AFTERMATH

After a vicious battle, which saw most of Night Raid suffer injuries, victory was achieved. Thanks to the painkillers in Sanfred's stash, everyone afflicted recovered from the poison and survived the ordeal. Unfortunately, Sanfred did not survive his wounds from the battle.

Mine picked the spot where Sanfred would be buried, choosing to have him under the same grassy hill where they first confessed their love to each other. A fitting place for him to rest in peace.

Night Raid handled the burial, so that Mine could take some time to gather her thoughts. In the past, everyone had picked on her and given her a hard time constantly when it came to her relationship. This time, they all honored her with silence. At first, she found it strangely unsettling, since she was so accustomed to her comrades trying to annoy her. Now she missed it, and even longed for it, because now it wouldn't happen again.

Eventually, it was time for the service. Mine found that she couldn't say her piece with everyone else there, although she did give a brief speech to honor Sanfred's memory. In fact, everyone contributed some kind words.

The sun would be setting soon, so the others began to make their exit. Mine remained there alone, insisting that she wished for some privacy. Once she was finally there in solitude, she began to speak to the stone tomb above Sanfred's grave. "Thank you for teaching me how to use a sword. That saved my life back there. Thank you for patching up my wounds and for staying with me to make sure I recovered. Thank you for saving me from the soldiers and the merchants." She paused to recollect herself. "Thank you for teaching me how to control my breathing. I promise that I'll never stop practicing."

Finally, she revealed a single red rose from a pocket in her dress. She set it down before the stone. "Wherever you are, rest at ease. You were a good man, and you were great to me. I'll always be your rose, just like you'll always be my saint."

The tears were never far away, but Mine made sure to complete her tribute. "Santo Federico Garrido. I love you with all my heart. Adios."

Suddenly, she felt a hand press on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned to look behind her.

"Thank you, Rosa."

"Huh?" she stammered. "Sanfred?"

His presence was incorporeal, nothing more than a ghost. But that didn't take away from the profound affect it was having on Mine. "That was pretty nice what you said back there."

She fell to the ground, still trying to process if she was really seeing it. "Are you a ghost? What… who am I talking to?"

"It's, uh, me. Sanfred." He raised an eyebrow and then knelt so that he was closer to her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

After a few moments, she pulled it together. "So… you really are dead?"

"Afraid so." His voice was calm, but his eyes glistened with despair, even though it was difficult to even see much of his features now that he was a ghost.

"I could just be imagining all this," Mine brought up. "But I can feel your aura. It's really you, isn't it?"

"If you can feel my aura, why do you need to ask?" There was that grin on his face when he gave her a hard time.

Mine's eyes grew moist as she sat forward to kneel as well. "What am I gonna do without you, Babe? What about the future?"

He nodded understandingly. "Your future is still going to be filled with grand adventure. Do not let it go to waste. I'll be watching and cheering you on."

Even though it was hard to believe, Mine's heart was assuring her it was true. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you. You saved the lives of everyone from Night Raid. You saved my life several times. You're more than a good man. You're a hero."

"Whoa." He stared at her curiously, as if he was debating on accepting the compliment.

Mine just sighed and slowly reached for his hands, even though she couldn't hold them anymore. "Will we get to see each other again?"

"Probably," he replied calmly. "I don't want to butt in too much. My life is over and done with. You still have yours to live."

She smiled as her cheeks grew red. "You were always considerate."

Upon hearing that, Sanfred's ghost rose to his feet, standing above her. "You will face more enemies, Mine. They will possess great powers, like the ones we encountered before. In fact, the enemies that lie ahead will be even stronger. I can already tell that your heart is committed to this destiny of yours, and I'm proud of you for that. Never stop growing in strength. Become a winner in life." After that, Sanfred seemed to have finished saying what he needed, because his essence started to fade away. "Te amo, mi Rosa."

Even after the spirit had vanished, Mine stayed kneeling for a long time. Finally, she rose to her feet and headed back inside.

Night Raid took a break from missions for the next week. Everyone was still weary after the intense battle and losing one of their own had been tough to deal with. Mine kept busy in the hideout, taking care of chores and checking up on the others. Even though she was grieving, it helped relieve her to make herself useful.

Every week, Mine kept up training with her sword. She now held onto Sanfred's scimitar and practiced with it as well. "Hope you don't mind if I use it," she spoke while looking up toward the sky. "It deserves better than to just sit around and gather dust." She moved about on the field, working on dodging, parrying, and thrusting. Her movements were enforced by controlled breathing patterns. Everything that Sanfred had taught her.

The revolution lied ahead, and she wasn't going to give up. The man she loved died so that she could see her destiny through, and she was never going to forget it. When she went to battle, it would be with thoughts of him that she found additional hidden strength. That was power that she would never hesitate to embrace.

It was only a matter of time before the next mission arrived. Mine was eager to get out, as was the rest of the team. Najenda gave out missions to everyone, and they all got their chance to get back into the action.

When Mine left the hideout, she was armed with her Imperial Arms Pumpkin, as well as Sanfred's scimitar. No matter what enemy she faced next, she would not lose. More dangers lied ahead, but she would rise above all of them.

Later that night, after the mission was over, Mine was lying in Sanfred's former bed, looking up at the ceiling. Though it took her some time, she finally fell asleep.

Her dreams raged to life. She was in Spain, sitting in the crowd, watching the matador combat the Toro Bravo. Sanfred bravely swung the cape, luring the bull to attack clumsily. His movements were so fast and effortless, like he'd trained his whole life.

At last, Sanfred brought the bull to collapse to the ground in exhaustion. Once it was down, he revealed his scimitar, which he raised high in the air. Then he walked to the bull, prepared to finish the job.

But he came to a halt. Instead, he spun around and looked into Mine's pink eyes with his blue ones. Then he smiled and placed the sword down on the ground. He spared the beast because he knew that Mine wouldn't have wanted to see an innocent creature harmed. He made his way over to her, climbed over the barricade and went before her in the audience. Everyone grew silent in anticipation, and Sanfred removed a red rose from his shirt and handed it to Mine. "Thank you for everything, Rosa," he told her in a bold voice.

She just smiled and embraced him.

THE END