Chapter 32: Sisters of War
|Motion Publishing - Outside|8:47 am|
"Oh, there you are!" Amara said, running up to Stella. "This is the first time we've met outside the building, isn't it?"
"Yes! I decided to get here early today. The spirits warned me of a traffic jam if I took my usual bus." Stella said. "So what's new with you?"
"You'll never guess what - we have a new member! And it's Zao!" Amara said, excitedly.
Stella gasped. "So, he has a Persona too? I never saw such an event coming. Granted, I never imagined a fifth member to your group." Stella said.
"I was really surprised myself. He's still new, however, so he'll need to do a lot of training to catch up. Still, I'm glad he's with us. I think he'll be a great partner!"
"I'd need to do a reading on this later, but if you think so, then you're probably right." Stella said, adjusting her turban. "Anyway - oh, there's Karen!"
"Morning, girls." Karen said, walking towards the girls. Karen... The battle with Roger yesterday was still fresh on Amara's mind. To think he became so cruel thanks to the Shadows...
"So what happened? You did go to the park, right?" Stella asked.
"Yes, I did! And the man that showed up - it was Roger!" Karen said. "Amara, you knew all along, didn't you?"
"I didn't know what to say! I'm sorry, I -"
"It doesn't matter now. I never imagined I'd see him in this city again...he asked me if we could still see each other." Karen said.
"That's great! So you're back together!" Amara said. "Right?"
"No." Karen said, sadly. "I did want him back, but I was thinking. Ever since I met him fifteen years ago, I've been relying on men like him for support. That has to stop. The time has come for me to stop looking for people to cling to."
"But is this really what you want?" Stella asked.
"It's for the best. You saw what I was like, during the weekend. Roger deserves better than me." Karen said. "The man must be a millionaire by now. I'm no good for him."
"Karen, are you absolutely sure you won't get back together with him? I've seen the way you look at him." Amara said.
"I'm sure. It's not that I don't like him. I love him! Fourteen years and I still love the bones off that man! I just don't want to ruin his life." Karen said. "Come on, we have a magazine to write. Let's go."
"Stella, can't you do something?" Amara asked.
"This is something they need to work out for themselves. Come on, let's talk more about Zao. What's his Persona called?" The two of them went into the office, yet all Amara could think about was Karen. Tonight, however, she'd have to go to the other world, and meet Aimee again. Did she really have to tell her she dated her brother? Who was still alive in her world? Love was complicated.
|Legarte Harbour - Right Side|17:07 pm|
"Man, I'm tired." Zao said, slowly getting out of the boat. He'd caught quite a lot of fish today, and now he hoped he could have a nap before he had to go see Aimee. The little girl he used to fantasise about marrying. He was such a silly kid then, even now he enjoyed clowning around. Now, it was Amara he thought about.
"Good work, boy." Zao's grandfather, Deo, said. "You better rest up before you meet that girl of yours. When am I going to meet the lucky lass, anyway?"
"Soon, grandpa. You go on ahead. I feel like looking at the sea for a bit longer." Zao said.
"Again? You look at the water every day, and you want to see more? You're like a fish yourself!" Deo said, walking off. Soon afterwards, he saw Karl running towards him.
"Hey, Zao!" Karl ran up, and the two of them high fived each other. "Sorry I ran off yesterday. How you doing?"
"Great! I caught some pretty big fish today! Sorry about yesterday, I wasn't thinking."
"You never do! Don't you remember how we became friends? You went down the slide in the playground whilst I was on it, we crashed into each other, and I started yelling at you! You were just like "Sorry, didn't see you there!" and then you just pulled a funny face!" Karl said, chuckling. "That was a fun day!"
"We had a lot of fun, didn't we? I'm glad I found you again." Zao said. "Hey...about me and Amara, does it bother you? I honestly didn't know -"
"C'mon, Zao. I haven't seen you in years, and you think I'm gonna resent you for that? No way, man. Real friends don't let things like that get in the way! Besides, Amara looked so happy with you!" Karl said, sighing. "I wish it hadn't ended, though."
"Don't look so glum! We just have to find you a new woman. Trust me, I'll scour the whole city until we find the perfect lady! It's a promise!" Zao said, grinning. "With this blue-haired wingman, you can't lose! We'll get enough girls for an entire fan club!"
"I've already got one of those. Well, it only has like fifty members." Karl said, shrugging.
"Fifty girls? That sounds like the Karl I know!" Zao said.
"At least you're doing something right. You got with Amara, and she's really picky! Heck, I had to ask her out four times before she said yes..." Karl said, laughing. "Seriously, though, I'm glad you're happy. But forget the serious stuff for a second. Richard and I were freaking awesome today, you should have seen it! The guys at Augustus NA had never seen anything like it!"
Over the next half hour, Zao listened to Karl discussing their match against another team from Nova Albion he had never heard of, and how they would have lost had it not been for Karl and Richard's teamwork. It was just like the time he, Karl and Aimee were at a soccer match, and Karl was commentating on every single part of the game. He never felt more passionate about anything than soccer, and dreamed about being good enough for the Wolrd Cup. It looked like that dream would come true someday.
"Sounds like fun. Looks like we're both following 'the dream', huh?" Zao said.
"I'll say! When we were young, you always were going on and on about fish. Me, I was always kicking a ball around, smashing a few windows or running away from a furious dad." Karl said. "I just wish Aimee was here."
Zao was silent for a minute. Aimee...when he heard she was dead, he felt sadder than he had ever been. Now, he was going to see her tonight. How could he not tell Karl? Yet, he promised Amara he wouldn't.
"Me too. I thought we said no serious talk! Bad Karl! Anyway, you busy this weekend? I was thinking you, me and Amara could go bowling!" Zao said.
"Bowling? Well if she's okay with it, sure. Crap, I gotta go. Bye, Zao!" Karl said, running off. Zao walked away, whistling a tune. Life was pretty good...even if slaying monsters was to become a habit.
|Solar Ray Mall - Outside Bar Seoul|17:24 pm|
"Talk to you later. See you soon, baby." Blaine said, hanging up. Yet another break had been taken up by talking to Lucy. Still, it was more fun than going to the electronics store to watch the HDTV. He only did this because his wages couldn't possibly cover a new TV, and Dan was too cheap to by a new one. Lucy had been talking about her boss and Roger, but Blaine hadn't seen Roger around. Arranging that interview would have to wait.
"Blaine?" Roger was right behind Blaine, apparently waiting for him to finish.
"Whoa! Hello Boss!" Blaine said.
"So I heard you finally got yourself a girlfriend?" Roger asked, a little glum. A far cry from the arrogant, bloodthirsty man Blaine was fighting yesterday.
"Damn straight. My dating slump is finally over!" Blaine said, smug. "Even though she tells me to stop yawning when I'm on the phone. Damn those night shifts. What's up with you?"
"Well...there's a woman I like too. No, I love her. I finally got to see her again after fourteen years, but she wouldn't take me back." Roger said, sighing.
"You talking about Karen? She's my girl's boss!" Blaine said. "Actually, Lucy was hoping to get an interview with you for their magazine!"
"Oh?" Roger said. "Interesting. Someone has been calling asking for interview opportunities, but I've never had the time to arrange anything. Now, I have an excuse to go down there! Tell Lucy I'll come as soon as possible!"
"Sure thing. Oh, I got an idea! You know Bianca's store, right?" Blaine said.
"Of course, Blaine. I do run this place all day long..." Roger said, pointing at all the stores near them.
"Don't be a smartass! I'm just sayin' Karen would probably love it if she got flowers from the man of her dreams. But she'd probably like them from you, too! Trust me, man, it'll work!" Blaine said.
"I could try that. If this works, I might see to giving you a bonus! Well, I have to get back to work. So do you, from the looks of the man glaring at you!" Roger said, walking away.
"Sorry, Kim!" Blaine said, ready for another afternoon of serving dishes he couldn't pronounce to ungrateful people. Still, at least he had something important to do tonight.
|Secret Base|7:30 pm|
At the base, Dan was lying on the sofa and the others except Priscilla were at the table, eating tonight's dinner.
"This casserole kinda sucks. No wonder Dan didn't want any." Kyle said.
"Young man, it's good for you! Even if I didn't cook the carrots long enough!" Aimee said.
"Don't worry about, Kyle. We can grab some curry later." Dan said. "Man, without Priscilla, we have to eat the worst crap in the world!"
"Oh, I didn't see you guys! Hello!" Aimee said. "Is there something behind you?"
"BOO!" Zao said, leaping out from behind Amara. "...Aimee?"
"No way! Zao?! Then, you're the Zao Amara was talking about!"
"Well duh. How many people in the world are called Zao?" Blaine said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah! It's destiny, huh? Turns out I got a Persona too! So we'll be fighting together! Isn't that awesome?" Zao said, grinning.
"Zao..." Aimee said. She looked like she was about to cry…and suddenly, she leaped out of her chair and hugged him close.
"Whoa, easy! You're crushing me! Oww!" Zao said, laughing whilst Aimee sobbed.
"Sorry!" Aimee let go, still tearful. "Zao, it's been so long! I didn't think you were alive! I-"
"Well, I'm alive over there! Hey, did you know Amara used to go out with Karl? Small world!" Zao said, grinning. The mention of this name made Aimee gasp.
"Is this true, Amara?!" Aimee shouted, very emotional.
"Zao! Yes, it's true. Me and Karl were together for a while." Amara said.
"Yeah! Uh…wait, I forgot. Karl's dead over here. And you're dead over there! Wait -"
"Zao, you seriously need to think how you say things!" Nathan said, as Aimee became hysterical.
"Aimee, just calm down-"
"My brother's alive?! But I'm not? That's-"
"I'm sorry. I had no idea who you were. I should have figured it out sooner. Karl misses you a lot. When me and him were together, he panicked every time he couldn't find me, or didn't answer his calls. Eventually, I had to tell him I couldn't see him anymore. When I did…he just walked away." Amara said.
That had been an awful day. She really did like Karl. Loved him, even. They met at a bar whilst Amara was in her last year of college, and despite turning him down, she thought he was rather attractive. There was something bizarrely charming about his corny chat-up lines and his hopeless dance moves, too. Finally, the fourth time he tried, she gave in - and soon fell in love. Almost as soon as she did with Zao.
"Do you want us to give you some space?" Serena asked.
"No, it's alright. I'll be fine. I just…I just wish there was a world where the both of us were alive, without Shadows. But it's not going to happen." Aimee said. "Amara, don't worry. I know my brother's gone. Zao, you met up with Karl again, right? What does he do?"
"He plays for Saragel's Lyeds Soccer Club! He's just a midfielder for now, but I bet one day he'll make captain!" Zao said. "That's right! I remember the time your parents took us to a soccer game! You were bored, but me and Karl were cheering the whole time! Karl loved it the most, I remember that!"
"Zao, welcome to the team!" Aimee said. And so, the two of them began talking about their lives - Zao's being the least depressing, of course. Aimee couldn't remember some of the things Zao was talking about, but she was so happy, and just so delighted to talk about happier days.
"Well then, let's get down to business. Nathan told us last night about that Roger dude. I kinda knew him from school. I thought he was kind of lame. You know, always talking about the theatre, classical music, his business goals." Dan said.
"That doesn't sound lame." Nathan said, hurt.
"Well, it does to someone who can only think about hot girls - um…anyway! Today, it's time for some training! How about we split up?" Dan said.
"Sounds good. Dan, how about you and Blaine go with Zao and Amara?" Aimee said.
"Awesome! Blaine sounded so cool, the way Amara talked about him!" Zao said.
"Someone's popular!" Dan said.
"Tell me about it. I'm the guy going out with Lucille Victoria Crossman!" Blaine said, proud of himself.
"You're going out with someone that's got a middle name?" Dan said, rolling his eyes. "You can tell me all about her later. Especially if she has any hot friends that are looking for someone -"
"Dan, enough! Serena and Nathan, you can go with Kyle and Seraphina! Once again, I'll stay here and keep an eye on Priscilla. You can go anywhere you want, but stay away from the Farawell Shadow Development Centre or the Divine Halls." Aimee said. "If the Ater Vox get you-"
"Don't worry! We'll be fine!" Zao said. "Man, this is going to rock!" Dan and Blaine exchanged mischievous looks, and Amara sighed.
|Saragel - Basketball Court|7:53 pm|
"Press ups?! Seriously? Come on, that's not fun -"
"Shut up, maggot, and give me twenty!" Dan shouted. The two men watched as Zao reluctantly began doing push ups, and Amara just sighed.
"You guys are having way too much fun with this." Amara said.
"Oh, come on, it's good for him. The little shrimp needs some exercise, anyway!" Blaine said.
"What the hell, man? I reel in fish for a living! I don't need this!" Zao said.
"You know, he's right. You don't need to work on your arms! So go run twenty laps of the court!" Dan said. "Oh, and that's an order. Scary things happen to people who don't follow my every word."
"Okay! Please don't kill me!" Zao whimpered, and began his jogging.
"So the idea is, when there aren't any Shadows here, you guys get to torture Zao?" Amara said.
"Yup!" Blaine said. "Hey, lift those legs! I want to see you break a sweat!"
"You guys are mean to me!" Zao squealed.
|Legarte - Segholt Avenue|8:04 pm|
"This is where your house is. Or where it used to be…" Serena said, looking around. It didn't look too much different, but most of the front yards of the houses were overgrown. So that was how scared the people here were - they couldn't even go to their gardens.
"Yeah. I haven't been back here since then. Everyone here must think I'm dead." Kyle said.
"Sir Kyle, are you sure you can handle coming here?" Seraphina asked.
"It's okay! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Kyle said. "C'mon, let's go kill some Shadows. If Roger and Karen are going to get stronger, we need to do the same!"
"Then we shall do so. Let's explore the area!" Nathan said. "I'll show you what Setanta can do!"
One Hour Later
The four of them had been fighting a lot of Shadows. Or 'grinding', as Serena insisted on calling it. Nathan had learned a new spell, titled 'Zephyr Aria', which seemed to combine Garula and Foolish Whisper. Serena, in turn, had 'Prism Waters', able to heal herself and damage a target. Kyle and Seraphina were still stronger overall, though, and Seraphina was particularly impressive with her Megido and Zanma attacks.
"Phew…let's take a break. I wish we had brought snacks!" Kyle said. "I can't believe I've gone through all of the pretzels Serena gave me."
"Well, you're always eating them!" Nathan said.
"They're just so good! On a serious note, look over there!" Kyle said, pointing to a house that looked shiny and new compared to the rest. "See that new place? That's where my house used to be. Pierre Leonard, you bastard."
"Well, that's not a nice thing to say!"
Serena gasped. When she turned around, she screamed out loud.
"Nina?!"
She recognised the long, flowing wavy blonde hair and those green eyes…only they weren't the kind eyes she remembered. These were cold, brutal eyes. Clad in a yellow coat, knee high boots and green gloves, she had that same crazed look as Josephine, Archibald and Nihane.
"So, we finally meet. You're the Nina Agnethe." Nathan said.
"You were smart to avoid the Farawell Shadow Development Centre after last night's episode. Honestly, I'm a little tired of listening to Josephine ramble about her competition with Archie."
"Nina, why are you one of the Ater Vox?!" Serena said.
Nina just scoffed. "Little brat. You always dragged the family down, even as a child…you never could compare to me. Even in that other world, my parents still praise me, right? It must be so hard, knowing you could never be the daughter they actually wanted!" Nina goaded.
"Serena?" Kyle said.
"That's right! I heard them talking once. They never planned on having me. It doesn't matter! I don't care about them, anyway! Or you! The minute I'm old enough, I'm out of that door!" Serena yelled.
"You think you're such an adult, don't you? You must see it as your mission to save the city, because it's the 'right thing to do'! Grow up. Shadow power is the way of the future, just as Nihane said!" Nina said. "You should care about your parents, Serena…after all, without me, there's no one to carry on the Agnethe name! Such a tragedy!"
"Lady Serena, what nonsense is this villain spewing?" Seraphina asked.
"This name isn't worth carrying on. All this time, I was hoping I could ask you to stop! But you're not my sister anymore. My parents, my sister, they're nothing to me! All I need is Kyle, nothing else!" Serena screamed.
"Wonderful. Serena, challenge me. Let us compare Artemis' power to mine! Come forth, Hel!"
"What? She's summoning the underworld?!" Nathan yelled.
However, the dark persona that emerged from the evil red aura was a woman, whose body was dark blue with icy blue feet. Surrounded by an icy mist, she had a blue cloak and an icy glyph beneath her feet. Her short blue hair had an icy white fringe, and she carried a double-edged spear, that was made out of ice itself. Even her red eyes had a cold, evil air to them…
"Seraphina, you know what to do!" Kyle yelled. "Agilao!"
A burst of flames struck Nina, sending her to the floor. Reacting quickly, Serena dashed forward and whipped her as many time as she could. Yet, despite the rage she put into each swing, the whip couldn't even scratch Nina.
"That won't work, brat! You obviously didn't inherit our parent's intelligence. Face it, you can't stop me!" Nina said, snidely.
Serena had never been angrier her entire life. "There's no way you're better than me! Not if you're causing the city so much suffering. Aques!" A burst of water struck Nina, and she stood up, holding up her weapon - a pair of sickles connected via a chain.
"Wunderbar, schwester!" Nina said, laughing. "Now it's my turn. Death welcomes you to Hel! Icicle Pain!" A massive hail of icicles landed on the team, with far more force than Mabufula.
"You're quite capable. I have to admit that." Nathan said.
"Oh, skip the honourable crap! Just die, would ya?" Nina said.
"I don't think so! Zephyr Aria!" An upbeat tune played as winds resembling musical scores struck Nina, and the silence effect actually took hold.
"What?! You prick! Fine, I'll just have to hack and slash you to pieces! Don't expect any mercy!" Nina said.
"Gladly. In turn, do not expect any mercy from us. Zanma!" Seraphina said. A powerful Almighty strike made Nina even angrier, and she swung her sickles around, as if they were extensions of her own body.
Everyone, I've carefully analysed the malicious energy of this Persona. Hel, she has no Arcana. All I can feel is an empty void, unlike with us. Ice, Light and Dark are completely useless on her, and attempting to lash out at her with your armaments will prove pointless. Kyle, you use your Fire spells, and the rest of you, just use all your best spells! Do not strike with weapons!
"Feel the flame! Agilao!" Kyle roared, but Nina jumped out of the way of the flames.
"Fool! Mudoon!" Nina chanted. It seemed she could break free from her ailment quicker than others. Just as the dark curse was about to engulf Kyle…
"No!" Serena yelled, pushing him out of the way. The curse enveloped her, but did not take effect. "You won't lay a finger on him!"
"So, that's how it is. Without a family to turn to, you go to the loneliest kid in school? How sad! You deserve each other! Mabufula!" This ice spell was less painful than her other one, but still brutal.
"I'm getting tired of this wretched woman. Go to hell! Zephyr Aria!" Setanta fired another musical wind, but the silence ailment did not hold. "Oh, come on!"
"Agilao!" Kyle yelled, but Nina dodged it. He tried again and again, but she managed to avoid every flame he sent forth. "Aww, come on!"
"Don't waste all your energy on me, cripple! I have more than enough to take care of all of you!" Nina boasted, and she set about flailing her sickle weapon around. Seraphina took these hit's the worst, falling to her knees.
"No! Diarama!" Serena quickly healed with Artemis, and glared at Nina. "I'll destroy you! Prism Waters!" A sphere of water, shining with rainbow light, burst around Nina. Another ray of rainbow light shined on Serena, healing her.
"Urgh! You've been training hard, I see! Good thing that useless newbie isn't here, or he'd be dead by now!" Nina said.
"With Blaine and Dan with him, that might well be the case..." Nathan said, shuddering.
"Focus, moron! Mudoon!" Nina suddenly cried - and Nathan fell to the curse. "That's what you get for trying to seal my wonderful magic!"
"There is absolutely nothing wonderful about you, Nina. I can feel it…you pine for the cruel, heartless man you call Nihane, but he has shown you nothing but indifference and contempt! Lady Serena, on the other hand, has shown kindness and compassion to her friends, especially Sir Kyle! You have nothing!" Seraphina yelled. "Now fade into nothingness like you deserve! Grimoire's Armada!"
"What an agonising speech - argh!" Suddenly, many comets of dark purple energy rained on Nina, and they exploded into star-like clusters of light. Those same clusters surrounded the entire time, in the form of energy barriers. "So, 'kindness' and 'compassion' still matter in a world like this? You really are naïve children!"
"Miss, I'm twenty eight. In a world like this, kindness and compassion keep us going! Your sister can see that, but you can't. You don't even care the Serena of this world is dead, do you? The fact that you're willing to go on with the Eternal Road despite what happened is proof that you're not better than her!" Nathan yelled.
"Why don't you all go on stage and say those lines? You might get a standing ovation there! Now quit talking! Icicle Pain!" Nina said, and Hel twirled her lance around, blasting the team with icicles yet again. "Had enough yet?"
"No way. Not after what Nathan said about me!" Serena said. "Prism Waters!" Once again, she was healed as Nina was struck by water.
"Agilao!" Kyle finally landed another hit with his fire spell. "Alright! Nathan, I could have used a Sukukaja by now!"
"Woops, sorry!" Nathan said. "Here's one now. Sukukaja!" A green column of light surrounded Kyle's body, enhancing his agility.
"Better late than never! Magma Sword!" Hephaestus swung his fiery blade at Nina, and a small quake struck her as her body hit the ground.
"Ugh...you're better than I thought." Nina muttered, as she stood up. "Perhaps I should have followed Archie's example. But I won't lose here! Bufula!"
An icy blast hit Seraphina, but she retaliated with Megido. Serena used Aques, and Nathan commanded yet another Zephyr Aria, which finally made Nina dismiss Hel and put away her weapon.
"You fought well. Nihane will be disappointed I couldn't defeat all of you by myself. Yet, he is hopeful the Divine Spark shall emerge. Serena, one day I'll kill you! Farewell, sister!" Nina said, and she disappeared.
"Is everyone alright?" Nathan asked. Seraphina was a little weary, but otherwise everyone seemed to be fine. It was good that they could hold their own against one Ater Vox, but they clearly would never manage against more. Defeating them outright didn't seem possible, either.
"Nina, what was she saying before?" Kyle asked.
"I'll...tell you when we get back." Serena said, sobbing.
|Secret Base|9:34 pm|
Everyone was back, and Priscilla had left her room at last. She couldn't bear to look at Nathan, and wasn't saying a word. She was eating a sandwich, however, which seemed to bring some peace of mind to him.
"Okay, we're all here. It looks like Zao got some exercise, if nothing else." Aimee said, laughing at the sight of a sweaty, panting Zao collapsed on the sofa.
"You'll get the hang of it! Next time, it'll be forty laps." Dan said, smugly.
"We're sorry we took so long, but something happened. We were in Legarte, and…" Nathan said, and he began telling the others about the battle with Nina - the third Ater Vox they had battled.
"If they're not using Roger or Karen to fight us, they've gotten serious. I'm glad you're all alright, though. It can't have been easy, fighting your own sister." Aimee said.
"I knew we'd have to face her at some point. Don't worry about that."
"Um…Serena, you're going to tell us what Nina was talking about, right?" Kyle asked.
"On my 17th birthday, I had Kyle and a few other friends at my house for a party. My parents were being all nice, talking about me as a little girl and stuff, and they even made me a huge cake. So the party was good, until my parents started going on about Nina."
"Well, she was your sister -"
"I know! Ever since she died, they won't stop talking about her! Every Christmas, every birthday, every day of the year! All I hear is Nina, Nina, NINA! I'm just the 'accident daughter'!" Serena said, eyes watering.
"Serena..." Kyle said.
"So I snap, right then and there. I tell them I'm sick of hearing about her, how they never loved me the way they loved her. Everyone's freaked out, and they all leave except Kyle. Nina would have been thirty four if she was still alive, you know? She might have gotten married, had kids. That's what my parents said. So I say "What about me?!" to them."
"What did they say to that?" Amara said - although she had an idea.
"They said because of something that happened when I was born, I can't. I'll never be a mother. I'll never give them grand children. Nina didn't have that problem! With her gone, there's no one to carry on the lineage. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to have kids then! But I don't even have the option now!" This was too much for her to bear, and the tears came, without any sign of stopping.
No one knew what to say, but Amara wanted to find the right words. Saying everything would be okay wouldn't work. Changing the subject wasn't an option. So…eventually, she stepped forward and hugged Serena close.
"Amara?" Serena said, through her sobbing.
"I'm sorry. I want to help, but I can't. This is all I can do."
"I must sound like such an idiot-"
"You don't. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably hate your parents too. If you want someone to talk to, and Kyle's too busy...come to my place sometime. I won't hide anything from you. I promise."
"Amara..." Serena said, finally calm again. "Thank you. I'm just glad I told someone."
"Serena, um, I'll be here for you too!" Kyle said, blushing.
"I know you will. I'm your pretzel delivery girl!" Serena said, and the two of them laughed. "Anyway, it's getting late. Let's go home!"
"...Yeah." Blaine said, and the team left.
|Farawell - Amara's Apartment|9:42 pm|
"Wow, it's...the same as it was before." Serena said, giggling. "Seriously, you need a maid to clean all this up."
"That must be why she brought you here then!" Zao said. "I think my parents have a maid costume lying around. I didn't know why when I first saw it, but..."
"I don't want to be a maid! Those costumes are stupid anyway!" Serena said. "Anyway, thanks for having me round."
"Don't mention it. I know what we should do! I have a huge collection of arthouse movies. Want to watch one before you go home?" Amara asked.
"Um, okay..." Serena said. From the look on her face, she was unsure what kind of films Amara was talking about. "You pick one. Just as long as it doesn't involve unique ways of performing caesareans."
"There's multiple ways to do that?" Zao asked. "I'm still not sure what a caesarean is..."
"Zao, we'll tell you about that later. Let's watch the one about musicians with artists' block falling in love." Amara said. "It's...weird."
"How weird?" Serena asked, nervously.
"You'll see. Me and my friend Michelle watched it last year, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing." Amara said. "Sit back, Serena. You're in for quite a show!"
Two hours later
"What the hell kind of ending was that?!" Serena asked. "The guy was on top of his piano, and he sees his dead ex-wife and his new girlfriend, and there was blood everywhere and some guy started playing the piano!"
"It was supposed to be symbolic, I guess." Amara said, shrugging. "You'd think after fighting all those Shadows, we wouldn't be surprised by stange stuff anymore."
"It took my mind off Nina, at least. Thanks again for having me round!" Serena said. "It's really late now, though. I'd better be going. See you!"
"Bye!" Amara said, as Serena left. "Well, Zao, it's getting late, like she said. I'm going to bed."
"Me too. I'm exhausted. I will get better at this, right?" Zao asked.
"Sure you will! I wasn't too great at first, either." Amara said. "Need help getting home?"
"Nope, I can manage. See you!" Zao said. "But before I go..."
Zao gave Amara a soft, tender kiss on her lips. Normally, he would have just quickly kissed her on the cheek, but this was so much more.
"Wow, Zao..." Amara said, blushing.
"I'm glad I met you. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have anything to work for - like saving the other world." Zao said. He wasn't joking around, either. "Good night."
"You too!" Amara said. Zao left, and Amara smiled. It seemed fighting Shadows had made Zao care about her even more than before, and she had to admit, having him with her made her feel better too. In fact, his prescence made her fight harder than ever, and as long as they were together, she was unbeatable.