A/N: This chapter's got quite a bit of cursing. Be warned.

Also, to celebrate reaching 100k words, I finished my picture of the team 5 kids! Sadly I don't think I can upload images on FFnet, so you'll have to head over to the AO3 version of the story to see it.

Chapter 20: Imposter Syndrome

Is this lady crazy? Who just bricks someone in the head?

My head pivoted between the unconscious man and the newly arrived woman. I wasn't sure what to do now. Getting saved while trying to get captured actually put quite the wrench in my plans. Whoever this woman was, I clearly couldn't just execute someone in front of her. Stealing his ID and then disappearing would seem suspicious as hell too.

Maybe if I get her to leave I can come back later?

"Thanks for the help," I said, "I think I'll just head home on my own, if that's okay."

"Alone? Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, no offence, but you looked like you were about to head off with a random drunk. Don't you know about the disappearances?"

So she's playing that angle.

I stepped past the prone man's body and crossed my arms. "I was only playing along so I could escape later," I argued. "I don't actually trust random strangers."

"Good. That's good," the girl said with a breath of relief. "My name's Jun Kasou, what's yours?"

I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing? Being persistent won't warm me up to you."

"Well you said you don't trust strangers, so I introduced myself," she said with a magnanimous smile.

I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. This girl had the most piddly chakra reserves I'd ever felt, which made reading her way harder.

"Momo Hinamori, but that's all you'll get out of me," I responded as I strolled past and left the alley.

Jun sped after me. "To be honest, I saw you alone from my window and thought you might be in trouble. I really don't mean any harm. I'm just worried for your safety."

Some random girl that looked similar to the missing victims just happened to find and save me from being kidnapped?

Smells like B.S.

Jun fit the kidnappers' criteria far too perfectly. It was almost as if she'd been crafted for the role; like the mangaka in charge of her design was one step away from plastering the page with big bold letters announcing 'this is the next victim!'

I quietly huffed in amusement at the thought. Jun must have been a honeypot—here to lure people away into some shady place so they could be stuffed into a sack and shipped off to who knows where.

But isn't that exactly what I wanted?

I stopped in place and Jun nearly bumped into me from behind. "You know what? Fine, you can escort me to my place downtown."

"Downtown, as in the inner city?" Jun's eyes dimmed. "I didn't take you for one of them."

I raised my brow. "What do you mean?"

"Part of the social elite," she clarified. "A woman of means; member of the richie rich club."

"I'm not, really," I said with a scoff. "Just visiting from out of town to sell some of my dad's wares. He hurt his knee and couldn't make the trip." So there's nobody here that will notice if I disappear.

Jun wrapped her bare arm around my shoulders, making me twitch—her skin was surprisingly cool. "A hardworking country girl, I like it! Much better than nobles or tourists."

I huffed in exasperation. "So what's the plan? You stay glued to my side while we walk back to my Inn?"

Jun looked around, probably checking for witnesses. "I think a better idea would be for me to show you how to get home in the first place. We're totally going in the wrong direction right now."

I know, but it's interesting that you'd deign to mention that. Maybe I've also been leading us away from whatever hideout you want to escort me to?

I didn't voice my thoughts, instead manipulating my transformation to turn my cheeks red and looking away in embarrassment. "I didn't notice that…"

Jun laughed it off. "Don't worry, happens to the best of us. Do you trust me enough to help out?"

I nodded my head and Jun happily pulled me along. I was reminded of Naruto just a tiny bit. Hopefully he's doing okay. He's probably met Zabuza by now. I fought to keep the worried frown off my face and distracted myself by focusing on the environment. This only made me realise another way in which Jun reminded me of Naruto.

"Why are people looking at us like that? Did you do something to make them dislike you?"

Jun's shoulders slumped a bit. "It's nothing, they just—" she caught herself, sighing in defeat and turning around to face me. "—A couple months ago I had to lay low for a while because I stole from someone I shouldn't have and got the palace guard sent after me."

She absently rubbed her arm, wincing at some memory. "Those disappearances I mentioned started happening around that time, and when I was the only one of the supposed victims to come back alive… Well, now they think I'm a bad omen."

I narrowed my eyes at the people who'd been suspiciously glaring at us, weighing Jun's words against what I saw. The residents didn't show outright hostility—more of a general aversion and discomfort. If they suspected Jun of being in league with the kidnappers they'd likely warn me somehow.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't have been dangerous in a different way. Perhaps she was a gang member? My conversation with the three old men indicated the gangs weren't the ones behind the kidnappings, and Jun having robbed someone fit the bill of what gangsters tended to do.

Plus she hardly seemed perturbed after throwing that brick at the drunk's head.

These signs certainly supported the gangster conclusion, yet I still felt dissatisfied. Jun was trying too hard. She consistently steered clear of any shady alleys and ushered me through populous streets whenever she could. If I acted startled or nervous she'd reassuringly squeeze my hand. When I told her to grip less tightly she let go completely. It was so damn suspicious.

Am I just paranoid? Nobody's this nice to strangers.

She was clearly trying to ingratiate herself to me. Maybe because she thought I was rich? Her goal could be to rob me. Or maybe the kidnappers' hideout was closer to the city centre than I assumed and all of these niceties were just a front.

I tugged at Jun's arm to test my hunch. "Once we get closer to downtown I think I can find the way home on my own, if that's alright."

Jun's eyes widened a tad and her reply came out slightly strained, "O-oh, yeah, sure." She glanced away, absently rubbing the spot I'd touched her.

I need to push a bit more. "Something wrong?"

"It's just, uhh, I was kind of hoping to go visit the downtown festival… together."

You little rascal. To think you had me going for a bit.

I giggled before patting her shoulder. "I'm sure there are tons of other people you could ask."

A frown marred her face. "Not really. They won't come near me because of their superstitions."

Bull. Shit. This girl is objectively gorgeous. No way in hell would she struggle to find a date, even if people really thought she was cursed. I delivered a commiserative look as I responded, "Oh alright, you can escort me for a bit longer. But I won't waste too much time hanging around the festival! I really need to get back to my room."

Jun's eyes practically glowed as she clasped my hands. "You're the best, Momo!"

She upped her pace with a renewed spring in her step. Soon enough we were past the slums' informal border and back in the city proper. The stares disappeared, but I sensed the faintest hints of concern creeping into Jun's measly chakra supply.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

The emotions vanished without a trace as Jun twisted around, seemingly shocked I'd noticed anything. "No, nothing," she replied. "Just a bit nervous because of my history with the law, hehe."

Though she said that, those faint whiffs of worry reappeared as soon as her back was turned.

I'm onto you…

Or not.

Despite all my misgivings, Jun and I reached Yao's grand inner-city festival without any problems.

It had gotten a whole lot more lively in the few hours I was gone. Stalls were set up all over the place hosting games or selling knick knacks, large swathes of tourists and residents swarmed the streets, and a pyromaniac's wet dream of a bonfire roared in the middle of the festival grounds.

Jun's eyes sparkled as she gasped in awe. "This is way more amazing than I thought."

"Haven't you ever gone here before?" I asked.

"No… my mom always said it was too dangerous for us outer residents. The police, or worse, shinobi could do all sorts of nasty things and nobody would care if we don't have official permits."

Is it really that bad? She must just be garnering sympathy.

"That's rough," I replied, leaving unsaid that my current form didn't technically have any ID of her own. Hopefully that would not become a problem. It didn't seem like the stall owners were checking, and both of us wore decent enough clothing that it shouldn't stick out.

I was far more worried about the fact that Jun seemed to have honoured her word and hadn't lured me into a trap. Time was ticking away and I was nowhere closer to solving this conundrum. Hell, if Jun was completely innocent, I couldn't even use her to hand over my package since she just confessed to not having an ID!

Calm down. There's still time, and acting doe-eyed and innocent is the most incriminating thing one can do! I'll just hang out with her a bit longer and then call it a day.

"Where do you want to go first?" I asked. "I'd personally love to try the Senbonbiki."

Jun showed me a dazzling smile and wrapped her arm around mine, "Momo, I got a good feeling about tonight."

My whole body tingled in anticipation of what dastardly deed she'd try to pull.

We went from one stall to the next, with my rumbling stomach enticing me to try out various different food vendors. Jun held herself back and declined my offer of purchasing her anything—supposedly she'd already eaten. She enjoyed participating in the games, though, so I made sure to focus on those.

When my excess funds started running precariously low about an hour later, I was finally forced to accept that nothing would happen. Sunk cost fallacy had doomed me to waste far too much time getting sidetracked and I truly could not afford to prolong this any more.

"Jun, it's been nice, but I really can't stay out much longer," I said with a heavy heart. "I need to wake up early tomorrow."

"Oh, that's too bad," Jun replied, repeating her nervous habit of rubbing her arm. "Could we maybe meet up again tomorrow night?"

Even if she really was innocent in all this I still couldn't promise her anything. For some reason I nonetheless felt compelled to say, "Sure, that sounds fun."

Jun smiled and wrapped me in a tight embrace, before kissing my cheek. "I look forward to it."

Her lips weren't warm, but left a lingering tingle of heat where they'd touched me.

That's weird. It's almost like… I'm crushing on her, aren't I.

Fuck. My. Life.

Stupid teenage hormones, why did they have to go and muck up my mission!? What could I possibly get out of this? Did that damn lizard brain of mine not realise that pre-epilogue romance never worked out in shonen? The only time people confess their feelings was when—

Oh fuck! Fuck fuck fuckity fuck!

I'd been thinking far too logically about this whole thing. We weren't on Earth, we were in a shonen manga universe and this was my first C-rank mission. If I was a POV character, things were practically guaranteed to go off the rails. I had to reevaluate everything I'd seen.

Jun was a kind, cooperative, cute young woman who just happened to also fit into the mould of the disappearance victims. In the world of fiction this all pointed to a very obvious conclusion: Jun Kasou was destined to die in the name of the protagonist's character growth.

And I just let her walk back home through a shady district all on her own.

Perhaps it was delusional to assume I was of such grand importance, but for all I knew anyone's life in this world could have moments that followed shonen storytelling tropes.

I rushed through the crowd to catch up with Jun's retreating form. "Wait! I changed my mind,"—I paused, gasping for breath to sell the act—"Do you want to watch the fireworks together?"

Her whole face lit up in joy. "I know just the spot!"

The very moment she said it I felt a burst of malevolent glee from within the surrounding crowd. There were too many people around to see who it stemmed from and the signal quickly vanished.

One thing I was sure of, however, was that my hunch about shonen tropes had been right on the money.

That pulse came from a ninja.

I wasn't dealing with a trafficking ring. Of course I wasn't. Why would such an operation have such a strict preference when it came to its victims? No, this was the work of a single person. I was dealing with a shinobi serial killer.

Jun, blissfully unaware of my revelation, tugged at my sleeve and guided me in a new direction. "Come on, we need to walk fast if we want to make it in time for the fireworks," she said in a giddy voice, before wiggling her eyebrows and adding, "or if we want some extra time alone."

I hoped the smile I gave in return didn't appear too brittle. My mind was too preoccupied with the looming threat to really focus on my acting. This whole situation just became a lot messier.

We were about to confront an unknown rogue nin, highly competent at suppressing their chakra. The only shinobi who I'd experienced displaying equivalent capabilities were ANBU agents and jounin. Our stalker was likely far above my paygrade and unlike with canonical opponents I had zero clue what his abilities might be.

Meanwhile I wasn't even geared up for a fight! The only things on my person were spare clothes, a few throwing weapons, and a practice barrier seal.

When push came to shove I probably still had decent odds of survival. However, that did not account for my oblivious tag-along. Even if it was 'only' a lower level foe who happened to specialise in infiltration, I couldn't be sure I'd succeed in protecting both myself and Jun from harm—not to mention making sure the assailant didn't escape the ordeal.

I need Hayate.

Located a scant few minutes away from the festival's lively atmosphere was a recently constructed underground lot. It was decently spacious, moderately well-lit, and deafeningly silent—enough to almost make you believe the city above was entirely deserted.

Save for my travelling companion, that is.

"Hey Satoya, mind carrying that?" Akuma asked, pointing at one of the remaining crates in Tsuruhide's wagon. It was one of those filled with 'magical gems'—really just carved rocks that glowed in a pretty pattern when infused with chakra.

"Well well well, does poor little Akuma need a big strong man to carry the heavy stuff?" I snarked.

Excess strain meant that many less minutes to live, and disappearing right now would create lots of problems. I had to conserve my strength as much as I possibly could to buy Satoya prime some additional time.

She scoffed at me and grabbed the crate herself. "Seriously? I've been carrying all the heavy stuff so far. You're the one always mentioning his {guns}, you jerk."

"Sorry, I just figured you might want the chance to catch up to my amazing physical prowess," I said, opting for a lighter box of delicately patterned ornamental fans. "You ought to take every strength-building opportunity you can."

Akuma shoved past me in a huff, stumbling slightly as she hopped off the back of the wagon with her load. I really did feel bad on the inside, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, I couldn't afford to show compassion. Though at this rate my caution might not even matter.

Couldn't you at least give me an update or something? Stupid Satoya.

Genre convention dictated this would be the exact moment I'd be flooded with an infodump.

…

Maybe not.

"Hey jerkface, you coming?" Akuma asked. She'd kept walking while I'd idled around and was almost at the quasi-garage's exit ramp.

"Right, sorry. Just a mo—"

My head was spiked by foreign thoughts and I dropped the crate I was holding on my foot from the shock.

"—{motherfucker!}"

Sheer will—plus the fresh infusion of chakra—stopped me from dispelling on the spot.

Akuma spun around. "What happened? You okay? "

"No." I wanted to curse my idiotic self. Then the information unravelled in my mind and I really wanted to curse myself. "I'm in deep shit."

You dense bastard, what the hell were you thinking!?

And of course he ordered me to be the one to try and explain the situation.

"Was it your clone?" Akuma asked. "They do so much nonsense I can't believe you trust them for anything."

"Wha—why would you think it's a clone?"

Akuma gaped at me with mock shock before breaking into an amused snicker. "Dude, I've known you for years now. Didya think it wasn't obvious you'd have your clones running around the festival?"

"Uhh…"

"Heck, I'd totally do the same thing if I could, but don't tell—"

"I need to see Hayate right away. It's an emergency."

Akuma's amusement quickly faded as she noted the seriousness in my tone. She spared a glance at the crate in her hands. "Then what're you waiting on me for? Just go!"

I gave a curt nod and rushed ahead, throwing out any sense of propriety and running along the roofs as if I were back in Konoha. Nobody seemed to care anyway—too preoccupied with the festivities to notice me up above.

That changed when I got closer to Tsuruhide's stall and was left without buildings to run on. People did not appreciate me rudely squeezing my way through the crowd, doubly so when they were drunk. It didn't escalate beyond cursing, but I drew enough attention for Hayate to meet me halfway.

He loudly cleared his throat. "Satoya, what's gotten into you? This is no way for a shinobi of Konoha to conduct himself while on a mission," he said. His voice was stern but not angry.

For a moment I considered spinning a lie to dodge getting chewed out later—Not the time. "I'm a clone, sensei. The real Satoya is in danger and likely being stalked by a rogue nin."

Hayate didn't miss a beat, pulling a small sheet of paper from one of his breast pockets to note something down before balling it up and tossing it the rest of the way to Tsuruhide's stall.

"To inform Yuu," he answered before I could ask. "Do you know where Satoya is?"

"I know the general location, but we need to be careful. We could be dealing with an ex-ANBU agent and he might get spooked if we reveal ourselves too soon."

Hayate unceremoniously lifted me onto his shoulders. "First tell me where to go. You can give more details on the way and I will go for a more measured approach once we get close."

"They're headed to the valley's unsettled southern slope. Another civilian is with Satoya and likely to be targeted if left alone."

Hayate's chakra stirred and pooled out in front of him. "Alright, hold on."

My ears popped and the world blurred. We reappeared on a rooftop decently far from the celebratory hubbub. "Sensei, please don't do that again. I might evaporate."

He dropped down to ground level in an empty side-street. "I won't. It would be too noticeable now that we're out of the crowd," he replied. "How far is the target?"

I didn't know. Satoya updated me through a clone that he'd left at a public bathroom stall on the way to his and Jun's destination. "By my estimate they're probably almost there, but I'm not sure."

Hayate readjusted his grip and started speed-walking. "What else can you tell me about the rogue nin?"

"They're capable of masking their signal and Satoya only noticed them because of a momentary lapse of concentration. It is likely that their original target was the civilian woman by Satoya's side. Based on rumours this may be a repeat incident."

He rasped out a muted growl. "Have you made visual contact?"

"No." In all honesty it could be that the killer wasn't even following Jun and Satoya anymore. "At least not at the time I was informed via memory transfer."

My teacher sighed. "You'll have a lot to explain after this crisis is dealt with. For now just guide me there."

"Yessir."

Jun's hand was firmly clasped in my own and she hummed a carefree tune while we got closer and closer to the southern boundary. The everpresent smell of smoke had evaporated into a mere itch in my nose, and the distant celebration reduced to faint reverberations that were easily overpowered by the sound of our footsteps clacking on the cobbled path.

According to Jun, the district was targeted for eventual renovation and most of its inhabitants evicted from their properties. The only people staying out here were squatters or stubborn old coots who didn't want to give up their homes despite generous compensation offers.

My judgement of character on the latter may be biassed. The constant looks of disapproval Jun and I received from passing folk had killed my sympathies. Thankfully—or perhaps distressingly—those looks had become less of an issue at this point.

We were alone. My heart hammered in my chest, but romance was the last thing on my mind. "Is there still a long way to go?" I asked.

"Not that far," she said, pointing into the distance. "Just up that slope and past a couple rocks."

Unlike most of the city's natural enclosure, this part of the mountainside wasn't crowded by crude constructions and their residents. Was it due to government interference or simply because of the sheer amount of jutting boulders?

I didn't get the time to think of an answer, as Jun wrapped her arm around my midsection and leaned into my face. "You look tense."

Yeah no shit I'm tense!

I shoved her off of me. "I-I'm just nervous we won't make it before the fireworks start."

Jun looked like she wanted to say something, but decided to quietly pull me into a hug instead. It felt a bit awkward, partially because I just noticed how sweaty I was. Jun didn't seem to mind, wordlessly rubbing my back until the tension left my shoulders.

I must look like a mess.

I wasn't used to tackling unknown dangers and now the very person I was trying to protect had to soothe my nerves. Things would have been so much easier if I could just figure out where the damn killer was hiding. I felt hazy strands of chakra around us every now and again, but they never lasted long enough to pinpoint their origin. They only served to remind me that our stalker was out there—likely using some tracking technique to follow us. Though now that I was locked in place, maybe I could finally calm down enough to discover their hiding spot?

You got this Satoya. Deep breaths.

Jun smelled nice. Was that perfume?

Concentrate!

I purged my thoughts and sunk into my sixth sense. Its resolution improved as my heart rate slowed. Soon I sussed out a thin stream of chakra leading to a building a block away—we were definitely being tracked. I barely noted the killer's hazy silhouette crouching atop the roof, thankfully too far for immediate action.

"All better?" Jun asked.

Not exactly, but at least we're safe for now.

I nodded into her shoulder and she released her hold. "Thanks," I said, "I'm not normally such a wreck. I'm just stuck thinking about the disappearances and now that we're alone out here I keep jumping at shadows."

Jun nodded in understanding. "I see… well,"—she struck a pose, pointing at herself with her thumb—"fear not! This gal's got your back. Nobody's gonna nab you while I'm around."

I snorted. She was so very wrong about that, but somehow her words still made me feel better. "Let's just keep—"

My clone popped.

"Satoya, are you confident there is nothing else you can tell me?" Hayate asked.

"I don't know more than you, sensei. My original hasn't sent any other updates."

Hayate huffed in frustration. "Why endanger yourself like—" he cut himself off with a coughing fit. "Nevermind. We're getting close and you need to dispel. I will hide nearby, but will require a signal to locate you first."

"Like what? I can't exactly start yelling for no reason."

"Then find a reason!" Hayate ordered.

"Okay, sensei, {Jeez}. What about laughing instead?"

My teacher hummed. "Make noise however you wish. I will be on the lookout for a same sex couple."

"Something wrong?" Jun asked, still striking her pose.

Welp, improv time.

I stepped up and poked her in the side. Nothing happened. I poked her again and she lowered her arms, chuckling lightly.

"What're you doing?"

"You were wide open, so I'm trying to tickle you," I reasoned. "Are your nerves made of steel or something?"

Jun looked perplexed. "Is poking someone in the side meant to be ticklish?"

Before I could explain she gave me a probing poke, making me jolt on instinct. "Wait—" She did it again. And again. And again.

Soon enough we were in a tickle fight—one I was sorely losing. I could hardly breathe from how hard I was laughing. "I yield! Mercy!"

She jerked to a halt, quickly pulling away and awkwardly rubbing her arm. Her head robotically turned away and she stared down the street with a blank look.

"Jun?"

She jerked again, snapping back into focus and clearing her throat. "Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Shall we keep going?"

"Sure," I replied, reaching out to once again grab her hand. The two of us resumed our stroll to the mountain's base, with the still persisting wisps of chakra informing me my act fortunately hadn't spooked our pursuer.

Or it could be that I'm sensing Hayate now. I swear, if he didn't find us after all that ruckus I'll be really peeved.

It was more likely I just failed to sense him. As I knew from training, when Hayate went all out I stood no chance of detecting him. Either way it made no difference for me. All I could do was play damsel in distress and wait for my teacher to swoop in and save the day, which also meant I could finally soak in the ambience without being weighed down by my worries.

Though maybe I should still…

My hand hovered above where the practice barrier was strapped to my leg. It would be smart to move it somewhere more easily accessible—reaching underneath my dress could cost precious moments. I glanced at Jun to make sure she wasn't looking and slowly tugged the fabric upwards.

Her head turned and I quickly leaned on her shoulder to block her view. Jun didn't say anything, opting to simply rest her cheek on my head. I pulled the dress the rest of the way up and slipped the seal from its strap.

Though I no longer had a reason for it, my head stayed comfortably affixed to her shoulder as we climbed uphill. It made me feel guilty, and the higher we got the more my guilt mounted. Even if my plans succeeded without a hitch, Jun wasn't interested in my real self. Even if she accepted my deception, I was simultaneously way too old and too young for her.

This could never, ever work out. I had to treat this like an escort quest, nothing more.

I detached from her as soon as we arrived at our destination—a small field of soft grass, isolated from the rest of the surroundings by boulders and bushes. Looking around reminded just how beautiful this world could be with its supernaturally vivid coloration and magnificently stylized textures. Something as simple as moss growing on stone seemed to glow with life.

Jun cocked her head, "Something wrong?"

I looked at her, and realised my companion was no different. The way her lips perpetually curved up in a slight smile. The way her lashes fluttered across her lavender eyes. The way she seemed so carefree yet attentive, jumping at every chance to make me feel safe and happy.

I started out this evening, thinking Jun Kasou was too good to be true, but in reality it was me who was out of place. I was stringing her along like some manipulative creep. The thought made my skin crawl.

I had to tell her the truth. "Jun, I—"

She stepped up and put her finger on my lips, gesturing to the sky above Yao's grand palace. "The fireworks are about to start."

I gripped the barrier array in my hand tightly. We'd likely get attacked soon. This might be my last chance to come clean. "Jun, I'm not…" My voice grew quiet.

Just say it, Satoya! Spit it out!

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" I said instead.

You stupid coward!

Jun gasped, turning to face me with wide eyes. Distant explosions went off in the sky, but we only had eyes for each other. She said, "I can die happy," as her face, framed by a rainbow glow, inched closer to mine.

When our lips touched, it felt like fireworks shot across my face. My cheeks burned with emotion as my heart leapt into my throat. Then Jun went a step further. She parted her lips and the intense rush of feeling spread to the inside of my mouth. My body caught fire. I could barely breathe. I felt—

Overwhelming bloodlust.

I immediately broke contact, pulling away as I held up my free arm and shoved as much chakra into my palm as I could. The barrier seal powered up and a translucent circular pane of chakra burst into existence in front of us. At the same time Jun went slack and collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

A raspy female voice chuckled from the other side of the field. "I fear that little barrier of yours won't matter. Soon enough your heart will—"

A gleam of light and swish of displaced air were all the warning the newcomer got before Hayate's blade bit into her. Blood splattered across the earth as she was nearly bisected down the middle. My barrier fizzled out a moment later—its ink burnt off from overuse—and I collapsed on the spot.

Hayate frantically searched through the woman's corpse, shouting some words that I couldn't decipher. My priority right now was Jun. I turned her over and checked for a pulse—nothing.

Her eyes were vacant and her skin ashen.

As if she'd never been alive at all.