Author's Note: This one's a bit different from the other one-shots thus far in that it's told from neither Dominic's nor Anemone's points of view. Instead, I decided to let TheEND speak and the piece centres on the thoughts and observations of the infamous Black LFO during the iconic DominicxAnemone scene in the anime (with ample references to the manga, of course). Well, like I said, this one is a bit off of the beaten track, so please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Eureka Seven.

Child

#

"Dominic…? Dominic!"

After the Child screamed, for a moment, there was nothing; only stillness. Then suddenly and violently, the voice – the one that had only ever existed as a mere whisper – reverberated throughout his entire being with such force that he momentarily forgot even about the Prey.

He was overcome not only by the unprecedented strength and clarity of that voice, which he knew must belong to the Child but could not be recognized as such, but by the Child's overwhelming presence. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before: somehow, for each irregular, ragged breath and each pounding heartbeat, the walls that had always separated the Child's consciousness from his own were disappearing, one by one, until his mind was filled with an acute awareness of only her.

Of his pilot: his Child.

Except, this was the Child no longer; the Child had been but a lurking shadow, scarcely leaving even the smallest imprint. This Other was different. This Other was an existence that rung proud and true and unashamedly – and yet, he somehow understood that it and the shadow was one and the same.

It was the Child, but the Child no longer.

But why? How could it be? What was this Other?

And he called out to this new presence, tentatively reaching out towards the unknown. ...who? Who are you, Child?

Anemone, a voice replied initially in a timid whisper that gradually gained in strength and confidence until it was a roar. My name is Anemone. Anemone. Anemone. Anemone. I am me. I am Anemone.

Anemone. He considered it carefully while awaiting her next move. So that is who you are, Child.

A flood of strange sensations and images rushed through his mind, then: naked white walls and ceilings; sharp smells of clinical nothingness; frail petals of a small, wilting flower; long white hair and the folds of a military cape disappearing behind closing doors; hatred, fear and the white brother that was prey; soft, silky fur against bare skin; a little boy's toothy smile and flushed cheeks; hot tears of anger and frustration held back by tightly shut eyelids; distorted scarecrows twirling through empty halls and long corridors to the sound of distant music; cakes decorated with sweet strawberries with whipped cream; bone-chilling numbness replacing unbearable pain; scratching of pens on paper; distant cheers from an adoring crowd; blood slowly oozing from the broken remains of men, women and children, slowly forming thick pools of red on the ground beneath their bodies; the strange softness in the grey eyes framed by locks of dark, unruly hair; cold latex gloves, hospital beds and solemn faces; the brushing of one pair of lips onto another.

He did not understand their meaning, nor did he comprehend their significance, other than that the fragments belonged to the past of the Child who was the Child no longer; that they belonged to a Child named Anemone.

And yet... despite that he could not know them, the memories belonging to this child who was Anemone were oddly familiar. It was as if he, too, had been present, participating in each moment alongside with the Child: as if once upon a time, he, too, had held a small, defenceless flower in his hands; as if he, too, had fallen asleep to the soft snoring noises originating from the soft lump at his side; and as if he, too, had looked into the calm kindness of steel-coloured eyes.

It was as if there no longer existed any boundaries separating him from her; no clear distinctions as to where one ended and the other started. For a brief moment in time and space, he and this child who was Anemone were one and the same.

#

"Dominic! Dominic!"

When the Child urged them towards the collapsing passageway, breaking pursuit of the Prey, he obeyed without even a moment of hesitation. This Child was determined to reach the tiny speck of life among the rubble before it crashed into the ground below, but even though he could feel it and accept it as a truth, he did not understand why.

So he asked.

Because he matters. The Child's reply was immediate. Dominic matters. That idiot came for me and now he'll die. But I won't let him. I won't!

And suddenly he understood: his Child, this Anemone, had finally found a purpose, a reason for her to exist in the world.

#

"Please, TheEND, hurry! We need to save Dominic!"

This Child, this Anemone, he thought while speeding towards the stubborn flicker of life among the falling rocks, has chosen to live. This Child has made her choice.

And he knew what needed to be done, what must be done.

Go, he urged her gently. Go to him.

Then he released her, watching from above as she fell through the air.

Go. Hurry toward your purpose, Child.

#

He realized then that there would be no escape, not this time, but he had to protect this Anemone—

"TheEND? TheEND!"

—because this Child, his Child, had chosen to live.