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"When you lose a loved one...you cherish that person's memory. It's never a burden... You just...want to do whatever you can. Whatever you can...to make [them] proud... You just want to...so you do! "

—Seiko Shinohara, Corpse Party (Chapter 1)

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Episode 13: Proud

Aelita felt a pounding in her head, her vision black. Her back ached when she attempted to lean forward causing her to cringe and lie back down.

"Aelita!" She heard in a familiar voice, but her rattled-up mind couldn't pin point who it was.

She blinked rapidly for a few seconds, her vision becoming more and more clear with each movement of her eyelids.

"Aelita, you're okay!" Jeremy said, standing over her. He moved down and embraced her, making sure to be carful with her as she seemed severely injured.

Aelita's brain was just beginning to activate, her vision now clear. She noticed Yumi, Odd, Ulrich and William standing around her and Jeremy, tears in their eyes. At first, she couldn't remember anything, but her mind quickly connected the pieces and reminded her of recent events.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Aelita asked, already knowing the answer, but found it impossible not to ask.

Jeremy moved back from their embrace and allowed his pink haired angel to lie herself back on the floor.

"Aelita... I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do..." Jeremy said, wiping a tear from his face. He attempted to stay strong for Aelita, but he found it more difficult than he thought it would be, than he hoped it would be.

"The reactor blew just as he fell threw the portal. What I saw him do from my camera was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do."

Her fathers final moments flashed in her mind: his face clearly showed his insurmountable pain. The look he gave her before he fell into the portal, the final look he would ever give, was different than Aelita would expect it to be. There was no sorrow, no pain in his expression, only a hopeful smile, as though he knew something she didn't.

And then he was gone.

Aelita raised her head to realize she hasn't moved an inch since she passed out, not as though she could with how much pain she felt from her spine. She noticed light the light coming from the bulb above them being reflected by something to her right, so she rotated her neck as much as she possibly could until she found a pair of broken glasses only inches from her head, a small piece of remaining glass reflecting the light.

She reached out to pick up the glasses, but her sore back wouldn't allow her to stretch very far. Jeremy picked them up and handed them to Aelita who fixated on them for a moment.

"Only a few minutes ago, he was wearing these... And now he's gone." Tears began to build up in Aelita's already moist eyes. Her friends wanted to offer a helpful word, wanted to help make things easier for her, but none of them could think of anything to say that would serve that purpose.

Aelita again tried to move, attempting to stand, but she found her strength to be deterred by the intense pain in her back. Nothing seemed broken, but she couldn't be sure.

Noticing her attempts, Jeremy, Ulrich and William moved over to Aelita, helping her to her feet and supporting her weight as she stood.

"There're so many things I'll never get to experience with him..." Aelita said, tears now streaming as a river down both cheeks. "So many things we never did..."

Aelita felt a warmth run through her body as Jeremy placed his hand on her shoulder. Not a warmth of heat or intensity, but one of love and care, of true comfort.

"It's okay Aelita, we're here for you." Jeremy said, having taken his glasses off after a loose tear landed on them and he didn't bother to wipe it off. "We'll do anything we can to help, anything at all."

Aelita now felt more sick standing than she had lying on the floor, but her pain wasn't her first concern. All her mind could do was think of her father, causing her to take a minute to process what Jeremy had said earlier.

"I wanna go home." Aelita said, wiping a tear from her right eye with her sleeve.

"Alright, we'll help you walk back to your dorm." Ulrich said, supporting her left side while William supported the right.

"No, not there... Home..."

—

The walk through the forest was silent other than the sound of the teens feet against the grass. Their progress was slow and steady as they had to walk at Aelita's pace, but they all honestly needed some quiet time to think.

When they arrived at the front of the Hermitage, they all stood and stared blankly, waiting for Aelita to say something or signal them to go inside.

Aelita hadn't expected to be so emotionally attached to a place she only remembered in vague images and fragments in her mind, but right now this was as close as she could get to her father.

With a blink, the dark night transformed into a bright summer's day, the dilapidated house she has grown up in returning to its previous glory. In the doorway, she saw her father standing with his arms outstretched.

"Aelita, welcome home!" He said, a rare smile forming on his face.

And with another blink, the dream world she wished so strongly could be reality faded back into the dark state it truly was.

Her condition has gradually improved over their walk, and now she thought was the best time to test her strength. She walked towards the entrance as it had an almost magnetic draw on her. The others watched, a bit surprised by her regained ability, but they all followed her to the door.

Aelita opened the door slowly and took a single step in, not knowing their walk through the house would accomplish, but hoping something, anything would happen that would make things easier, if they could ever get easier.

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Sorry for the late, but I had to think about this a lot. This episode may be shorter than others, but in not sure yet. Next update will be on time, and thanks for your patience over my vacation!