AN: Okay! so from now on dtill359 is betaing and editting chapters! This is also the reason for the slower updates! She will be alternating between fixing already posted chapters and then work on these new ones. You can count on about one update every week or every second week. dtill359 is doing such an amazing job presenting this story in the best way possible, exactly like she did with "Beginning anew". So I hope you guys will stick to it and enjoy.

Nomura stared down at the girl, bewildered. No matter how long she looked, the feeling wouldn't go away.

How could she not have noticed before?

Stricklander had asked one very simple question a few moments ago. "Where are her parents?"

It was a good question. At this time of night, most girls her age would be in bed, asleep. Every time this one come to the theatre, it was well after dark, when the building was deserted, closed for the night.
Then, there were the bruises.

This girl didn't seem like the type to get into fights. Instead of displaying her bruises like prizes won in a brawl, her clothes hid them.
What was going on here?

The girl's outburst from the other day rang through Nomura, and she remembered how hurt the girl looked afterward. Nothing made sense about this.

As she ventured out to meet a waiting Stricklander, perched on the rooftop looking up at the stars, Nomura's shock still didn't ebb.

Stricklander glanced at her over his shoulder, his yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. "You alright? he asked.

"I'm… fine." She avoided his gaze.

"It's not that uncommon, you know," Stricklander pointed out. "Even back in Arcadia, with its neat suburbs and respectable residents, there was the occasional student who… Well…" his sentence trailed off. "Steve Palchuk was one of them. That is, until his father left – which was probably for the better. Steve still had some serious attitude problems as a result though." He sighed. "His lack of intelligence didn't help either."

"You would think when someone decides to bring a new life into this world, they would take better care of it." Nomura growled. "Humans – disgusting."

"It's fascinating, isn't it? Human kind… They're capable of so much good… and so much evil…" Stricklander said thoughtfully.

"And from tomorrow on, you're going to be one," Nomura added. "Feeling nervous?"

"Heh." Stricklander's smile was a little awkward. "To be honest… I'm terrified," he admitted. "What if it all goes wrong? I don't think I've ever done anything that didn't end in tragedy. No matter how far ahead I planned, or how many contingencies I had in place… And a child – you can't plan for what kind of person a child will become. Then again, any plans I still harbored hope for were thrown out the window the moment Jim defeated Gunmar." He snorted. "Is it strange that I sometimes miss the Janus Order? At least there I knew my role."

"Not strange at all," Nomura replied quietly, joining Stricklander in looking up at the stars. "I'm useless around here; there's nothing for me to do." She let out a deep sigh. "You have someone who matters to you. I… don't." She stopped short and shook her head. "Why is it you of all people I'm pouring my heart out to?" She growled and let her gaze fall to the street below. "It sickens me."

"Because there is no one else," Stricklander replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We are all that's left." His eyes fell to the cityscape. "That's probably for the best… The Janus Order is better forgotten."

"Yes," Nomura admitted. "It is."

She knew Stricklander did the right thing in sealing the old Order headquarters. For all intents and purposes, it was erased from history.

But where did that leave her?

It was all well and good for Stricklander. He was off to a new life. Then there was NotEnrique, but he didn't seem to care about much.

Nomura was alone – the forgotten one.

In the Janus Order, there were strict guidelines. Once a job was done, another would be presented, along with rules of what to and not to do. But the real world was far vaster and more chaotic than anything the dead organization had ever conjured. It was impossible to weave grand plans, and sometimes just as difficult to predict the results of day to day events.

The real world… terrified her.

The faint whisper of music floated up through the crack in the trapdoor. The girl's gentle song settled over Nomura, its touch melting away some of her fear.

Yes, the real world was frightening.

The girl's voice washed over her.

But sometimes… beauty eclipsed life's hideous face.

A simple tone – quiet and soothing, or a bold swath of graffiti – unconventional, but no less breathtaking – lent dots of color and hope to the chaos, hurt, and anger. These tiny treasures… they made no sense, but they never failed to touch Nomura, and she was grateful for them.

Editted by dtill359