has done to me," Meene said.

"You're cruel… You're not actually forgiving him, you're lying to him to give him peace of mind. What he wants is forgiveness," Marco answered, taken aback by Meene's words when he realized what they actually meant. She was too tired to forgive but she was not tired enough to stop hating.

"No I forgive him, that is the truth. He'll die in peace," Meene answered and looked away from Marco. The match would be starting in a few minutes.

"How am I supposed to believe that? What happens if he thinks it is a lie?" Marco asked.

"I forgive him for all his rage and hatred but I can't forgive that he has never answered my questions…"

Marco opened his mouth to speak but Meene continued, ignoring him completely.

"Marco… He didn't call me by 'name' in his message… He called me by my number, 333173. I would expect him after so many years to tell me who I really am." Sixteen years of pent up frustration, bitterness and sadness was in her voice. It struck Marco how similar it was to Lyserg at times. Gentle and soft on the surface but beneath, the pain of life, which dealt too many blows. To that Marco had no answer, his mouth hung open for a moment and closed as he tried to think of something to say.

"You're not a number to me," Marco said brusquely. He didn't even think of what he was going to say, he just said something.

Meene looked at him startled. Marco coughed embarrassed at his slip of tongue.

"What I mean is that you're not a number to us. Everyone in the X-Laws knows who you are. You're Meene," Marco explained rather lamely.

"Meene is not my real name though. I've never had a real name."

"No, you have a real name. Father Platamone wrote that it's Lucrezia Von Meer. You're named after your mother and she tried to protect you," Marco answered quietly. Meene looked up at him surprised and her jaw dropped.

It was short lived.

"A name after all these years, well better late than never," the woman whose name is Lucrezia whispered amused.

Her search for her real name seemed petty now.

'Now all I need is someone to forgive me one more time. Just like how Chris did, just like how Katherina did,' was the random thought that occurred to her. Then there would be no more regrets.

It seemed to silly. In the face of death, she would desire something like that.

"Will the competing X-III team and Hoshigumi team, please gather at the ring. The match will start in ten minutes," the voice of Goldova was heard clearly over the intercom system set up around the Patch Village and stadium. Both looked at the intercom above them startled.

"It's time for me to go," the woman whose name was Meene noted.

"Lucrezia…"

It was odd, she knew it was her real name but it something she was not used to.

"Yes Marco…"

"You gave so much up and I… I might not have the right to, but I forgive you. Even if the no one else in this world does. I forgive you."

Lucrezia Von Meer.

Meene.

333173

Forgiven.

Did that mean anything?

Yes.

"I have to get to my seat," Marco said finally and Meene nodded. He turned to away from Meene and began walking away.

"Marco?" Meene called out as she was about to walk towards where Cebin and Venstar were.

"Yes, Lucrezia?" Marco stopped and turned his head to look at her. At the end of the corridor where the entrance was, a bright white light lit her body up. For a moment, she looked as though she was on fire already and Marco felt his stomach clench at the thought.

Meene was smiling at him; it was a curious mixture of pity and affection. He smiled back weakly if only to show that he was still in control of himself.

"I think I like Meene better… I'll see you latter." With that and her sad smile, she sang quietly as she walked into the light. Marco heard the echoes of words before she was finally too far away to hear.

And you don't seem the lying kind
A shame then I can read your mind
And all the things that I read there
Candle lit smiles that we both share
And you know I don't mean to hurt you
But you know that it means so much …

The crowd roared and the light devoured her.