The world was larger than anything she'd ever known, anything she'd ever dreamed. Picture books of planets and stars and comets showed the smallest trickle in an ocean of light. She knew the following of the stars, where they would land upon the Earth, and the hope of one that held the star in their hands.

It was the same hope that rested upon a girl that first got her Soul Gem, a hope that would decay as the Wraiths became too much, life became too much, and all that adolescent anger and despair and grief would cultivated into the swirling darkness of the Soul Gem.

She would take it away, and lead them to peace. There was a sadness tempered in their arrivals, lives cut too short, but it was a blessing for them to no longer feel pain.

There were so many girls, from all walks of life, and she loved them all dearly. They were curious, questioning, Who are you? Where is this? and Did I do good with my life?

She would say, Yes, you did, it was never easy for them to take on this enormous burden. It was never easy to provide hope, but they had fought on until the last moment, and deserved this respite from the monsters only thought to only exist in nightmares.

Sometimes they would think of those they left behind, and melancholy would cross their face, wondering about their loved ones. She shared in this sadness, that she could never grow up but it helped to look upon the Earth and showed them, and herself, that the ones they loved continued on.

She thought of her mentor, the one that experienced loneliness that could crush her soul but kept going with a smile and elegant air about her. She was still alive, still providing hope and shielding the everyday people from the horrors of the Wraiths.

She thought of her dear friend, satisfied with one last look upon the boy she sacrificed her soul for, and knowing that he could find happiness with Hitomi. It was hard to let go, always was hard to let go, and she did it with grace.

She thought of the girl that she knew all too briefly, and yet knew very well, the girl that shielded her feelings with abrasiveness and offerings of treats. She renounced her mercenary-like ways and worked to provide peace for the ordinary. She didn't consume as much in this life; perhaps she had filled the void within her.

She thought of the one that worked so hard to save her, twin pigtails and red glasses, a healed heart and eyesight, hair drifting down like a black waterfall. There were bombs and guns and machinery to fight for her life, and she had gone onward and onward, nearing forever, and only until the last moment did it nearly break her. There always was rain, cascading down into water that spelled disaster, and perhaps now the rain could soothe her.

A/N: Originally posted on AO3 on October 21 2018 to November 6 2018

Thank you for reading this.