Author's Note: A recent review of this story told me that there was a pacing problem. When I originally wrote this story, I actually felt the same way. Unfortunately I didn't really think at the time that there was any way around it. I mean this is primarily a GX story, but the love stories present in Strawberry Panic are still an important part to the story. However, I do want make this as good a story as possible, so in an attempt to speed things up I've merged chapters 14 through 16 into one big chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.
Chapter 14: Moving On
As soon as Jaden had run across Nagisa just as she collapsed, she was taken to her room at the Strawberry Dorms. The school doctor dropped by the dorms to check on Nagisa and found that she had only collapsed from exhaustion. Nagisa woke up later that day to find Miyuki sitting near her bed.
"I see you're finally awake." Miyuki said with her usual stern expression, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Where am I?" Nagisa asked as she slowly sat up.
"You're in your room at the dorms." Miyuki answered. "Mr. Yuki was fortunate enough to run across you just before you collapsed. He helped to bring you here."
"Why are you here?" Nagisa asked.
"I felt that I owed you an explanation." Miyuki replied. "First, how much did Shizuma tell you about her Etolie partner?"
Nagisa looked down sadly. She took a moment to compose herself before she spoke.
"She told me that her name was Kaori and that she was her first love." Nagisa finally answered.
"I see… That will save us some time." Miyuki replied as she turned to face the window. "Let me start by saying that I never approved of Shizuma's relationship with you, nor did I really approve of her relationship with Kaori. It was for different reasons though. The reason that I never really approved of Shizuma's relationship with Kaori was because I knew that she would only be hurt in the end. It turned out that I was right. As for why I didn't approve of you having a relationship with Shizuma, it was because I was afraid of you getting hurt. I'm sorry to say that I was right again."
"…What do you know about Shizuma and Kaori?" Nagisa asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know anymore about it, but a part of her felt that she had to know.
"I've been Shizuma's friend since I started attending Miator." Miyuki replied. "I was there when Shizuma first met Kaori, and I was also there when Kaori died. Because you are now involved, you have the right to know the whole story…"
Miyuki's tale took place a few years before Nagisa started attending Miator. Even before Miyuki had become Miator's Student Council President. It all started on what might be considered by most as an ordinary day. But for Miyuki and Shizuma, the day wasn't quite that ordinary, because they had been given a very special assignment.
"I can't believe that we have to look after some sick first-year student." Shizuma complained.
"This order came from the head mistress of the three academies herself." Miyuki reminded. "This student has an illness that makes it hard for her to do certain things. The head mistress wants us to help this girl get the full benefit of attending Miator."
"But why us?" Shizuma asked sounding a little irritated. "Surely there are others who can do the job."
"The head mistress chose us because we're two of the best students here." Miyuki replied. "Now stop complaining about it!"
"If she's so sick, how can she duel?" Shizuma asked with her arms crossed as she sat on her bed. "This isn't exactly a low contact sport you know. It can get a little intense."
"That isn't our business Shizuma." Miyuki replied. "Our only concern is to do the job we've been given."
"You can be way too serious sometimes Miyuki." Shizuma said as she got off the bed and walked closer to her roommate. Shizuma got behind Miyuki and leaned close enough to whisper in her ear. "You need to learn to loosen up."
Shizuma suddenly started to kiss Miyuki's neck, causing Miyuki to blush and push the silver haired girl off of her. Shizuma got up from the floor laughing.
"You can be such a child!" a flustered Miyuki exclaimed. "Now come on! We have to go meet this new student."
Shizuma and Miyuki left their room and went to the room of the student that they were assigned to look after. Miyuki knocked on the door.
"Come in." said a voice from inside the room. Miyuki opened the door.
"Shizuma, this is Kaori Sakuragi." Miyuki introduced as she stepped out of the way so Shizuma could get a better look at this student they were charged to take care of.
Shizuma's breath was taken away when she saw the girl in the room. She had short, black hair adorned with a large pink bow in the back. Her skin was almost as pale as snow. Shizuma thought that she was the prettiest girl that she had ever seen. She was like a living doll, and her Miator uniform only accentuated that look.
"Hello…" was all that Shizuma could manage to say as she entered the room. Kaori replied by smiling back at her. That smile caused Shizuma to blush a little.
As time went on, and as Shizuma spent more and more time with Kaori, the two became closer and closer. The summer came, and Shizuma, Kaori, and Miyuki all went to Shizuma's villa together. One evening, the three went to a nearby hill to do some stargazing. It was not that far a walk from the house. Once there, Kaori started running up the hill, but lost her breath about half way up. It was not a very steep hill, though it was a high one. There were times when Shizuma would forget just how frail Kaori's illness made her.
"Are you all right?" Shizuma asked in a worried tone.
"I'm fine." Kaori said as she caught her breath. "I just overexerted myself. I was so excited about coming here that I couldn't help but run some of the way up."
Miyuki finished laying out the blanket. Shizuma and Kaori sat down on it while Miyuki went back down the hill to grab the cooler, which was left back at the house, leaving the two alone.
"It's so beautiful up here." Kaori said as she took in the scenery.
"I thought you'd like it." Shizuma replied with a smile.
"…There's something that I want to show you." Kaori said a little nervously.
"What is it?" Shizuma asked, her full attention on the black haired girl sitting beside her.
"Promise you won't think I'm silly?" Kaori asked.
"I could never think that." Shizuma replied as she put her hand over Kaori's.
Kaori removed her hand, took out her deck, which was in a small bag that she had brought with her, and pulled out a card that she handed to Shizuma. The silver haired girl took a close look at the card. It was a monster card called Athena. The monster it depicted was a woman with long silver hair wearing white robes and a silver helmet. In one arm the woman carried a spear, and in the other a shield.
"I got this card a few days before the trip." Kaori explained. "It's sort of become my favorite card."
"Why is that?" Shizuma asked.
"It reminds me of you." Kaori replied.
"Because we have the same kind of hair?" Shizuma asked with an amused smile.
"That's part of the reason I guess." Kaori answered. "But the main reason is because it's strong and beautiful like you."
Shizuma blushed, then handed the card back to Kaori and put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder. Miyuki returned and looked at the couple with concerned eyes. She chose not to say anything however, and the three spent the rest of the night watching the stars.
More time passed, and Shizuma and Kaori's relationship grew stronger. During that time, Miyuki was elected Student Council President, and the reign of the Etoile from that time was coming to a close. A new Tournament was about to be held. Miyuki was going over some paperwork that her duties as president required her to do, when she came across the list of participants in the tournament. She recognized two of the names right away, and decided to have a little talk with Shizuma.
"What is the meaning of this?" Miyuki demanded as she showed the list of participants to Shizuma.
"I think it's pretty obvious." Shizuma replied with an innocent smile. "Kaori and I have entered the Etoile Tournament."
"I think this is a mistake Shizuma." Miyuki said with a disapproving tone.
"Why? I think Kaori and I will make a good team." Shizuma responded. "I'm sure that we can beat anyone who enters that tournament."
"That's not why I don't think that you should enter." Miyuki replied. "It's just… Kaori's health isn't getting any better. I don't want to think about what might happen if…"
"…Don't you think that I know all that?" Shizuma asked her friend with sad eyes. "I know that Kaori isn't getting any better. Kaori knows that too. That's why we both want to enter. No matter what happens, we won't have any regrets."
Miyuki's expression softened after hearing what Shizuma had said. She knew that she couldn't stand in her friend's way.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt." Miyuki said as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"You're a good friend Miyuki." Shizuma said with a smile that reflected a hint of sadness.
The tournament finally came, and Shizuma and Kaori had made it to the final round. Their opponent's were a pair of students from Spica. The life points of Shizuma and Kaori were at 3000, mostly thanks to the defensive Traps that Kaori had been playing. They also had four cards on their side of the field. Shizuma had Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman, which looked like a man that was part tree. Kaori meanwhile had Athena, along with a facedown card. Their opponents, on the other hand, were on the ropes with only 1800 life points. They also had no monsters, but they did have a card that was facedown. It was Shizuma's turn.
"I activate Polymerization!" Shizuma announced. "I fuse Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman into Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"
The two heroes jumped into the small vortex that had appeared in the sky. A moment later, a giant warrior that looked like he was made of polished white stone dropped onto the field. He had a red gemstone on his chest, along with a larger blue gemstone on each shoulder. Terra Firma had 2500 ATK points, which was more than enough to finish the duel.
"Terra Firma, attack them directly!" Shizuma commanded. "Terra Firma Impact!"
The white hero of Earth charged at the two Spica students, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
"I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!" one of the students announced. "Say goodbye to your victory!"
"Not so fast, I activate Trap Jammer!" Kaori announced. "The effect of your Mirror Force is canceled!"
Terra Firma's attack hit dead on, reducing the life points of the two Spica students to zero. Shizuma and Kaori were declared the winners. Later that day, there was a ceremony at the church on the island, where Shizuma and Kaori were awarded two small pendants that signified their position as Etoile. Kaori received a red pendant while Shizuma received a blue one. The crowed applauded once the two girls were crowned champions.
A little more time passed. At first, Kaori was able to perform most of her Etoile duties with Shizuma. Their favorite duty was tending to the flowers in the Etoile greenhouse. After awhile though, Kaori's health took a turn for the worse. It got to a point where she couldn't really get out of bed. Shizuma spent every spare moment that she had by Kaori's bedside. The doctors did everything that they could, but in the end there was nothing they could do. Kaori died three months after she and Shizuma had become Etoile.
Not long after the funeral, Shizuma stood in Kaori's empty room. Miyuki joined her after awhile.
"As long as we have the positions that we do, we can keep this room from being occupied." Miyuki told her friend.
"I'd like that…" Shizuma replied calmly.
"…Are you okay?" Miyuki asked, though she knew what the answer was.
"I have no regrets about how it all turned out." Shizuma replied, not turning to look at her friend.
"That wasn't what I meant." Miyuki responded as she looked down at the floor with sad eyes. She knew what the real answer was. "…I'll leave you alone for awhile."
Miyuki left the room, closing the door behind her. Moments after Miyuki left, Shizuma, overcome by grief, screamed and dropped to the floor sobbing.
Back in the present, Miyuki was finishing her tale. Nagisa had taken in every word.
"…Shizuma was never the same after that." Miyuki continued. "Her heart had become cold. It was as if she stopped living. It seemed, however, that Shizuma had started to become her old self when she met you. I did have hopes that you could help Shizuma forget about Kaori and start living again. As I feared though, those hopes were foolish. I'm sorry that you've been hurt by all this."
After a moment, Nagisa started crying, partly because of the sad story that she heard, and partly because it seemed that Shizuma never really loved her.
Just outside of Nagisa's room, Jaden stood listening to Miyuki's story. The door was carelessly left open a crack, so he could hear every word. Jaden knew that it wasn't really his business. In fact he wasn't really supposed to be in the Strawberry Dorms, but Jaden felt that he had to hear that story. He wanted to know why Shizuma, a strong duelist that he respected, had lost passion for everything. He also wanted to know why Nagisa, a girl who had become his friend, ended up being hurt. Satisfied that he had heard the whole story, Jaden left the Strawberry Dorms. Once outside, Yubel appeared to talk with Jaden.
"Eavesdropping is a bad habit to get into you know." Yubel said half jokingly.
"…I just had to hear to hear that story Yubel." Jaden replied as he stopped walking.
"I guess I had to hear it too." Yubel replied back. "You know that there isn't anything we can do. This is something between Shizuma and Nagisa."
"I know." Jaden replied as he looked down at the ground. "There's something that Miyuki said that I don't get. How can Shizuma ever forget Kaori?"
"She can't." Yubel replied. "Kaori will always be Shizuma's first love. She'll never forget her. But Shizuma does have to move on and except Kaori's death. Otherwise she'll never find happiness."
"…Do you think that Shizuma is really in love with Nagisa?" Jaden asked. Yubel shrugged.
"Maybe she is." Yubel replied. "But she'll never realize it until she moves on. She's still clinging to Kaori's memeory."
"How did you get to be so wise?" Jaden asked with a half smile.
"I've been around awhile." Yubel shrugged. "Granted I went a little nuts after a few years, but I've seen a few things."
"…I wish that there was something we could do." Jaden said sadly.
"I know, but this is out of our hands." Yubel replied. "The only thing we can do is hope that it all works out for the best somehow. In the meantime, we have some dangerous cards to find."
"…I guess you're right." Jaden responded. "But let's work on finding those cards tomorrow. I don't really feel up to it today."
"Whatever you say Jaden." Yubel replied, and Jaden started walking back to the headmistress's mansion.
About one passed since the incident at Shizuma's villa. Jaden continued his search for the Wicked Gods, though it was somewhat halfhearted. He knew that finding the cards was important, but he couldn't really focus on them. He was too worried about Nagisa. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were the same way, for Nagisa was their friend too. Outwardly, Nagisa seemed like her usual enthusiastic and cheerful self, but they all had to wonder if it was just an act. That afternoon, Jaden and the God Hunter Club were passing by Miator, talking about where they should search next, when they suddenly came across Nagisa.
"Oh, hi guys!" Nagisa greeted in an enthusiastic tone that seemed somewhat insincere. "What are all of you doing here?"
"Hi Nagisa." Jaden greeted back. "We're just passing through. How've you been?"
"Just great!" Nigisa replied with a grin. "Well, I better get going. I have a lot to do today. See you guys later!"
With that, Nagisa ran off. Jaden and the others looked on with worried expressions.
"She seemed okay." Kizuna said, trying to be positive.
"She did seem okay, but I don't think that she is." Jaden replied.
A moment later, Tamao walked by, and Jaden decided to take the opportunity to ask the blue haired girl how she thought Nagisa was doing.
"Hey, Tamao!" Jaden called out as he ran up to Tamao. Chikaru and the others were close behind. "You got a minute?"
"Oh, hello Jaden." Tamao greeted back. "Actually, I'm busy looking for Nagisa."
"We just saw her." Chikaru told Tamao. "Though we don't know where she was going."
"I see…" Tamao replied with a worried expression.
"How has Nagisa been doing?" Jaden asked.
"Well, she seems happy, but I don't know." Tamao replied. "Lately, she's been throwing herself into her studies. She's also been challenging every Spica student she sees to a duel, and a few Miator and Lilum students as well."
"This isn't good." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared behind Jaden.
"I'm actually very worried." Tamao continued. "I mean, she acts like there's nothing wrong, but I can't believe that after what Shizuma did to her."
Jaden silently agreed. Chikaru nodded at the statement. Kizuna and Remon weren't entirely sure what to think. There were only two people there who knew for sure that Nagisa was putting on an act. One of them was Yubel. The other was Kagome, though she said nothing. Kagome was usually silent however. The few times that she did speak, it was to claim that her teddy bear, Percival, had told her something. Aside from also being able to see Duel Monster spirits and other supernatural phenomenon, Kagome also had an insight into people as well.
Later that night, Nagisa was leaving the Miator cafeteria. She had stayed there to do some homework and lost all track of time. On her way out, Nagisa glanced over at the piano in the corner of the room, and remembered the few times that she and Shizuma had played it together. It seemed that almost everything reminded her of Shizuma. She had to forget those times though. It was clear to Nagisa that Shizuma never loved her. All she wanted was a replacement for Kaori, and Nagisa just couldn't be that. Nagisa shook the memory from her mind and continued out of the room. Just as she was leaving though, Nagisa felt a tug on her arm. She turned and saw that it was Kagome, holding her bear as usual.
"Oh, hello Kagome." Nagisa greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"…Percival says that you're really sad." Kagome replied.
"What're you talking about? I'm fine." Nagisa insisted. Kagome only looked at Nagisa with her usual expressionless face. "Really I'm…"
Nagisa couldn't finish her sentence though. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Nagisa suddenly broke down and fell to her knees crying. A moment later, Tamao came into the room looking for Nagisa. Once she found her, Tamao managed to calm Nagisa down enough to take her back to their room. Once there, Tamao helped Nagisa get changed for bed.
The next day, Chikaru had called an emergency meeting of sorts in the classroom that was usually used by the God Hunter Club. Along with Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome, Hikari, Yaya, and Tsubomi were there too. Tamao was also there of course, and so was Chiyo Tsukidate, a shy Miator first-year student that Nagisa and Tamao had befriended at the beginning of the year. All of them were sitting around the room informally, and had gathered to discuss how they could help Nagisa.
"Mind if I join this meeting?" a voice from the doorway asked. Everyone looked to see that it was Jaden.
"You're more than welcome to join us." Chikaru replied. "Nagisa is your friend too."
Jaden entered the room and took a seat between Tsubomi and Tamao. At that point, the meeting resumed.
"Okay, we need to come up with something that will cheer up Nagisa." Chikaru continued. "Any suggestions?"
The room was silent for a moment. After all, it was hard to come up with something that could cheer up someone with a broken heart.
"Um, I have an idea." Chiyo said nervously, breaking the silence. All eyes were suddenly on the girl with short navy-blue hair. "Nagisa really likes sweets, so why don't we make her all of her favorite desserts?"
There was a pause over the room for a moment. Chiyo started to think that her suggestion was a bad one.
"That's a pretty good idea." Yaya said, breaking the silence.
"I agree!" Tsubomi added enthusiastically.
The rest of the room was also in agreement and all of them, including Jaden, set to work on making Nagisa her favorite sweets. By the end of the day, they had made two cakes, several cookies, and a few brownies. That night, all of them, except for Jaden as he wasn't really allowed, all went to Nagisa's room. Nagisa hadn't felt up to attending classes that day, understandably due to exhaustion. Though despite her lack of energy and depressed mode, Nagisa was happy to see her friends, and she did eat a few of the treats that they had made for her. After awhile, everyone except for Tamao had left, and Nagisa once again started to cry.
"What is it?" a concerned Tamao asked.
"I wish I never came here!" Nagisa tearfully answered. "If I hadn't started attending Miator, I never would've met Shizuma and had my heart broken."
Tamao looked at the sobbing redhead before her for a moment, then smiled as she came up with an idea that might cheer her up.
"Let me tell you a story." Tamao began. "Once upon a time, there was a girl here at Miator who was usually all alone. Every year she wanted a roommate, but never got one. Then one day a new girl transferred to the school, a very cute and energetic redhead. And that girl became the roommate that the lonely girl had been wishing for. From that moment on, the lonely girl had found happiness."
"Tamao… are you that girl in the story?" Nagisa asked. Tamao smiled and nodded.
"I know that you've had your heart broken by Shizuma, but I'm very happy that you came here." Tamao added. Nagisa broke down again and hugged Tamao.
Back at the head mistress's mansion, Jaden was looking out the window of his guestroom thoughtfully. He glanced over at a mirror hanging on the wall to his right and saw Yubel in place of his own reflection. The Duel Monster had a troubled expression on her face.
"What's bugging you?" Jaden asked as he turned to the mirror.
"Am I being that obvious?" Yubel asked, turning in the mirror to face Jaden.
"You usually don't appear in the mirror like that unless something's bothering you." Jaden replied.
"I'm a little worried about something." Yubel responded.
"About Nagisa?" Jaden asked.
"Partly…" Yubel answered. "What I'm worried about most is what might happen if Nagisa finds one of the Wicked Gods. She's suffering from a bad breakup, and if she finds one of those cards, she might go into a rage and destroy everything and everyone around her."
"You think it'd be that bad?" Jaden asked, shocked by Yubel's theory.
"Look at how I acted when you rejected me." Yubel replied. "I know that our relationship is a bit different, but I kind of know where Nagisa is at right now."
Jaden looked back out the window and thought about what Yubel had said. It had never occurred to him that one of his friends on the island might come across one of the Wicked Gods, or how the cards might corrupt them. It made finding the cards much more urgent.
A little later that night, back in Nagisa and Tamao's room, Nagisa had fallen asleep. Tamao was getting ready to go to bed herself. She looked over at her sleeping roommate, quietly walked over to her bed, and kneeled down beside it.
"There's something else I wanted to tell you tonight my Nagisa." Tamao whispered. "I… love you."
A couple of days passed since Nagisa's breakdown over losing Shizuma. She was in better spirits, but still not quite up to attending classes. Jaden was trying to put more effort into finding the Wicked Gods. Partly because of what Yubel had told him about what might happen if someone like Nagisa were to find one of the Wicked Gods. Jaden had not only become worried about Nagisa finding one of the Wicked Gods, but also about his other friends on Astraea Island finding them.
Still, Jaden could not get the problem of Nagisa and Shizuma off of his mind. He wanted to do something to help at least one of them. Sure he helped to bake those treats for Nagisa, but that didn't quite seem enough. Especially since cooking wasn't his best skill. As Jaden walked past the Strawberry Dorms, Winged Kuriboh suddenly appeared before him. The Duel Monster Spirit sometimes appeared before him to tell him of some supernatural occurrence. Not that Winged Kuriboh could speak, but the little fur ball often led Jaden to spots where it sensed some kind of disturbance.
"What's up buddy?" Jaden asked his little winged friend. Winged Kuriboh took off like a rocket, causing Jaden to chase after it. "Hey, wait up!"
Winged Kuriboh led Jaden to the Strawberry Dorms. Though he wasn't exactly allowed into the building, Jaden decided that if Winged Kuriboh was leading him in there, it had to be important. The little Duel Monster stopped in front of a room on the second floor.
"You want me to go in there?" Jaden asked.
"Kuri, Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh responded. Jaden took that answer as a yes.
Jaden tried the knob of the door and found that it was unlocked. He opened the door and found that it was vacant. It looked like it had been vacant for years, yet it looked like it was regularly taken care of, as if it were some sort of shrine. Jaden had a feeling that he knew who the room once belonged to. Once he stepped inside, the door closed behind him. Suddenly, an apparition in the form of a young girl appeared sitting on the bed. Jaden knew that it was a ghost. After all, it wasn't the first one he had seen.
The spirit in question was wearing a Miator uniform without the duel disk. She had pale white skin, which made her seem even more transparent, and short black hair that had a large pink bow on the back. A sad expression was on the dead girl's face. Jaden recognized the spirit immediately from a picture that he had seen.
"Are you Kaori?" Jaden asked the spirit. The transparent girl looked at Jaden in surprise.
"You can see me?" Kaori asked.
"I can see a lot of stuff like you." Jaden answered. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm worried about someone." Kaori replied sadly.
"Is that person Shizuma?" Jaden asked.
"You know her?" Kaori asked with a hint of hope in her voice.
"I know her a little." Jaden replied. "I'm kind of worried about her too."
"She's sad because I died." Kaori said sadly. "I don't want her to be sad though. I want her to find happiness, even if it's with someone else. I even left her a letter telling her that. She hasn't found it though, and I won't be able to rest until she does."
"Where is this letter?" Jaden asked.
"It's in the top drawer of the dresser, inside of a box that has a red pendant in it." Kaori answered.
Jaden walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside he found a large box with a glass lid. It prominently displayed the red pendant that Kaori received when she and Shizuma became Etoile. Jaden opened the box, and under the piece of white board that held the pendant in place he found an envelope with Shizuma's name on it.
"Is this it?" Jaden asked as he held up the letter.
"Yes, that's the letter!" Kaori exclaimed happily.
"Don't worry, I promise that I'll get this to Shizuma." Jaden said reassuringly.
"Thank you." Kaori said with a smile as she turned into sparkling golden lights and faded away.
As if on cue, the door suddenly opened, and Shizuma was standing in the doorway with a look of shock, confusion, and anger on her face.
"What… how…?" was all that Shizuma could manage to say.
"Don't worry. I was just leaving." Jaden cut in. "I just want to give you something before I go though. This is something that Kaori wanted you to have."
Jaden walked over to Shizuma and held out the letter to her. Still shocked and confused, Shizuma took the letter. Once the object was in the silver haired girl's possession, Jaden walked out of the room. He stopped a few feet out to say one last thing however.
"It's past time that you started living again Shizuma." Jaden said without facing the silver haired girl. With those words, Jaden walked away, leaving Shizuma alone.
Outside of the Stawberry dorms, Jaden walked with a sense of satisfaction.
"That was unexpected." Yubel said as she appeared next to Jaden. "Maybe you were able to help Shizuma a little after all."
"Do you think that letter will help Shizuma to move on?" Jaden asked.
"I have a feeling that it might." Yubel answered with a wry expression. "At the very least, you were able to help that poor dead girl move on to the next life."
"I guess I did." Jaden said with a satisfied smile. "C'mon, we have cards to find."
Back inside Kaori's old room, Shizuma looked at the closed letter with confusion. She wondered if it really was a letter from Kaori. Shizuma looked over at the dresser. The display case for Kaori's Etoile pendant was not only opened but also taken apart. Shizuma figured that the letter was probably in the case. Even more perplexing was how Jaden could've gotten into the room. Both Shizuma and Miyuki always made sure that the door was locked. Miyuki eventually arrived and walked into the room.
"Shizuma, we were supposed to start packing up Kaori's things. We can no longer keep this room closed." Miyuki sternly reminded her friend. "What is that envelope?"
"Apparently, it's a letter from Kaori." Shizuma replied.
"A letter from Kaori?" a stunned Miyuki asked. "Where did you find it?"
"I didn't find it." Shizuma replied. "Jaden Yuki found it inside the case where Kaori's pendant is kept."
"Mr. Yuki? How on Earth did he get in here?" Miyuki asked sounding even more stunned. "Well, I guess that isn't important. Aren't you going to open it?"
Shizuma sighed a little. It was time that she took a look at what the letter had to say, though she was nervous to find out. Carefully, Shizuma opened the sealed envelope and took out the letter. She decided to read it out loud so Miyuki could also hear.
'My dearest Shizuma. By the time you find this letter, I will be gone from this world. I want you to know that I do not regret anything. You made my last days on this earth the happiest days of my life, and I would not change any of it. As I think of you, I think of the flowers in the Etoile greenhouse that we loved taking care of. I am like those flowers, too fragile to survive in the outside world. You are different though my precious Shizuma. You are strong and can thrive in that world, and that is what I want you to do. I want you to move on with your life and find happiness. And if you find someone to share that happiness with, then you will also make me happy wherever I am. Forever yours, Kaori.'
Shizuma was greatly touched by the letter that Kaori had left. A tear rolled down Shizuma's cheek. Miyuki was sobbing next to her. It seemed that Shizuma wasn't the only one touched by the letter.
"You're still a crybaby Miyuki, even after all these years" Shizuma said with a half smile.
Shizuma put the letter back in the envelope, thinking about what it said. She also thought about what Jaden had said to her before he left. Shizuma realized that after Kaori had died, she had started pushing everyone away, even those closest to her, like Miyuki. She had shut herself away, clinging on to Kaori's memory, and Kaori wouldn't want her to do that for the rest of her life. Kaori wanted her to be happy, not lonely and miserable.
"Miyuki, I want you to know that I think of you as my closest friend." Shizuma said to the girl who had just finished sobbing. "I'm sorry if I've pushed you away."
"Don't worry, I understand why you did." Miyuki said with a tearful smile.
Later that night, out near a forest on the outskirts of Spica territory, Amane was having a ride on her horse to clear her thoughts. Over the past few months, Amane had been growing closer to Hikari, but she was a little confused about her feelings for the blond girl. Amane wasn't sure if she was feeling love or something else. All she knew was that she couldn't get Hikari off of her mind. Amane suddenly stopped riding and looked around. She felt as if something was calling to her.
Right near the spot where Amane had stopped was an old abandoned church. Amane thought that it was probably built before the three academies. She felt that whatever was calling to her was in the church, so she dismounted her horse and went to investigate. The inside of the church was covered by years of dust and cobwebs. Some of the floorboards had rotted with age and gained holes. Amane felt that whatever was calling to her was at the head of the church. She went behind the church alter and found a small chest painted in the Spica school colors. The latch on the chest was cracked, and almost looked as if something had punched it. Suddenly, Amane heard a voice speaking to her.
'Open this chest.' The voice said in a deep, almost demonic tone. 'Open it and you shall gain the power to crush all who oppose you and to take what you desire.'
Almost hypnotically, Amane opened the chest and found a card inside. It was a monster card that depicted a muscular green demon. The name of the card was, "The Wicked Dreadroot." Amane picked up the card, and she was suddenly overcome by an intense headache. It felt like her head was going to split open. The feeling passed though, and suddenly Amane felt invigorated. More than invigorated actually, she felt invincible.
It was at that point that Amane realized what she most desired. She wanted Hikari, that beautiful blond angel. Amane wanted to completely possess her, and she would do whatever it took to have her, destroy anyone who would stand in her way. Amane didn't want to stop there though. She wanted to prove her strength by crushing everyone on the island. They called her a prince, but Amane would see to it that by the time she was finished, they would call her a king.
Author's Note: Well, sorry for the long chapter. Though I do think that a lot of this stuff is important to the story. This chapter is of course based on three episodes of the Strawberry Panic anime. Although the thing with Kaori's ghost is something I made up to get Jaden a little more involved in the story. Next chapter things definitely start to pick up.
Review and let me know what you think.