Ray of hope...


Marie: " eh!"

She exclaimed, still couldn't process it.

Doctor: " well, as you heard. In your daughter's situation, Optima won't be able to save her, but it may give us a chance."

Elie blinked twice as she looked at the doctor, waiting for an explanation.

Doctor: " your heart is so weak that it caused your body to be fragile and unable to take any serious surgery concerning your inner vital organs. However, with the Optima technology, it can support your heart and grant your body the growth it needs to be ready to give you a new heart. Installing the Optima for your heart isn't that complicated surgery anyway."

Marie: " but, why not just using Optima?"

Doctor: " You should know Mrs that Optima isn't a live long option when it comes to heart disease. The patient who have their heart switched for Optima should get a new heart since the whole mechanism needs to be replaced every 5 to 6 years. That's how far our approved materials can hold. As you know, there is a limit of surgeries the human bodies can get through. And for Elie-kun's case, it's preferable if she gets a new heart as soon as possible. Since we're not replacing her heart with Optima, only supporting it."

Elie looked up at her mom from her wheelchair.

Marie: " what are her chances?"

The Doctor restored his glasses' balance.

Doctor: " 50%."

Marie: " eh?"

Doctor: " the problem is when we will give her the new heart. Even if we support her body with Optima to take the surgery, we expect her body to be capable to take at most one surgery by the age of 18. It's common that when we give a patient a new organ, there is a 50% chance of the organism rejecting it, although it's compatible. If her weak body rejects the new heart, then we won't be able to make her go through another operation."

He looked down at Elie.

Doctor: " Elie-kun wasn't expected to make it to her 18th spring with her heart, to be honest we estimated that her life could be even shorter than that. But with the Optima technology, it can give us a ray of hope."

Elie: " then I will go through with it!"

The doctor looked down at her.

Elie: " even if it fails, it can grant me more time, right? I want to spend more time with my family and friends!"

Elie: " even if it fails, it can grant me more time, right? I want to spend more time with my family and friends!"

Marie: " Elie..."

Elie: " I will hold on to this small ray of hope. So, please, let me go through it! Mom!"

Marie's surprised expression slowly faded as she witnessed her daughter's resolve. She smiled at her.

Marie: " very well then."

The doctor smiled and strolled over to her, placing both hands on her shoulder.

Doctor: " well said, Elie-kun. I will make the preparation for installing the Optima."

Elie: " please do soon."...


Ban was pushing her wheelchair as they were wandering around the garden.

Elie: " it's nice to have some fresh air from time to time!"

She grinned. Ban smiled as he saw her face as bright as he can ever remember.

Ban: " it seems something good happened."

Elie: " well, yeah... You can say that."

" Ban-kun. Elie."

They both snapped and looked behind them to see a certain black and white haired boy.

Elie: " Jin! Were you with Yuuya?"

Jin nodded.

Elie: " how is he?"

Jin: " the doctor says he is improving slowly over the time. He is more stable than before."

Ban: " I see."

Elie: " thank god. Hope he would get better soon."

She looked up at her brother and he nodded when he got it.

Ban: " I need to go now, Jin can you please take care of her."

The boy merely nodded and the brunette waved at them goodbye and left.

Elie then turned to face Jin and looked at his red eyes.

Jin: " you need to say something?"

Elie shook her head.

Elie: " nope, you need to let out a lot of things."

Jin sighed.

Jin: " not you too..."

Elie: " unfortunately for you I'm more persistent than Onii-chan."

She lifted her look towards the sun that was about to set.

Elie: " most people are happy everything is over but, no one asked if it was over for you, right?"

Jin narrowed his eyes.

Elie: " during this fight, you too lost someone whom you held dear and didn't even have the time to grief over him, there is even no grave to visit, and you had to lock every emotion you had while you were fighting."

She turned back to him.

Elie: " Jin..."

Jin: " I decided from the start to stop grandfather. So it could have come to this situation anyway, I can't expect people to keep quiet about what he had done."

Elie: " well, it wasn't the case for Lex."

Jin clenched his fist.

Elie: " although you knew what your grandfather did to him, you were thinking of revenge, right?"

Jin: " I owe your father for what he did back then."

Elie snapped at his words.

Jin: " if it wasn't for your father, I may really have ended up being like Lex

Jin: " if it wasn't for your father, I may really have ended up being like Lex."

Elie: " Dad?..."

He looked down as he recalled what happened in Saturn. It didn't take a genius to know what the man's objective was. All he wanted was to prevent the kid from doing a life long mistake.

Jin: " if he didn't stop me back then, if he didn't get me away of there, if I was to join Ban-kun in the fight, I may have really ended up avenging grandfather. And then... I would have regretted it, forever... Even now, I regret thinking that way..."

She reached to his hand and grabbed it tightly, something that made him snap and look down at her.

Elie: " I'm glad too he stopped you... Lex got revenge of Kaidou for his father, if you were to get revenge of him for your grandfather, then someone will come after you for the same reason and it goes on. It's an endless wheel of hatred and mistakes."

She looked up at him with a sweet smile.

Elie: " but Jin, you don't have to go through that pain on your own anymore, you have friends around you. You're not alone."

Jin: " ... Right."

He said as he unclenched his fist and took her hand.

Elie: " you know, I think I'm thankful for your grandfather..."

He was surprised by that and looked down at her.

Elie: " for rising up someone like you, I'm really thankful for that."

His lips quivered into a small soft smile. Maybe it was the first time hearing someone being thankful for the old man rather than bring some kind of an horrible act.

Jin: " thanks, Elie..."...


His visits continued on for the next month, whether he intended to visit her or was just passing by whenever he visited Yuuya, she didn't have an answer.

She was rather thankful for him keeping her company. Through the time, his stoic face relaxed more whenever around her, and she wasn't able to neglect the slightest excitement she gets whenever he appears at her room's door.

Chatting about LBXs, battles, maintenance sometimes she would hold him back to watch a movie with her. Eventually visiting Yuuya together a couple of times and being around through his rehabilitation.

In short, before she knew it, they got closer over the time, and she grew to enjoy his company. Even though he wasn't the type to speak much, but his presence around her made her feel more at ease...

That day, Elie was swaying her legs as she stared up at the sky with an annoyed look.

Elie: " bored..."

She sighed deeply. She was waiting for her brother to come and save her from boredomland. When she heard footsteps approaching her, she sat straight and yelled at the new comer.

Elie: " you're late!"

Her cheeks went pink immediately when she realized it was Jin who merely rose a confused eyebrow at her.

Elie: " Sorry... I just... I was..."

Jin: " you were waiting for Ban-kun I see."

He eventually managed a smile before taking the seat next her.

Jin: " It will be soon right, Optima's installation."

She nodded her head slowly.

Jin: " are you worried?"

Elie: "not at all. Though to be honest, I'm not sure if it will work or not."

She stared up the sky again.

Elie: " but I had just about enough seeing Onii-chan and the others worry about me. At least, I wish to relieve them a bit."

Jin had a soft smile at her.

Jin: " you're such a kind hearted person."

Elie : " not as much as you though."

Jin: " eh?"

He seemed to be taken aback by her words and she gave him a bright smile.

Elie: " you may not realize it yet, but you're such a kind person yourself, Jin. On of the kindest."

Before he could even open his mouth and ask her what makes her think that way, their attention shifted as a certain brunette ran over to them...


Month later...

Elie blinked as she read the paper again and again before looking to the short black haired boy sitting on the chair next to her bed, hardly having the reality sinking in.

Elie: " is that all he left?"

She held up the letter that stated reasons and reasons why the writer wasn't there with them, yet no single goodbye word.

The boy shook his head as he took out an LBX, a one she didn't see before, and a CCM.

Yuuya: " he left those to me too."

Elie looked down.

Elie: " did he really leave, without even saying goodbye?"

Yuuya saw that her eyes became moist and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Yuuya: " Jin-kun has been through a lot of things, and I believe he needs sometime to himself."

Elie: " he could at least send a message and say 'goodbye'!"

Yuuya shook his head.

Yuuya: " I'm not sure why he didn't do so, but... I know that he needs to collect himself and sort somethings on his own."

Elie: " Even though I told him he doesn't have to bear any of that on his own..."

Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Yuuya: " I'm sure he really wanted to say goodbye to us and his friends, but that would make it harder for him even more. So he had to do it."

She seemed to think about it deeply and then wiped her unshed tears.

Elie: " I think you're right, if he is to say 'goodbye' then they won't let him leave without a goodbye party."

Elie rose her head with a small grin while Yuuya chuckled at that and the girl's bright smile returned again.

Elie: " can I take a look at the LBX, Yuuya?"

Yuuya: " sure."

He gave her the robot.

Elie: " his name is Liu Bei right? A Chinese warlord who was known for his upright moral, trust and kindness for his friends. I think Jin picked the right LBX for you."

Yuuya rubbed the back of his head with a smile.

Elie: " he's strong, and very kind. I can feel that this LBX would fight to the end of the line for his friends."

She handed it back to him.

Elie: " take care of him, I'm sure you will both grow to become friends."

Yuuya: " sure."...


When Jiiya opened the door, he didn't expect to see a certain auburn haired man in front of him.

Jiiya: " Yagami-san..."

On second look, he saw a girl by his side. Around 12 years old with medium length blonde hair and red eyes. Her face was more or less stoic.

Jiiya: " she is..."

Yagami: " I need to talk to you."

Jiiya merely nodded and led them in. Yagami took the girl's hand and she automatically followed him as he entered.

In just a few minutes, Jiiya served them tea and a plate of cookies for the child.

Yagami took his cup but the girl sat still, merely looking down at hers.

Yagami took his cup but the girl sat still, merely looking down at hers

Yagami: " Eva, you can drink it."

The girl, Eva, looked at the adult as if to make sure it was really alright and then took her cup in hand, sipping her tea.

Jiiya: " Yagami-san..."

Yagami: " I'm right on it."

He placed down his cup of tea and stared into the old man's eyes.

Yagami: " this is Evangeline Mech. She was rescued not long ago when Innovators got taken down."

Jiiya: " was rescued?"

Yagami: " apparently, she was used as a test subject for some kind of experiment. Much like Haibara Yuuya."

Jiiya: " poor kid..."

Yagami: " Jiiya, I can't think of anyone other than you right now. Could you take care of her?"

Jiiya blinked at him.

Yagami: " she has no family as of now. After she was rescued, she was first taken into a foster family but... It seems they soon didn't want her. It's something about the experiment she had been through..."

He seemed reluctant about sharing much information.

Yagami: " I don't trust those with the government to take care of her. I'm just asking here though. You still can refuse."

Jiiya looked down at the kid who was biting on a cookie and his look softened.

Jiiya: " I'll take her in."

Yagami looked at the older man.

Jiiya: " she is left all alone in this terrifying world, all lost. I can't help but wanting to take her in."

Eva merely looked up at him.

Yagami: " I'm really thankful for you, Jiiya. Now I can rest knowing she is in safe hands."

He patted her head.

Yagami: " Eva, from now on you will be under Jiiya's care. You will be safe here."

She nodded her head in a rather automatic way.

Yagami: " I know you need to be fed on more details about her. I'll explain everything later."

Jiiya nodded at him.

Yagami: " well then..."

He stood up.

Yagami: " excuse me please. I still have things to take care of."

Jiiya walked him off to the door and slightly bowed as he left.

Jiiya: " take care, Yagami-san. Please visit whenever you can."...

Month later...

Elie had her eyes shaking as she slowly opened them. Much to her surprise, she found her mother, brother and Yuuya by her side.

Elie: " what... Happened?"

She said sitting up and Marie smiled softly at her.

Marie: " nothing much dear, we were just waiting for you to wake up."

Elie rose her eyebrow before finally recalling what happened.

Elie: " right. They did install the Optima."

She said running her hand on top of her shirt, feeling the small cut left by the operation.

Elie: " man, hope it doesn't leave a scar."

Yuuya chuckked.

Yuuya: " that's what you're worried about?"

Elie: " yeah, a girl worries much about her body, have a problem with that?"

Ban: " no, no he doesn't."

He said with a sweat drop, stepping in to spear the black head from Elie's wrath.

At that moment, the door slid open and the doctor entered, looking through a folder of papers.

Doctor: " congratulations, Elie-san. The installing of the Optima was successful. There was no major effects on your body after the operation. Well, it was expected since it wasn't a serious one to worry about. If things keep up, you may get discharged soon."

Elie smiled at her family and friend at that.

Doctor: " although I'll have you know, what we installed is actually electromagnetic coil like small things which will work on stimulating the heart muscle. Now you must understand that this is just a temporary solution to get your body to attain its needed growth. You mustn't exhaust yourself, even Optima can't do much if your heart fails you."

Elie nodded.

Elie: " I'll be careful."

The Doctor nodded in satisfaction.

Doctor: " very well then, we'll have you under supervision for a while till we're sure you can handle the outside world. Now, you just have to rest well."

He said then left all four of them to chat happily about that...


Disclaimer: Evangeline Mech belongs to EinAr_17.