Life, Liberty, And…

A Gunslinger Girl fan fiction by:

Sintendo

Epilogue

"Come on, grandpa, you're not that old." A cheery girl called out.

Were he a few years younger, the girl's neck would have already been in his hand. However, due to doctor's orders, Bradley didn't increase his pace. He blamed his inability to adapt to using a cane and what he called a "plastic leg". He sighed as he witnessed the girl tripping over a stone and falling to the grass with a dull thud.

"Careful, Claes," Bradley called out as he took care not to step on the uniform stone platters he passed, "This is a cemetery, young lady. I expect you not to be horsing around."

The girl stopped, readjusting her glasses as she spun around to face him, "'Horsing around'? I'm not 'horsing around'."

"Bah," Bradley said, "We're almost there, anyways."

"Who are you visiting anyways?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, he stopped before a moderately decorated headstone, using his cane to brush off what little dirt accumulated on its polished granite surface. His own face reflected on the ebony glass; every detail from - wrinkles to scars - was not only visible, but also a painful reminder of how quickly the time passed.

"So you're back," A familiar voice called out to him from behind, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Bradley laughed, "You never change, do you, Jean?" He then noticed Jean's appearance, "Jesus, you haven't changed at all!"

The blonde was just that, still blonde, facial hair absent as well. Instead of a short cut, however, he wore his hair in a pony tail in stereotypical Italian fashion. His dark sunglasses did not allow any light to pass, so much of his eyes were not seen by Bradley. Though Jean used a cane, it appeared as though it was not necessary since it was tucked under his arm.

"Of course not," he laughed, "I heard from Percy that you were visiting and that you have a bad leg, so I thought I might come by to help you out. It seems like you still have some spunk left in you, though." He extended his hand, but found that it was inappropriate for him to use his right hand, "I, uh… I didn't know about that, sorry."

Bradley glanced at where his right arm should have been, "Oh, the reason from my retirement? Don't worry about it, it was just extra weight."

They laughed.

"So," Bradley continued, "What have you been up to?"

Jean cleared his throat, "Well, Rico…passed… at about the same time when Chief Lorenzo retired; that's when I took his place. Been running things with Percy ever since."

Bradley recoild in shock, "How long ago was this?"

"Oh, wow," He wiped his hair back, "Probably 10 or so years now."

"Long time…," He thought for a moment, then said, "Did… did she go in peace?"

"Yeah…"

"What about the others?" Bradley asked; his eyes never moving from the headstone he stood over.

"As far as I know, they're scattered throughout the world, enjoying the rest of their lives. Jose is in the U.S. right now, Alaska I think,; getting married soon too. Hillshire is still around these parts, and so are Marco and Benneditto. I'm sorry but I've lost track of everyone else... The cyborgs—"

"It's not a problem," The older man interrupted as he stood, "I'll find out soon."

"It's a shame that you were kept in the dark about all this," Jean said, "I suppose rules are rules. We could have kept in touch, though."

"I follow the rules, Jean, you know that."

From then on, the only noise that was heard was from Bradley's guest; the girl was running to and fro, chasing butterflies and other insects. She only stopped to retrieve a few worn books that fell from her satchel.

"Hello there, Claes," Jean said as she passed, "Nice to see you today. Are you being a good girl for your Grandpa?"

She mock-saluted him, "Yes sir!"

Jean laughed, "Good. You remind me a lot of a young woman I used to work with, you know that?"

Claes groaned, "You tell me all the time!"

Bradley seemed to grow pale, "So," he began to ask Jean, "How did… this happen?" He pointed the tip of his cane at the headstone he kept watch over.

Jean's smile slowly melted into a grim frown, "The side-effects of the conditioning she was initially given finally caught up with her."

"So that means…"

"Everyone who took regular doses of the drug has long passed, Bradley."

"I see. Even Henrietta?"

"She was the lucky one. Chose to stay here in Rome; she's now my assistant. I suppose that she chose to stay at the agency because she knows that one day, she'll just collapse…"

"I see," Bradley wiped more dirt away from the face of the stone, reading the words to himself, "Freda Claes Johansson. 1991 – 2019."

"She was one of the best agents we've ever had," Jean said, "She worked hard to shape what you've allowed us to have. Were she still alive, she'd have been an excellent Chief."

Bradley laughed, "Hah… a cyborg as Chief of the SWA, huh?"

They were interrupted by the other Claes, "Why so sad, guys? Who is this anyways?" She read the name on the stone in question, "Huh? Her middle name is the same as my first name!"

Bradley laughed, "Your parents named you after this woman, Claes."

"Why?"

Bradley shook his head, "You ask your parents for that. It'll give Percival something to do tonight."

Again, Bradley was interrupted, but this time by another young girl, "Excuse me," she asked, "I'm sorry, but I'm here to visit Ms. Johansson's grave, so…"

"Oh," Bradley stepped out of the way, "Excuse me."

Through Bradley's observations, the girl was about 15 years of age.

"Alese, you should treat the elderly with more respect than that." Jean scolded, unintentionally mocking Bradley at the same time.

"It's alright Jean," Bradley said, then faced the girl, "If I may ask, what is your relation to Claes?"

The brown haired girl glanced back at Jean as if to ask for approval and he nodded in response as if to allow what she was about to say.

Apparently she was allowed to do so and told Bradley, "Ms. Johansson is— was my handler."

She, Jean, and the other Claes shared a look of befuddlement; they only could stare at the old man as he gave out a roar of laughter and a river of tears.

The End

Note: Been a wonderful ride, everyone! Keep an eye out for the "original" ending, coming soon!

Big thanks to Natchsider and Colonel Marksman for the inspiration to write this.

To Sheo Darren for to wonderful story "Life Goes On" which has given me ideas about what to write.

To all my reviewers for pushing me to continue writing this.

And to all the regulars at the "Yea for Gunslingergirl" forum, for all the information about the manga.

Lates.