"Karmi? With us?"
Karmi's mind was fuzzy as she regained consciousness.
Where…?
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, seeing a young man standing over her, a relieved look in his features.
"There we are."
"Who…?" She whispered.
"Dr. Kuro Saijo. How are you feeling?"
"Sore…" She rasped. "Where am I?"
"San Fransokyo General." He smiled gently. "You were brought here last night. You've been out for a few hours."
"Oh…" She sat up slowly, cringing, bringing an arm around her abodemen. "Agh…"
"Easy there…" Kuro laid a hand gently on her shoulder. "You have some internal injuries."
"H-How bad?"
"Few cracked ribs and severe bruising. You need to stay in bed for a bit."
"Oh…" Her eyes widened. "Wait! There was a boy with me. Is he okay?"
Knock knock!
Kuro chuckled.
"Yes, and he's been wanting to get in for about an hour now." Kuro looked to the door. "Come in."
The door opened, Hiro rushing in, disgruntling a man who had been standing at the door.
"Karmi!" He shouted, running right to her.
Relief filled Karmi's eyes as she reached out to him.
"Hiro! I thought… I thought she.."
"Never got the chance." He took her hands, relief in his own eyes, a grin coming to his face. "I'm so glad to see you. They wouldn't let me up here till they thought you were waking up."
"Try he kept breaking outta his own room."
Karmi smiled tiredly, nudging him a little.
"Typical, Hiro… Really glad to see you." She looked him over. "She didn't hurt you, right?"
"No… Least, not too badly." Hiro brought his arms around her. "I'm just so glad you're okay."
Karmi hugged him, resting her head against his.
"Hiro…"
Kuro smiled at this.
"I'll let you two have a moment."
Kuro walked out of the room, closing the door, looking to the man who had been guarding the room.
"Thanks for holding him off as best as you could, Takashi."
"Not a problem." Tadashi chuckled. "Gave me an odd way of catching up, ya know?"
"I could imagine. Is Bob back from his visit, yet?"
"No but he should be soon. Till then, orders are just to ensure things are peaceful then it's just… back to routine."
"Getting back to our idea of "normal"." Kuro smirked. "And just ensure nothing else too crazy happens."
"Ain't that the truth?" Tadashi smiled, looking to the door. "And just… making arrangements."
Kuro squeezed his shoulder.
"You'll get there. In the meantime, I think we earned our own winding down while they catch up. Dr. Pepper?"
"You know me too well… And knowing you, Mari's got a bone to pick with Bob for keeping ya here?"
"You know it. Threatened to take scones off her cafe's menu."
"Harsh."
"Just how it is."
The two shared a laugh before heading off, taking one last look at the room Hiro and Karmi were in, smiling at hearing laughter on the other side.
oooooo
Diane was sitting on the bench her cell, drumming her fingers on her knees.
It was quiet.
It was just her in her little shatter proof glass box and no one else.
Or least… she thought.
"Is this how you imagined yourself in ten years, Liv? Or… excuse me… Diane?"
Diane's head snapped to the side of her cell, seeing a man she hadn't seen in over a year standing outside it, a dark look in his features.
She sneered.
"Oh, so you finally figured it out." She stood, walking up to him. "I'm surprised you're still alive." An eagerness came to her eyes. "You came to free me?"
"Bold of you to assume that." The side of Obake's face glowed for a moment. "No. I just wanted to check in. The guards didn't mind… or rather, they don't even know I'm here. I'm just a ghost… like you designed me to be." He narrowed his eyes. "I must say, you must be so proud of yourself."
Diane rolled her eyes.
"Oh, lovely. What, the "great" " She took on a mocking tone. "Neurosurgeon you married finally stepped up?"
Obake's look turned into a death glare, causing Diane to flinch.
"You better be glad I didn't bring her with me or you'd have a scalpel between your eyes. Regardless, yes, she treated me… better than you ever did… I must say, I have to thank you for the powers. They came in handy." He grinned a sinister smile. "It's how I undid a lot of the colateral you left behind. Erin, Coilin, Drake and Naoki send their regards."
She snarled, her eyes narrowing into a glare of her own.
"So it was YOU who ruined my carefully laid plans." She took a deep breath before a pleasant smile came to her face. "They were useless anyways. I should've upgraded them while I had the chance… I mean, it worked out well for you, didn't it? You think you can atone for what you did?"
"I like to think so, unlike you. Sure… I won't be showered with praise or adored like Big Hero 6… but I don't need that to know how to do the right thing." Obake placed a hand to the glass. "Maybe you can learn that one day yourself."
Diane lowered her gaze, turning away from him, leaning against the glass.
"I was doing the right thing. I had to save her… I had to save her no matter what." She clenched her fist. "She's ungrateful… Disappointed she said… Ashamed she said… You know my arraignment was great, she told me she should've just let nature take its course."
"And I admit… I feel sorry for you in that regard, Diane."
She turned to him, a stunned look in her eyes.
"... What?" She whispered.
"As much as I know Liv is actually a decent person… I don't excuse a lot that she did. She's a woman who's too ambitious for her own good. None of this would've happened if she had learn to show restraint. With her experiments… and herself. If she had shown restraint… maybe we wouldn't be the way we are right now."
"Speak for yourself. I wouldn't have been born." She looked down at her own hand. "... Or maybe… I could've been born a different way… wanted not… needed."
"Diane… I can't offer you much. Not without drawing attention. But what I can offer you for now… is my forgiveness."
Diane chuckled, closing her eyes.
"You forgive me… after all the torment I put you through? The surgeries, the electroshock? The forced amnesia? You really forgive that?"
"It took time… Trust me… A lot of time. But I can't hang on to it forever. I need to move on… and Diane… knowing what I know… I can't be mad forever. I really wish I could help you more… but I can't."
"I don't expect your help… nor do I deserve to even ask for it." She looked to him. "Do, however, look out for yourself. I'm not gonna pretend what I did wasn't bad. I deemed it necessary for my purpose. What I was programmed to do before I even knew myself."
"And I will… and rest easy with this in mind." Obake's look turned gentle. "You may have created a monster at first… but in the end, he decided he wanted to help rather than destroy."
"Deep down, I can't destroy what was already there. You already had that potential. I suppose I just made it rush back to the surface, huh?"
"I suppose so." Obake chuckled. "I do wish you the best of luck, Diane. Whatever that might be."
"I'll keep myself busy. Who knows, maybe if I'm good, I'll get to live my own life… But we'll see about that, hm?" She smirked. "Appreciate the visit, but you have a life to live. Get out of here and live it."
Obake nodded, making his way out.
"As you wish."