Disclaimer: I do not own Claymore or any of the Claymore characters(Teresa, Clare, etc.).

Author's Note: To not confuse readers, Clare is the one talking in first person. The "you(r)" equals Teresa of the Faint Smile.

Claymore: Farewell to that Smile

I don't remember how long ago it was that I met you. All I remember is seeing you free me from that abusive monster people called Yoma. And most of all, I remember seeing you in pain. For a long time, I had no one to care about. I was a stubborn child wanting to comfort you. I wanted to give something back to you because you lost it long ago, when being dragged into the Organization.

There was no family for me to go back to. I saw my parents torn apart while I tried to hide. Their entrails were eaten by grotesque demons…by the Yoma. I was helpless to try to save them. Instead of hiding, I stupidly confronted those damn Yoma out of fear. Yet all I received in the end was torture rather than death. So I was carried around like a worn rag doll until you finally killed my slave owner.

At first, you pretended to not care or notice me. You were surprised that I wouldn't give up no matter how many times you kicked me or I followed. You were only hiding your anguish to show absolute calm on your face. It was because of you, Teresa, that I came back to life. You gave me back the voice I had lost. The death of my family polluted my speech to the point where I could no longer speak. I loved your smile most of all, even though I could not talk to tell you how much I enjoyed it. That true smile showed that I could make you happy in your life that was full of invisible agony.

But the thing I remember most was when you spilled tears. I don't know why you cried. Was it because of me? Was it because I spoke for the first time? Or was it because I actually reached through to you? I don't think it mattered. You were probably just full of joy it brought you to tears. But I cried too. We both cried together.

Your death was so quick I didn't even have time to think. The look on your face was of total defeat and surprise. You didn't even have time to react because you let your guard down. Before I could even blink, you were gone. I cradled your head in my arms after that monster walked right past me. I wandered with you in my arms, grief-stricken. When I reached the town, I stopped walking and began to run. Something prompted me to go find a mysterious man who I remembered you describing. The man was neatly dressed in black clothes, includeing black glasses and a black hat. I held out your head to him, demanding that I have your flesh and blood. I believe I was the only one to ever "volunteer" for the Organization. With your blood in me Teresa, it became a living memory. Your soul was gone, yet you were reborn in the form of my body. Your strength was put in me, your flesh and blood. But one thing I will never see or have again, was that one smile.