Beginning of November. Cecilia and I had driven up to a remote spot in the mountains, almost completely cut off from civilization besides the road that had taken us up there.

"This is a test," she said, nodding for me to take my backpack. "You will spend three days up here fending for yourself and reflecting on how your actions have affected people. We'll also see how well you can take care of yourself. You thought you could take care of yourself in Sacramento, but here, cut off from modern conveniences, we'll see if you can really pull it off."

"It's almost winter!" I pointed out in protest.

"Which only adds to the test," she said. "Don't just survive, but thrive. I want you to write in your journal about anything that comes to mind. I want you to write letters to your friends and family about how you've hurt them. You'll have all the time in the world to think about it. Consider it carefully. You've come far over these last six weeks, Yumeko. I'm proud of the progress you've made. Let's see if you can make this final step."

"Well, if I'm out here by myself, I don't have a choice, do I?"

She smiled. "No. You don't. And that's precisely the point. If you can make it out here, you have the strength to get through anything. You may not think you can, but trust me, everyone, even you, has a strength in themselves they're often not aware of until the situation demands it."

"I'll do my best."

"Good." She climbed back into the van and started it up. "Best of luck to you."

She drove off, and I was left by myself, in the middle of nowhere. But somehow, I wasn't scared. I had the feeling I'd be ok. It was just a matter of applying myself…

I slept so well that when I finally woke up in the morning, I actually forgot where I was. I sat up in bed, gave a stretch of my arms, and let out a loud yawn, smacking my lips as I suddenly realized I wasn't in my apartment. I looked around, panicked for a moment, then remembered I was in one of Sylia's guest rooms. The dull pain in my joints as I crawled out of bed reminded me of the trials of the past few days, and I groaned when I remembered Sylia wanted to talk with me this morning, since I was too tired last night. I secretly hoped she'd forgotten – it wasn't something I wanted to bring up again, and for damn good reason – but at the same time, I had the feeling she hadn't. She was never one to forget anything.

I went to the drawer and dug through the clothes in there; they were clothes I normally didn't wear, but were handy to have in case I ever was too tired to head home after a Boomer fight and decided to stay the night instead. I pulled out a bright green shirt, which was big so it was like a tent shirt, though Linna would've said it looked more like a poncho, a purple bra, and some black capris, along with a fresh pair of underwear. After putting them on, I pulled on a fresh pair of socks and combed my hair, gazing into the mirror on the dresser as I did so. I now had a clearer image of how I looked than I did when I looked at my reflection in the tub, and I could see what Sylia and Mom had meant when they said my eyes looked dead. There was no expression in them at all, just…vacant, and the circles under my eyes only seemed to enhance that. I grunted and put the comb down; maybe I was just tired still.

I remembered that I had left my sleeve and my old clothes in the bathroom, but when I turned around, they were laying across a chair by my bed, looking newly washed. I smiled and snatched the leg sleeve from the top of the pile, pulling it on, having to roll up the leg of the capris so I could adjust the top of it on my thigh. Once it was settled, I rolled down the leg and headed over to the penthouse, where everyone, including Emi, was gathered, wolfing down breakfast.

Déjà vu, I thought before Mom's voice interrupted me.

"How are you?" she asked, getting up and coming over to me the moment she saw me.

"I slept good," I replied. "I feel a lot better now."

"I would hope so. You only slept for twelve hours," she joked. "Sylia made waffles. Want any?"

"Sure!"

I sat down at the table, and I could feel my mouth start to water as I looked at the offerings spread out on the table, like I'd never had a real meal before in my life. I saw waffles, eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, just about everything for a full breakfast. I grabbed a little bit of everything, including an apple to save for the end of the meal, and attacked it, stuffing forkfuls of the hash browns in my mouth as I practically drowned the waffles in maple syrup and went for those next.

"You must be hungry," Linna chuckled.

"Last night's BLT didn't cut it," I said, biting off a chunk of my sausage. There was definitely something to be said for home cooking! Sylia didn't look the part, but she knew how to make some damn fine breakfast.

"So, how is the scanner coming along?" Sylia asked as Mackie cleared away the empty plates from the table.

"It's an interesting challenge," Nene admitted. "It's one thing to use it as part of an HUD, but we're talking about scaling that down to something, as I said earlier, about the size of a watch. We've got the major components figured out. Now it's just a matter of building it and making sure it works."

"It wouldn't be necessary if we could just set up another meeting with the UN," Linna suggested. "I admit I thought we'd be ok with the first meeting since it was in a public venue, but Genom has shown no remorse when it comes to attacking such places. You'd think they wouldn't want anyone to know about this."

"The public won't," Mom grunted. "Because Genom makes the police look the other way. They could just say a virus made those Boomers go nuts and that one of them caused the explosion at the Red Baron."

"The loss of Tora is a problem," Sylia interjected as she took a sip of her coffee. "He was one of the few really willing to stick out his neck for this. Finding someone else to meet up with, knowing what Tora's fate was, could be troublesome on their end."

"Why not just fly Emi to the UN Headquarters in New York?" Mom asked.

"Out of the question. It's apparent having her in public view is a problem. We're going to have to do this in a more secretive manner. Assuming the UN finds someone to take Tora's place, we may actually have to conduct the transfer in our hardsuits. I'd rather avoid another disaster and unnecessary loss of human life if I can."

"The UN has troops, doesn't it?" I grumbled, slamming my fist down on the table, making the dishes rattle. "Why don't they just send some over so we can hand Emi over to a group of them?"

"We can't draw attention to ourselves, Yumeko."

"Well, being incognito obviously didn't work, so what other option IS there?! Like Linna said, if they want the OMS so bad, they should just come to US and get it. It's not like anyone'll be able to bomb Lady 633! I feel bad about Tora dying, and of course I don't want anyone getting hurt, but we just can't do this on our own!! They need to take some initiative too!"

"I haven't heard back from my contact at the UN yet," she said. "All we can do is wait for him to call back, and we'll go from there." She nodded at everyone else. "Could you all excuse us for a moment?"

"I don't wanna do this now," I said firmly. "Can it wait?"

"I'd rather not wait," she said apologetically. "I'd rather get it over with now, as we may not have time later on."

Mom and Emi didn't look like they wanted to leave, but Nene, Linna, and Mackie ushered them out, heading for the patio. Sylia, meanwhile, led me to the living room, me sitting on the couch while she sat in a chair across from it.

"I know it's not a pleasant subject," she started, "and you were too tired last night for us to really go over it. But now that you've been able to rest and have a decent meal, I think we can begin our discussion."

"I don't really want to rehash it," I said. "We already talked about it. You're making a bigger deal of it than you should."

"I don't think so, because it's the one thing YOU are reluctant to discuss regarding the events of your two days in captivity. Therefore I think it's entirely appropriate, and necessary, for us to talk about it." She folded her hands in her lap. "Yumeko, you know what happened to your mother as a result of the attack on her. She was already a very private person before it happened, but afterwards, she almost became a recluse. She only really ventured out to be with us at our training sessions, and when she wasn't she would drink. The only reason that we even found out she was raped is because she found out she was pregnant with you. Rape is a horrible thing, and to find out you're pregnant from it is something else entirely. But in my opinion, if she hadn't found out about it and be forced to reexamine her behavior, I truly believe she would have destroyed herself, from the guilt, the shame, the feeling that she didn't think she could tell anyone, not even her closest friends.

"She didn't tell us because she felt she was the tough one, the one no one could ever touch. And to have that happen to her must have been…embarrassing for her, horrible. It is true that she had to change her behavior, because she had to raise you, but until two years ago, no one, not even any of us, knew the details of that night, because she was still ashamed. Actually talking about it only affirmed it for her that it happened. You are evidence of the events of that night, but I know she would have rather blocked out how it happened. She loves you dearly, Yumeko. You know that. But by talking about it, finally really talking about it, I believe she has finally accepted what has happened and is moving beyond that. She suffered for a long time. I don't want to see the same happen to you."

"I already…told you how it happened," I said, voice trembling like a leaf, just like my body. "I know Mom almost self-destructed because of it. But I'm not going to be like that. I would never want to be like her in that regard! And I'm not, because I was NOT raped!"

"You were still violated."

"With fingers. It's not real rape!"

"Then what would you call it?"

"What would I…? I don't know…" I turned away. I hadn't thought about what I would call it. Did it deserve to have a name, anyway? "It wasn't rape, but I still feel…it still feels…I don't know, it's…I feel like calling it rape is overkill. It wasn't real rape…it was…"

"That man may not have used 'that' equipment to do it, but he still used something to penetrate you. The term is called digital rape, and whether or not you consider it real rape, it was still a horrible thing that was done to you."

"Stop calling it that!" I cried, hugging myself as tears dripped off my chin onto my legs. I hadn't even known I was crying. "I can't put it on the same plane as Mom's. That was so much worse than what happened to me!"

"But it's still affected you, a lot," she said softly, getting up to sit next to me. She put a hand on my shoulder, which made me jump, but I didn't feel the urge to deck her for it. "Don't try to compare it to hers. It's your experience alone. Any emotions that it makes you feel are completely normal. But, Yumeko…" She put a finger under my chin and lifted my head up so I was facing her. "Don't close yourself off, all right? You have people here who are willing to help you."

"It wasn't supposed to happen, Sylia," I choked, falling into her arms, letting it all out. My shoulders shook as I cried. "I wasn't supposed to let it happen!"

"You fought all you could," she whispered, stroking my hair. "And don't try to put expectations on yourself that it wasn't supposed to happen just because you're an Asagiri, because your mother was attacked as well. Don't put that on yourself. It wasn't your fault."

After almost three days of having my guard up, there was finally someone I could let it down around. I let myself cry into Sylia's shoulder for a while, this burden finally lifting off my shoulders. I didn't have to go through this all by myself. Even if she personally didn't know what I'd gone through, at least she was there to lend an ear if and when I needed to talk. That in itself was a relief. It was nice to know she didn't blame me for it.

"Yumeko, I want you to stay off this job," she said. "You've been through a lot, and you need time to get settled again."

"I can't do that," I said hoarsely, pulling away slowly, sniffling. "I gotta help Emi out. She's helped me so much…I need to make sure I can do the same for her."

"That's noble of you, but I can't—"

"Please. Let me do this for her. I'll get through this, then I'll take all the time off you want me to. Just let me make sure Emi will be all right!"

Sylia allowed a small smile to cross her face. "We'll see what happens. But take it easy, ok? Promise me that."

"Okay. I will."

"Y'know…I don't think this is what she meant by taking it easy…"

"What else would you suggest?"

"Reading?"

"Ha!"

After Sylia had applied some more ointment to my legs and my face, and given me an injection of protein compound to help my pinky heal, I'd strode down to the private gym, with Emi hot on my heels. I wasn't exactly dressed for a session at the gym, but it was better than sitting in the guest room listening to the radio or just sulking. I had to do something productive, get my mind off of things, because I knew the others damn well weren't gonna let me do it. I just wanted some time to myself to do something that didn't remind me of what happened.

"I know you're trying to look out for me," I said, positioning myself in front of a punching bag, "but I told you, I can take care of myself."

"Yes, you did that just fine at the warehouse," she slandered. "Yumeko, please! Getting yourself worked up isn't going to do anything!"

"I was tied up for two days. I gotta get my limbs going again!" I slammed a fist into the bag. "Any more sitting still and I WILL go crazy! And I don't want my aunts, or my mom, telling me the proper way to deal with things, or asking any more questions. They've got bigger things to deal with anyway!" I slammed my other fist into the bag, letting out a yelp and yanking my hand back when my pinky began throbbing. "Sylia wants me off this job anyway…"

"See? You're not even healed yet."

I gave several flicks of the wrist to get the pain in my hand to go away faster, which didn't really work. "Nuts to that. I went to Genom Tower when my stab wounds weren't fully healed, and I came out on top." I didn't feel it necessary to say that those same wounds had reopened during that battle and it took me another month to recover as a result.

"I'm guessing you don't want to be removed from the job?" she inquired.

"She's insisting on it, but I'm also insisting on seeing this thing through. I want to make sure…" I hit the bag again, lightly, this time with my good fist. "…that you'll be ok."

"I think Sylia and the others will make sure of that. But you need to rest. Or at least not exert yourself."

I hit the bag several more times with the one good fist, but I quickly realized this wasn't going to be the outlet I wanted at all, not with my pinky still a day away from being healed. "This isn't gonna work," I grumbled, removing my fist from the bag. "Doing it one-handed just doesn't cut it."

"Try doing something that doesn't require you to pound anything. There's some weights over there."

"I see 'em." I walked over to the rack and picked up two three-kilo weights.

"You were tied up for two days, so your arms and shoulders must be sore. Doing arm exercises is probably the best thing."

"Y'think?" I said dryly, sitting down to do arm crunches with the weights. Emi just stood there and smiled as she watched me lift and lower the weights as slowly as I could muster. "What's that look for?"

"I remember you said that on your days off you go to work anyway just to work out. So it's no wonder you feel like you need to work out now that you have nothing to do."

"I'm doing this so I can avoid doing other things. Stretching out my arms is just part of it."

"You mean like talking with your mom?"

"Now why the hell would I want to talk with her?"

"I know you two are on the outs with each other, but you need to come together for this! She knows what you've gone through, and now you have an idea of how she felt! Who better to talk with at a time like this?"

"That rat wanted me to feel his fingers for the rest of my life! I'm not going to give him that. He WANTS me to dwell on it; I'm not going to do that!"

"And dwelling on it is exactly what you ARE going to do if you don't talk about it now," a voice bellowed from the doorway. Emi turned and I lifted up my head to see Mom standing there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "Emi has a point, Yume."

"I'm not going over it again," I said firmly, dropping the weights and standing up. "I already talked with Sylia about it. I don't need to repeat myself with you."

"You don't need to," she said simply, walking up to me, her arms out in a gesture of 'I know how it is.' "So let me do the talking."

"And what are you going to say? That I should've fought harder, should've done something else besides what I did do?"

"No." She shook her head. "You did what you could…just like I did what I could. I know why you didn't tell me at first, and I can understand that. It's the same as why I didn't tell anybody at first either. Wasn't anybody's business; don't want anybody looking at you or treating you differently because of some shitty thing that happened. Don't want to get branded as a victim."

I kept my mouth shut and sat back down. Mom sat next to me.

"You feel like you have it written on your forehead wherever you go, so you don't go out, thinking people'll see it the moment they look at your face. You start doing things to distract you, thinking maybe if you forgot about it, it's like it never happened. But you get reminders. A touch, a voice…something that takes you back. Or, in my case, a baby, you. You can deny it all you want, but it'll always be there somewhere in your mind, taunting you, daring you to let a guy touch you the way he touched you. You're lucky the guy who raped you is dead. Mine's still out there—"

"I wasn't—"

"Just let me talk. At least you have that closure, knowing the guy who did it to you is dead, and can't do it to you again, or to anybody else. The one who did it to me is still out there. And honestly…knowing that kinda scares me shitless. I wanted you to grow up knowing of the danger that's out there. I didn't mean for that to turn into an all-out hatred of men. But still, I've been known to attract guys of the lowest sort just because I'm pretty and have a good singing voice. Guys think that'll translate into a show in bed, and a lot of the time I have to let them know the hard way they're never gonna find out! And you, you're my daughter, so guys like you because of that fact, plus the fact you have an attitude on you. Guys like spunk, and they think that, too, will translate into something in the bedroom."

"Doesn't seem fair, huh?" I said bitterly. "If they find out you're a virgin, they'll come after you harder, and if you put out, they'll still come after you hard because you put out. At least Craig didn't think with his dick."

Mom smirked. "If you ever see that guy again, are you gonna tell him what happened?"

"I don't…know. I don't even know if I'll see him again, but…part of me thinks he'd be understanding, and part of me doesn't know how he'd react. He never blamed me for anything, but I still wonder if…he'd be better off not knowing, if I did see him."

"If you trust him, you should tell him. That was a mistake I made, not telling Sylia, Linna, and Nene. Part of it was pride; I wondered if they'd believe me. But it came out eventually, and to my surprise they were very supportive; they didn't blame me at all. They just wished I told them from the start. And I wished you trusted me enough to be able to tell me from the start too."

"I knew how you'd react. I didn't want to…worry you."

"I'd worry either way, Yume. I'm your mom; that's my job. That comes before being a Knight Saber, but trust me, if I knew where that warehouse was I'd go down there in my suit and blast away at him until there was nothing left of the bastard."

I shook my head. "We've been fighting anyway. I thought you'd…blame me for it, just like you blamed me for getting addicted to hydromorphone."

"I would NEVER blame you for that," she said, putting a hand over mine. "And like I said, just let it out now. Whatever frustration, anger, whatever you feel or have, just let it out now. Don't keep it inside for the better part of twenty years like I did. It just eats you up. I don't want you to end up like me. Acknowledge it, deal with it, and get on with your life. It's easier said than done, but I want you to do it. I'd rather you blow up now than let it simmer the rest of your life. You've had a rough life; you deserve a chance to be happy. I don't want this getting in the way of that. Don't let it."

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Yume. You deserve better than this."

Be happy?

What had she meant by that? Did she not think I was happy? I had a steady job, I had my own apartment…wasn't that supposed to be enough? It may not have been happiness in terms of the old American dream of having a house with a white picket fence and a dog and 2.4 children, but I thought I was happy enough. But still, her words struck a chord with me for some reason. I was happy, wasn't I? With life? With myself?

I knew from the beginning the apartment I lived in now was only a temporary thing; I always intended to get a better place once I could afford to. It had just been the first place I found after I'd decided to move out, and wanted to do so as quickly as possible. It was alright, but I would've liked some place a little bigger. Still, given Tokyo prices and my income, that wasn't likely to happen. It was also the first time I'd ever come home to an empty space. Previously, growing up, Mom was usually there, and if she wasn't she'd leave a note saying where she was and when she'd be back, if she knew. And in Sacramento, Irodia was always there when I got back from school. Having Emi there when I got off work was a nice change; it was better than talking to myself for entertainment. But after this job was done I'd be alone again. Part of me didn't want to come home and find no one there to greet me.

I'd told Linna a few days ago that being alone wasn't the same as being lonely, and I still liked that to be true. And yet, at the same time…my own words were starting to ring hollow in my ears. Of course I wanted Craig there, but that wasn't going to happen, and I'd still promised I'd wait for him, so picking up another man was absolutely out of the question. There was always the option of getting a cat if I really did want someone to greet me when I came home, but somehow that just seemed pathetic, even if I did like cats. Certainly they were less high-maintenance than men, right?

Hmph, men. I swore, if I was ever hit on again by some lousy scumbag, he'd probably end up with his neck snapped like Nezumi. It almost made me feel sorry for Masahiro for the next time he'd surely hit on me.

And being a Knight Saber…I was happy when I was able to kill Boomers. It served as a nice form of stress relief, even if I did take the occasional beating. But still, comparing this to the time in my life when I wasn't a Knight Saber, didn't have to worry about Genom or anyone stalking me…maybe I really was happier back then, dodging paps and all. It may not have seemed like a simpler time, with Mom being a singer and all, but in a way it was. Don't know what you got till it's gone? Tell me about it.

So maybe I wasn't happy with the way things were, but who is? Everyone always says they'll be happy as soon as this or that changes, or they land a guy, or whatever. Most of the time, it's horse shit; making more money doesn't make someone happier. Landing a certain job doesn't do it; most of the time it just adds to the stress. And accomplishing a long-sought-after goal: what else is there to do once you've done it? It might've been happiness in the short-term, but what about the tradeoffs? Are they worth it?

I wanted long-term happiness; right now, I was only okay with how things were. Contentment and happiness were two completely different things. And it wasn't like I could change the current situation. I couldn't just quit the Knight Sabers and everything would be magically better. I knew the world didn't work that way.

"I think you should just stay off this job," Nene said, nodding in agreement with Sylia's earlier suggestion. We were sitting in the Italian restaurant across the street from Lady 633; she had offered to take me to lunch, to get me out of the building for a while. Emi had insisted upon going, and despite Nene wanting some one-on-one time with me, she caved, and so Emi was there too.

"You worried about what I'd do in battle?" I inquired, sipping on my iced tea. "I'll manage like I usually do."

"You went through a lot, and I don't think Sylia would suggest it unless she was really worried about your state of mind. Being in battle might bring back memories of what happened when you were in captivity."

"I know perfectly what happened. It's not like with the summit, where memories came back to me piece by piece."

She sighed and set down her glass. "We don't have to worry about you blacking out in the middle of battle anymore, but…we still worry. You're still a child, as much as you like to think you've grown up. You've been through an awful lot, and I know you're concerned for Emi's safety, just like she's concerned for yours. But you have to worry about yourself too."

"I think everyone else is already doing a fine job at that." The waiter arrived with our food, and after he set it down in front of us and left, I swirled some spaghetti around my fork and added, "What would you suggest I do anyway, if I can't take part in this mission? I'm not gonna just go hang out in Ginza while you and the others are off fighting."

"I dunno, do your tai chi. Or clean your apartment."

I gave her a look. "You really don't know, do you?"

She let out a small laugh. "No, not really. I've never been asked to not take part in one. I'm not sure what I'd do either."

I stuffed the spaghetti into my mouth. "So don't suggest anything. Damn, this is good."

Nene laughed again, as did Emi, who was stuffing her face as well. It wasn't long before I'd cleaned my plate and was mopping up the leftover sauce with the breadsticks from the basket in the middle of the table. Nene and Emi were barely able to get their own breadsticks before I'd eaten whatever ones they hadn't grabbed.

"I'm surprised you had room after that breakfast!" she remarked as I munched on the last breadstick.

"I guess food goes through you quick when you haven't eaten in a couple days," I said with a shrug, swallowing the last bit.

"Need to keep your strength up," Emi agreed, speaking for the first time since we'd ordered our food. "Miss Nene, have you come up with a way to make that scanner yet?"

The redhead nodded. "Just taking a much-needed breather right now. Once we get back, I'll go ahead and get that whipped together for you. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two with Mackie's help."

"Good." She looked solemn. "I don't really want to go to the UN, but I don't want anybody in danger on part of me either. If I can keep any Boomers from attacking while you're trying to get me to the UN people, then all the better for you. And besides, even if I don't want to go, I'd rather this thing be in anyone's hands but Genom's or ASI's."

"I'm wary of it," Nene admitted. "Even if they don't get the OMS back, they could just make another one."

"I doubt that."

Nene and I both looked at her. "How's that?" Nene asked.

Emi cleared her throat and leaned over the table, making sure to speak in a low voice. "Dr. Stingray wasn't able to perfect Boomer technology until 2022. It wasn't until a full ten years later that Quincy's technicians perfected the OMS technology to be able to send out Boomers at will to destroy parts of the city. Think about it. If he's so willing to get it back, wouldn't it stand to reason that either he's not able to build another one, or that he can't afford to waste another ten years making another one? Even if he wanted to make another one, he'd have to spend extra time making sure it's fusion-proof and tamper-proof, to make sure something like me controlling it doesn't happen again."

"Well, they've already made one, so making another one would probably take a shorter amount of time," I pointed out. "If they learned from their mistakes in making the first one…"

"It's not just that. If I'm still out there, he wouldn't be able to chance making a second one. Two people fighting for control over Boomers…you know he'd never put up with that. I think that's why there's that caveat in your mission: if you can't turn it over, destroy it."

"I'm not going to let that happen. It's a last resort, that's all it is."

"But I don't want to chance anybody getting hurt…especially you," she said, looking at me. "If there's no other option at the end of this..."

"We won't have to resort to that," I swore. "Don't talk that way. And what about you? Your kind isn't controlled by the OMS."

"No, 33Ds aren't," she concurred. "There are several types that can be individually programmed, like me, but in the case of Quincy wanting control over the city, I think easier is better. Hence him using the OMS; it has a better ease of use than going up to every Boomer and giving them orders. Might be…too expensive."

"I don't imagine money would be a worry with him," I said with a laugh. "But hey, as long as this thing stays out of his hands and Isamu's hands! Let's give him hell."

"I'll help!"

"Yeah!"

Nene buried her face in her hands and shook her head, making whimpering noises. "We don't even know what's gonna happen, you two! If you're gonna raise hell, at least wait until Sylia gives the go-ahead signal!"

"Don't worry," I assured her, clenching a fist in front of me with excitement. "You can trust me on that."

She just groaned again.

After lunch wrapped up, we had to head back to Lady 633 so Nene could finish putting together Emi's scanner. While she did that, I headed out to the patio, with Emi of course following close behind me. While air-conditioning was nice, sometimes nothing beats having the hot sun on your face and your skin. I closed my eyes and just soaked it in, arching my head back.

"You'll get burned if you stay like that," Emi said with a chuckle.

"Yes, Mommy." I went into the shade and sat down in one of the lounging chairs. "Not much cooler in the shade, though. Think you could bring out a drink for me? Tea, something?"

"Beat you to it," Linna said, coming outside, drinks in hand. "Great minds, huh?"

I took a glass from her and took a long sip. "Guess so. Who was Sylia talking to on the phone? I saw her taking a conference call when we got back."

"Her UN contact finally called back. She's talking with him and a few other UN people to try to set something up."

"Anything definite?"

"No. All I managed to hear was something about an airfield."

"I thought you would be at work today."

She took a sip and sat down in one of the other chairs. "Nah. We're gonna be busy trying to get this job wrapped up, so I figured I'd take the day off in case things take off faster than we anticipate. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. My legs don't look so bad, and my pinky should be healed by tonight."

"Your face looks better too."

"When do you think I can come back to work?"

"I told you, don't worry about it. Just take whatever time you think you need. I know you must be bored out of your mind with nothing to do, but just sitting out here can't be that bad."

I gave a shrug, allowing her that, as I took another sip of my drink. "I'm just used to keeping busy. Sitting still isn't something I've ever done very well."

"Even Sylia knows how to relax. Between the Sabers and running her stores, she's gotta, or she'll give herself a heart attack. And you can't do much good if you're in a hospital bed."

Emi slipped back into the penthouse as I nodded. "Maybe it's just the influence of Mom's rock 'n' roll lifestyle, and touring with her, and going places with my gymnastics team. Always someplace to go, something to do, bastards to punch out…"

Linna smiled. "Always the same no matter where you are, huh?"

"Yup…"

Between the heat and the fact I'd just had a very big lunch, I could feel my eyelids growing heavy. I took another sip of my drink before setting it down on the table and leaning back. "Linna," I said sleepily, "I never asked you…how'd your date go?"

"My date?" she repeated, surprised.

"Yeah. The one you had after I introduced Emi…"

"Oh, that." She laughed. "It was boring. He was the one who did all the talking, mostly about himself. Bragging about his mansion in district 4, his thirty-million-yen income, his hair…"

"I thought you liked wealthy men…"

"Not when they're so full of themselves they forget they're on a date. I think he thought the date was with the sound of his own voice. That's what it was like, I swear!"

"I guess he figured you'd fall in love with hearing him talk."

"Oh, God, no. I was ready to call for the check before the appetizers even arrived. That was one of the worst dates ever!"

"A toad, huh?"

"Heh. Yup, just another toad…"

"Y'know what? Princes are overrated." I yawned again, covering my mouth as I did so. I'm so tired all of a sudden! "Screw all that."

Linna said something, pretending she was offended, but I didn't catch what she said. I was already nodding off. The summer heat was like a blanket that I had wrapped myself in and never wanted to come out of. It felt nice…comforting…

I could remember a time I had felt similar to how I felt now, having the heat wrapped around me. I was eight years old, and I was with Mom and Michiko at the beach, one of the few spots that weren't packed. Even back then, I didn't like the water, so I liked to play in the sand, making sand castles and drawing pictures. Mom was busy digging a hole, piling up the sand she'd dug up next to her, while Michiko kept coming back to me with buckets of wet sand so we could make a fortress.

"I think we should make a moat," she suggested. "So no invaders or dragons can get into the castle!"

"But can't dragons fly?" I asked. "They could just fly over the moat and breathe fire into the castle."

She giggled. "Well, maybe a knight cut off its wings and he's running back to the castle while the dragon's chasing him! And because the dragon's wings were cut off, it can't fly anymore!"

"But I don't think the dragon would be scared by the alligators in the moat. It'd probably just eat them."

"Not if there was a billion of them!"

"You can't fit a billion alligators in a moat!" I said, laughing loudly. "Maybe a million."

"Okay, a million alligators. They'd eat the dragon right up!"

"C'mere, Yume!" Mom called.

Michiko and I stood up and walked over to her. She was done digging the hole, and her fingernails had sand underneath them. "Whatcha doin', digging to America?" I asked.

"Nope." She pushed me into the hole, making me yelp as I fell in. Michiko giggled.

"Mama!!" I protested, grinning as I climbed out and took off running.

"Oh no you don't! I'm gonna bury you alive!!"

She ran after me, me giggling as I ran down the shoreline, the waves from Tokyo Bay splashing at my feet, washing away the footprints I left in the sand. Michiko was in hot pursuit too, but being that she wasn't as fast as Mom, she got left behind, but still kept up the chase nonetheless. It wasn't long before I found myself getting pushed again, this time face-first into the sand, and before I could get up I found myself thrown over Mom's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and I squealed and kicked as Mom took me back to the hole and set me down again.

"I wanna help bury Yucchan!" Michiko protested.

"So help me!" Mom urged with a grin.

Both of them pushed sand on top of me, and with Mom holding me down with one arm and burying me with the other, there was no running away this time. "The sand's really warm!" I shouted, squirming.

"The sun does get really deep into the sand, doesn't it?" Mom concurred.

In a matter of minutes, I was completely buried in the sand, only my head being uncovered. I laughed. I couldn't get out! But somehow, I didn't mind at all. This was fun! "Mama, Micchan, you're so meeeean! I bet high tide'll come and you'll leave me here!"

"Yup!" Mom said with a grin, folding her arms over her chest.

"What?! Nooo, you won't do that!"

"Nope, but we WILL leave you here while we go get something to eat."

"But I'm hungry too!"

"Should've said something before I buried ya!" She grinned and crouched down. "Nah, I'll get ya out. But how about next time we get Michiko?"

"Hey!!" Michiko yelped.

"Or we can do Aunt Nene."

"Yeah!" I cheered. "Let's do Aunt Nene AND Micchan together!"

"Sounds like a plan!"

There wasn't many times we were able to go to the beach, that summer or any summer; the paparazzi could usually be seen taking pictures from the next hill or a boat in the Bay, which tended to ruin things. But when we did go, we managed to have a great time anyway. And in the end, at least one person would end up buried in the sand, and when Nene came along, it was usually her. Overall, it was a time of my life I really enjoyed. No worries about school or keeping out of trouble going on tour with Mom. I could just be a normal kid.

"Yumeko…"

"Nnn…" My eyes fluttered open, and through my sleep-blurred vision I could make out a black-haired girl standing over me. "Micchan…?"

"No, it's Linna," she replied with a smile.

"I fell asleep…?"

"Sure did, right in the middle of my rant. I decided to let you sleep; you looked so peaceful laying there and drooling."

I wiped at the corner of my mouth, which was, sure enough, wet with drool. "Oh, uh…sorry." I sat up. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A couple hours."

"What?! Why didn't you wake me?!"

"Figured I'd let you catch up."

"I already did twelve hours last night!"

"And none in the two days before that. Like I said, catching up."

"Where's Emi?"

"She's meditating in the guest room."

"Medi…?" I stood up. "She doesn't meditate, and I didn't teach her how to. Why's she doing that?"

Linna shrugged. "She's under stress too, you know. I went looking for her, and there she was, sitting on your bed. I figured I'd leave her alone; she looked like she was pretty deep into it."

"How long has she been doing that?"

"That was two hours ago, and when I checked on her again before coming out, she was still doing it."

"I can't blame her for looking for a way to relax too. I've been trying to, too. Um…what about Sylia? Is she still on that conference call?"

"She wrapped it up a little bit ago, and Nene and Mackie are just about done putting together that scanner for Emi."

"And what's Mom up to?"

"She's anxious to start killing some things, and by things, you know I mean Boomers." She rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh. "She feels bad about what happened. She wishes she could've done something to find you before they did that to you."

"Well, she couldn't, and it happened. But I'm here now, and I'm ready to kill something too!"

"Before you do that, let's see if Sylia's got a plan for what we're gonna be doing now."

"Hope it's something good."

"You're not the only one."

Linna and I headed back into the penthouse, but when we turned to look for Sylia, she wasn't there. We'd come in just in time, on the contrary, to see Mom coming in. "Sylia wants us all down in the bay," she said, jabbing her thumb behind her. "Yume, go get Emi. She's coming too."

"Okay."

While Mom and Linna went one way down the hall, I went the other way, heading towards my temporary bedroom, assuming she was still there like Linna had said she was. I knocked on the door first, but when I got no answer, I went ahead and opened it, sticking my head in. Emi was sitting cross-legged on the bed, both hands on her knees, head ever so slightly bowed. I stepped through the doorway and walked over to her.

"Emi?" I put a hand on her shoulder. "I think we gotta get going."

She lifted up her head and opened her eyes. "…Is it that time already?" she asked slowly, blinking several times.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you fell asleep sitting like that."

"I didn't," she assured me with a smile.

"What were you doing, trying to achieve nirvana?"

"No, just relaxing. Being in the sun isn't quite my style, though."

"Fair enough. I just need to make a pit stop first, and then we'll head down, ok?"

Emi just nodded as I ran down the hallway to the nearest restroom to relieve my bladder in a spot that wasn't on the floor. It had seemed like ever since our escape, whenever I felt the slightest urge to go, I'd make a beeline straight for the toilet. Lord knew I never wanted to hold it for as long as I had to while I was in captivity, or have to relieve myself to ward off danger. It was slightly embarrassing when I thought about it, but given the alternative, well, I really had no alternative. I wasn't about to let Nezumi continue his attack, that was for damn sure!

He's not worth your time!, my mind screamed as I flushed the toilet and washed my hands at the sink. Don't waste your brain power thinking about that shithead! What're you doing that for? He's dead! Emi made sure he'd never hurt anyone again!

"Still plays in my head…" I said to myself. "Can't help it…"

There's no way you'll be able to go out into battle if you have it on replay the whole time! Wouldn't want to get your friends into anything you couldn't get them out of…

"That won't happen. I won't let it happen! Not again!"

I splashed my face several times with cold water. I had to stop thinking about it! There were bigger things to worry about at the moment! First off, I had to see what we were gonna be suiting up for downstairs…but I supposed if it came down to it, I could always picture any Boomers we fought in the future as that rat-faced bastard. I knew it wouldn't be quite the same, but it would have to do.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Emi was just emerging from the bedroom, carrying her hoodie jacket over one shoulder. "What were you doing?" I asked.

"Had to get my shoes on and get my jacket," she replied.

"Okay. Let's go."

Going down the eight or so floors to the hardsuit bay was a long trip, and not only because I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. I didn't want to rush this any more than I had to, job be damned. I wanted as much time with Emi as I could get before this second attempt to hand her off to the UN.

But as luck would have it, neither of us really could think of anything to talk about. Emi looked about as nervous as I felt, but she also looked…resigned. Resigned to what? That she knew she couldn't stay with me forever?

"I'm sorry I've been so much trouble," she said suddenly.

"You haven't been any trouble," I refuted. "It's not your fault any of this happened. I never blamed you for anything, not even…the stuff that went on at the warehouse. I'm just glad you came to your senses. If he'd kept using that stun gun for much longer, I…I know I would've said anything to get him to stop…"

"He was a sadist, and mad that he wasn't able to…have you. Even if you'd said stuff about being a Knight Saber, I doubt he would have stopped. You would've had to spill your life story to get him to stop, in the state of mind he was in."

"If I'd…said anything…Sylia would've killed me."

"I don't think so. She seems like she would know that people can only put up with so much before they go crazy and say things they swore on their graves never to say."

"I was close, though…too close…"

We were still two floors away from the hardsuit bay, but I found myself starting to get winded already, an unusual sensation since I'd made this trip on foot a hundred times before. Granted, I hadn't moved around a whole lot today, and even when Emi, Nene and I went to the restaurant across the street, we'd taken the elevator to the ground level. Maybe I was just dehydrated.

By the time we got down to the basement, I was dizzy. I fell against Emi once we were at the bottom of the stairs, but quickly recovered, saying I just needed some water and I would be ok. But she didn't buy it for a moment.

"Maybe you really should sit this out," she sighed. "You barely made it down the stairs."

"I DOUBT Sylia would call me down here just to say I'm being left behind," I snapped. "I like to think I know her better than that. I bet she changed her mind and decided she wants me to have a part in this after all." At the same time, I did have to admit that I'd been part of the summit bodyguarding, even though Sylia had said back then I was to stay behind in the event of anything happening, unless I was specifically called to help out. But this had to be different. It just had to be.

After putting my hand on the fingerprint reader and it saying "WELCOME YUMEKO," Emi and I both stepped through the door into the hardsuit bay, where everyone stood in their innerwear except for Nene, who was still fastening the back of hers. Sylia and Mom turned their heads in our direction when they heard the door open.

"Good, you're here," Sylia said.

"I suppose we're trying this again, huh?" I asked.

"Yes." She handed Emi what looked like a watch. "This is the scanner Nene was working on for you. It will pick up any Boomers within a two-kilometer range and will also display what types they are."

Emi fastened it around her right wrist. "And you think this should be enough for me to be able to shut down any Boomers within that range?"

"I'm hoping so."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We'll be ready to fight." She turned to look at everyone. "We're taking the Motoslaves and the KnightWing."

I gulped and asked, "Linna said you mentioned an airfield. Is that where we're going?"

"Yes. There's a private airfield just west of Tokyo where we'll be meeting up with some representatives from the UN. On standby will be several dozen UN troops in the event something happens."

"Probably about as effective as the ADP," Mom muttered under her breath, which made me crack a smile. Ever since I'd been to the other world, I'd gotten an idea of just what she'd been talking about all this time.

"Probably why we're going in our suits," Linna added with a grin, nudging Mom in the side with her elbow.

"Everyone, this is our last shot at getting the OMS to the United Nations," Sylia stated clearly, but with a seriousness in her voice that was impossible to miss. "This is all or nothing. This is most likely not going to be as straightforward as it seems, hence the precautions of using the KnightWing so we can get in and get out as quickly as possible. As secretive as we can try to make this, I am fully anticipating another Boomer attack. Genom wasn't able to get it back the first time, so it's likely this will be on a much bigger scale than we saw at the Red Baron. So I want everyone to bring their Motoslaves online as soon as we have liftoff. I am hoping Emi's scanner will be enough, but if it's not, I'd like us all to be ready."

She turned to me. "Yumeko, you know the mission. And I know you treat Emi like a friend, and she has done a lot for you and for us. However, if we are not able to deliver the OMS to the UN people…"

"Sylia…" I said. "Don't make me…"

"I'm sorry. If we're not able to make the transfer, I want you to shoot Emi. The OMS is better off destroyed than back in Genom's or ASI's hands."

"You're saying that and she's right here!!" I yelled, gesturing at the girl next to me. "Why me?!"

"Because you ARE my friend," Emi replied slowly, a neutral expression on her face. "I know the risks you and your friends are taking for me, and I don't want anyone else hurt. If that's what has to happen, then I'm willing to go along with it."

"I'm not going to shoot you!" I barked. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you to the UN guys, but I am NOT going to shoot you! You hear me?! It's NOT happening! I'm gonna get you there or die trying! Whatever Boomers come our way, they'll have to take me down first!"

She just smiled. "Then let's all just do our best."

"That's the only thing we can ever do," Nene said with a small shrug.

Mom had a pained expression on her face, and I knew why. She'd had to shoot a friend herself, to save the city. I wasn't quite in the same boat, and it wasn't a situation where I absolutely HAD to shoot Emi, but I could understand why she gave me the look she did. "Don't worry, Yume," she assured me, forcing a smile. "We'll get her there."

"You swear?"

She shook her head. "I can't promise that, but you have my word I will help you make sure Emi stays safe."

I smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

Linna interrupted. "You're the only one not in your innerwear," she chided, wagging her finger at me, but grinning. "You can't get in your suit like that!"

"I know! So let me get ready already!"

I stripped down my clothes and snatched up my innerwear, stepping into the legs. I flinched at first when I had to tug the fabric over my still-healing welts, but once I had them over my legs, the pain subsided, and I was able to get my arms into the sleeves and fasten the back. Once I had it on, I went over to my hardsuit and stepped in, the armor folding over my limbs and torso, snapping into place.

"So this is you," Emi said, looking me over. "This is my friend, the purple Knight Saber."

I nodded and motioned for us to follow the others so we could board the KnightWing. The last step in our journey together was just taking shape. And here I was, no longer helpless, no longer alone and left to fight by myself.

"Bring it on, you bastards," I muttered. "Whatever you've got, RavenKnight is ready to deal it right back to ya."