I didn't like that last chapter… But I liked the stress shown from a vigorous lifestyle. I apologize for the PoV changing in this chapter, however many times.

Come With Me

Aerrow

Thank God for medication. I got at least five hours of solid sleep. Able to properly function in the morning, I woke up and found something to eat. Kai was still asleep, so I did my best to stay silent.

For being home alone most of her life, Kai sure had a way to keep food stocked in the house, and most of it was fresh food. To keep it simple, I grabbed a loaf of bread and stole a few slices before replacing it in the fridge, placing them in the toaster before walking off.

I stayed away from the garden, knowing how protective she was over her hard work. However, I left my energy blades out there and was forced to retrieve them. With time still left before my toast was ready, I decided to check on Kai and make sure she was all right, asleep or otherwise.

I pushed open the door quietly, leaning against the doorway. Kai had an arm flopped over the side of the bed, most of her covers on the floor. If she moved any more, she'd fall to the floor. I smiled, watching her for a moment more. When the toaster ejected the toast, I jumped, glancing over my shoulder in the direction of the kitchen.

I decided the toast could wait and watched her for a moment more.

And her eyes shot open. Blinking a few times, she reached the dangling arm up to rub her eyes. "…Aerrow? Wha… Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She sat up quickly, still rubbing her eyes.

Still smiling, I pushed myself off of the doorway and entered her room. "No, I'm fine. I'm making some toast. You don't need anything, do you? After I eat, I have to head out."

Sighing, she looked away from me toward the ground before standing up. "…All right. No, I'm not that hungry." She stood up. "I don't want to keep you here if you have to leave…"

"Once I'm done eating I have to head over to the Condor and make sure everyone is up. Then we have all day to pack and we leave as soon as we're done."

Kai pushed her way past me and into the bathroom, fixing her hair in the mirror. That's when I first noticed how truly long it was. Gathering it up in her hands, it waved back and forth against her legs. Once it was in a hair tie, held high up on her head, it fell only a few inches short of its actual length, which was still stunning.

"Are you sure you're not hungry? I made more than I'll probably eat anyway…"

She shook her head. "I don't really have an appetite today."

I walked into the kitchen and pulled the toast from the cooker, eating silently while Kai picked up the house. Suddenly, we both umped, hearing someone knock on the door.

Kai, still dressed in her pajamas, was reluctant to answer it. However, she did.

"Miss Kai, can I talk to you for a minute?" It was an older man, around the age of her father.

Fearing for her safety, I stood up, keeping a close eye on her.

Kai leaned against the doorway and instructed him to proceed.

"Kai… I know you predicament. I disapprove of what your father's doing but I can't intervene alone. The Council won't let me speak for more than a moment so I can't get a motion passed for you… But you need your freedom. I picked up your application the second that old man had filed it away for the week's work and had it processed immediately."

Kai yawned.

"You need your freedom… Here," he handed her something.

Opening her eyes wide enough to read what was on the sheet of paper, Kai then launched toward the man, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, thank you, Mark! You have no idea how much I needed this…"

He smiled, gently prying her off of him. "I heard the Storm Hawks are leaving today… Bet you're happy, eh?"

She stayed silent, hugging her arm.

"…I should really get back to work. You can come visit me any time you need something, all right?"

She nodded, thanking him again.

"No problem, Kai. I'll see you around." He waved, walking off.

Kai closed the door, jumping up and down, hugging the coveted document. Seeing that I was watching the event unfold, Kai ran forward and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed, rocking me back and forth.

Feeling a bit motion sick, I laughed. "Kai, I didn't really do anything."

"You verified my application! Without that, I wouldn't have my license!"

I smiled, hugging her back. "Look, Kai, I really… have to get going… If you want to help us out, you can find me in the shops center."

Kai let go, stepping backward. "Okay… When do you think you guys will be coming back?" She knew that my leaving meant she'd be alone again.

"Not sure… I think we're travelling farther out this time, closer to Cyclonia. It may be six months, may be longer."

Her green eyes saddened. I forced myself to look away and not be swayed by emotion. "It's okay," she sighed. "I don't want to keep you here. Do you have everything you brought?"

Taking a look around, I pointed to my energy blades. "Just those."

"Those are mine," she corrected.

Double-taking, I noticed the Striker crystal was purple. Those were hers. "Huh… then where are mine?"

Grasping my shoulder, she turned me around and pointed out that I had one on my back.

"I know I got the other from the backyard, but where did I leave it…?"

"Kitchen," she pointed.

I laughed nervously, retrieving the weapon.

Kai stayed quiet. She didn't want to say goodbye…

I grasped the garage door handle and said a farewell. She responded with a silent wave. I shut the door behind me, pulled my Skimmer from the garage, and sped off.

A sickening feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. I knew, somehow, this wasn't the end, that my hard work at gaining her trust and friendship wasn't a waste.

Kai

This was the first time I ever felt sad about someone leaving. I sat on the couch for the longest time, staring at the remnants of Aerrow's bed. The pillow and blanket were stuffed into the corner, ready to be folded up and put away.

His presence still lingered in my house… I looked toward my room and I could see him standing in the doorway. Walking into the kitchen after picking up his crumb-covered plate, I could see him standing over the toaster, eagerly awaiting breakfast.

If they were leaving today, that meant my father must've radioed them that their sky rides were all fixed up and ready to go. Fastest job of his life… I sighed quietly, bringing myself to put the bedding away in the ottoman. Though it was the only thing that kept me believing that Aerrow was still here, it had to go.

I walked over and pulled open the garage door, staring at the red Switchblade sitting in the darkness. The smell of oil and used crystal fumes hung in the air, something I usually avoided breathing in. His Skimmer was also gone, another factor bringing me closer to reality.

I closed my eyes, letting out a sharp breath. I decided, "That tears it," and stomped into the garage. The door slowly rose as I climbed onto my ride, zooming out before the door was even open. Sensing I had left, the door quickly recalled its order and shut once more, letting me be on my way.

An hour having passed, I wondered if the Storm Hawks had already left. How long did it take to pack supplies, anyway? I know they had been gathering crate after crate, stacking them all up at the end of the Terra… Either way, I was either catching up to a ship, or helping them pack.

I was determined to say a formal goodbye. Racing through town, I had to keep alert. Now that I was legally allowed to drive, I didn't worry about risking it and blowing my cover. I drove as fast as I could, not bothering about how much noise my Switchblade made.

I wove in and out of the buildings and homes, racing toward land's end. Upon reaching it, to my surprise, the boys, and girl, were still there. I skidded to a stop, having to force myself into a tailspin to keep from falling over. With the scent of burning rubber in the air, along with anxiety and fear, I had made my presence known, and all eyes were on me.

My face now bright red, I stumbled off of the bike and rushed out of sight, searching for the red head. "Aerrow?!" I called out, waving back to Finn as I passed by. Looking around and behind me, I wasn't entirely watching my step and ran right into someone—who happened to be exactly the person I had set my sights on.

Smiling, I leaned over to catch my breath.

"Not much of a runner, are you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Couch potato," I raised my hand. "Look, that wasn't fair of me, to let you leave like that. With… without a proper goodye."

"Goodbye?" he asked. Shaking his head, he laughed, "No, goodbye is forever… I'm coming back."

Those all-too familiar words struck quite a loud bell. My brother had said the same exact thing before going off to defend Atmos against the Cyclonian Talon forces. My eyes filled with tears and I looked away. "I'm sorry… I have a hard time saying goodbye if it causes sadness."

He nodded. "I understand. Do you want to help out, or do you not want to stick around…?"

"Help!" I chimed. "How much more do you have left?"

"About ten minutes worth. Grab whatever you can and load it onto Junko's bike. He'll fly it back in. Finn and Junko are taking turns, just look for the Skimmers with the red flags tied to them." Leaning over, Aerrow picked up a rather light crate and handed it off to me.

Kicking up a knee to support the box, I saluted him, catching the box before it became unbalanced. I turned and playfully marched away, doing as I was instructed until there were no crates left.

That's when reality finally hit me. Now I was going to be alone and there was nothing I could possibly do.

Footsteps led up to where I had sat down on a stack of crates and a saddened voice spoke up.

"I guess it's time for us to go…," Aerrow sighed, sitting down next to me.

"Yeah… I'll get over it. It's only a few months, right? Maybe a year? Not too long."

A short, agonizing silence was placed between us before Aerrow stood up, holding out a hand to help me up as well.

His next few words turned my mood around in an instant.

"Come with me."